{"id":5652,"date":"2026-07-16T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/?p=5652"},"modified":"2026-07-16T15:59:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:59:07","slug":"understanding-the-mission-getting-families-on-board-with-the-aappl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/understanding-the-mission-getting-families-on-board-with-the-aappl\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Mission: Getting Families on Board with the AAPPL"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my line of work, I often\u00a0have to\u00a0deal with two sides of education – explaining content to\u00a0students, and\u00a0then interpreting matters\u00a0to\u00a0parents. The two can often follow similar paths, but because contact with parents can be infrequent and fleeting, I try to give family members a bird\u2019s eye view of the student\u2019s educational plan; meanwhile, the pupil trudging along needs\u00a0only\u00a0to\u00a0know what\u2019s coming around the bend. So, while\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0talked about approaches to encouraging students towards approaching, undertaking, and eventually,\u00a0succeeding at language proficiency exams,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0not yet explored approaches to getting the families on board.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Explain the \u201cWhy,\u201d Not Just the Logistics<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the biggest hurdles in getting families invested in language\u00a0proficiency\u00a0assessments\u00a0is that many parents simply do not know what assessments like the AAPPL<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>are<\/span><\/i>, let alone what\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0actually\u00a0<\/span>measuring<\/span><\/i>. Traditional testing is\u00a0familiar territory\u00a0for\u00a0parents: \u201cDid you study the packet? Memorize the material? Take the quiz? Get your grade?\u00a0Obviously, even \u201cnormal\u201d quizzes and tests are\u00a0actually more\u00a0involved than that.\u00a0But, in comparison,\u00a0performance-proficiency assessments\u00a0can feel far more abstract.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0why it is so important that we explain not only\u00a0<\/span>what<\/span><\/i>\u00a0the AAPPL\u00a0is, but\u00a0<\/span>why<\/span><\/i>\u00a0it matters. The families of your students should ideally understand that these assessments are not merely evaluating whether students can conjugate verbs correctly in the\u00a0<\/span>preterit<\/span><\/i>\u00a0or remember the fruits and vegetables vocabulary from Chapter 6. Rather, they are designed to measure whether students can communicate meaningfully in another language in authentic situations. In many ways, the exam is less about perfection and more about functionality. And, depending on the age of the parents, this might be an altogether novel concept! Couching it as a \u2018practical,\u2019 or a \u2018field test\u2019 might paint a better picture for them than referring to it as just another \u2018language exam.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When parents understand the broader mission \u2014 equal parts college and career readiness, confidence in global communication, the ability to meaningfully engage with other cultures and the Seal of Biliteracy\u2014 they are far more likely to encourage and support the process at home.\u00a0Families\u00a0will\u00a0generally\u00a0support\u00a0academic endeavors when they understand the purpose. If\u00a0proficiency\u00a0assessment\u00a0is framed merely as \u201canother exam,\u201d enthusiasm will understandably be limited, and support from the homefront\u00a0might\u00a0remain\u00a0weak. But when\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0framed as a milestone in a student\u2019s growth as a multilingual communicator, the conversation changes dramatically.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exposure Over Studying<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cThis sounds great! What should my son be studying to prepare?\u201d This is\u00a0pretty much the\u00a0reaction you can expect from family members when\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0talking to them about a proficiency-based assessment\u00a0like the AAPPL. However, another important conversation to have with families is that language\u00a0proficiency\u00a0rarely develops through cramming. We know that students do not suddenly become stronger communicators because they spent two frantic nights memorizing Quizlet sets and staring at their notes on the use of the imperfect versus the\u00a0preterit\u00a0tense.\u00a0Proficiency\u00a0grows through repeated exposure, consistent interaction, scaffolding, and comfort with communication.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Parents and guardians will understand this approach\u00a0even if they do not speak another language\u00a0if we support them\u00a0in this process.\u00a0I have a lot of go-to \u2018extra practice\u2019 activities that I keep at the ready for these conversations with parents. Encouraging students to listen to music in the target language during a car ride, watch a television series with subtitles, follow social media creators from another country, order food in the language at a restaurant, or simply teach a few phrases to family members can all help normalize language use beyond the classroom walls. These\u00a0everyday activities in the new language\u00a0reinforce an important idea: language is not just an academic subject:\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a living tool for communication.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reframing language\u00a0proficiency\u00a0in such a way is especially important because many students still mentally separate \u201cschool language\u201d from \u201creal language.\u201d The more families can help bridge that divide, the more confidence students tend to develop when approaching interpersonal speaking and writing tasks on proficiency exams.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reduce Anxiety Around the Word \u201cTest\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For many families, the word \u201cexam\u201d\u00a0immediately\u00a0triggers stress. Parents often begin thinking in terms of percentages, rankings, and pass-or-fail outcomes, while students envision a giant grammar quiz waiting to punish every mistake. Then things spiral when parents try to get involved, ensuring their kids have adequately prepared, trying to\u00a0assist\u00a0and often\u00a0micromanaging\u00a0the situation. Unfortunately, this mindset can sometimes create anxiety that actively works against language acquisition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, I think one of the most helpful things we educators can do is reframe what success looks like\u00a0on\u00a0a proficiency\u00a0assessment. Perfectionism is often one of the highest triggers of anxiety amongst young people, but we can remind students that they do not need to sound perfect\u00a0to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0proficiency. In fact, some of the strongest communicators are simply\u00a0the students\u00a0willing to keep communicating when things become difficult. They\u00a0circumlocute, improvise, and clarify. They take risks in the target language, just\u00a0as\u00a0they can in their\u00a0first language. And in real communication, those skills matter enormously.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Families should understand that occasional pauses, self-corrections, and grammatical imperfections are not signs of failure; they are often signs that students are genuinely\u00a0attempting\u00a0to function in the language independently!\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0what happens in class, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0what happens in real life. Getting parents to view the assessment as an opportunity to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0growth rather than achieve perfection can lead to students feeling more empowered to approach the experience with confidence through support instead of fear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ultimately, helping students succeed on\u00a0proficiency\u00a0assessments is not solely about what happens in the classroom: the home environment matters as well. If families understand the\u00a0<\/span>purpose<\/span><\/i>\u00a0behind the assessment, reinforce authentic exposure to the language, and help reduce anxiety surrounding the testing process, students are far more likely to approach\u00a0proficiency\u00a0with confidence and investment. Plus,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0an exciting process and (hopefully) a big win for everyone involved!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most successful students are often not the ones who\u00a0memorized\u00a0the most vocabulary the night before the exam.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0the ones surrounded by people who consistently reinforced the idea that language learning matters,\u00a0and that becoming multilingual is something for the whole family!<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested in bringing the AAPPL to your school or district, contact us<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my line of work, I often\u00a0have to\u00a0deal with two sides of education – explaining content to\u00a0students, and\u00a0then interpreting matters\u00a0to\u00a0parents. The two can often follow similar paths, but because contact with parents can be infrequent and fleeting, I try to give family members a bird\u2019s eye view of the student\u2019s educational plan; meanwhile, the pupil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":5653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[80,302,27,230],"class_list":["post-5652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","tag-aappl","tag-actfl-language-proficiency-assessments","tag-language-proficiency","tag-seal-of-biliteracy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/shutterstock_2337885721-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5652"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5660,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5652\/revisions\/5660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}