Language proficiency is a critical component of the licensure program. To address language proficiency, the ACTFL Test is used in two areas of the Foreign / World Language Teacher Licensure Program:
Applicants to the Foreign Language and Latin (PK-12) licensure program are required to have at least 30 credit hours of undergraduate or graduate course work in the target language. Courses are evaluated using the endorsement forms available at: http://cehd.gmu.edu/documents
In lieu of these 30 credit hours, applicants must complete the following:
NOTE: Because all candidates are required to take the OPI and WPT prior to completing their student teaching / internship, applicants with 30 credit hours in the target language are strongly encouraged to take the OPI and WPT as soon as they are admitted to the program.
Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) - phone interview with a certified ACTFL tester, lasting from ten to thirty minutes. Each interview is recorded and assigned an initial rating by the tester. Then, a second certified tester blindly rates the interview. There is no script or prescribed set of questions; the topics discussed during the interview are based on the interests and experiences of the speaker.
Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). The written test, lasting up to 90 minutes, requires the examinee to read prompts in English and compose written responses in the target language without the aid of dictionaries or grammar references, on practical, social and professional topics that are encountered in informal and formal contexts. The tasks and prompts are given in English with the responses expected to be written in the target language. The prompts ask for written constructed responses of paragraph length or longer demonstrating narrative writing, informative writing and persuasive writing.
Applicants who do not achieve Advanced Low on both OPI and WPT are required to take undergraduate or graduate courses in the target language. The number of credits/courses is dependent upon the achieved test score.
Eligibility for student teacher/internships requires:
a. Praxis I tests for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics or qualifying SAT/ACT scores: http://cehd.gmu.edu/teacher/test/
b. Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA)
c. ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Written Proficiency Test (WPT) effective Spring 2008. Go to https://www.languagetesting.comfor testing information.
In addition to these requirements, licensure candidates seeking endorsements in French, Spanish, and/or German must take and pass the Praxis II: French (169), Spanish (161), and/or German (162).
Licensure Candidates who achieve below Advanced Low on the OPI / WPT and/or do not pass the Praxis II (for French, German, or Spanish) may not be eligible for completing the student teaching / internship. Additional courses in the target language may be required to improve language proficiency. This could seriously delay the licensure process. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to take the OPI / WPT well in advance of the student teaching / internship.
Licensure Candidates who took the OPI / WPT as part of admission process to the FL Licensure Program may use those test scores AND the completed coursework in the target language as part of their licensure eligibility requirements.
The Professional Licensure Committee(PLC) acts on requests for waivers of requirements and for approval of on-the-job internships.
ACTFL provides certified oral proficiency testing in the 59 languages listed below. The ACTFL writing proficiency test is offered in the 12 languages that are highlighted. Afrikaans, Albanian, Armharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Cebuano, Chavacano, Croatian, Czech, Dari, Dutch, Egyptian, English, Filipino, Flemish, French, German, Georgian, Modern Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hilgaynon, Hindi, Hmong, Ilokano, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Khmer, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Norwegian, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Serbian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Tausug, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese.
To obtain registration forms – go to http://www.languagetesting.com/acad_va1.cfm
To schedule an OPI and WPT test at George Mason University - contact Nanette Rutsch at nrutsch@gmu.edu.