Foreign Language PK-12

THE ACTFL TEST FOR STATE OF VIRGINIA PROSPECTIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS

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:

  • It is part of the Admissions Requirements for some applicants.
  • It is a requirement for all licensure candidates prior to applying for the student teaching / internship.

Foreign Language Licensure Program Admission

Target Language Requirements

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:

  • Take the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency tests. The ACTFL test is given in two parts: Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). Applicants must achieve a rating of Advanced Low on both OPI and WPT.
  • Complete 2 three-hour courses in the target language. See accompanying list.

Applicants who do not achieve Advanced Low on both OPI and WPT are required to take courses in the target language (see below).

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.

About the Proficiency Exams

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 Not Achieving Advanced Low

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.

  • Score of Intermediate Low: Applicant must take 2 courses in each area of content for a total of 24 credits (for content areas see endorsement forms at http://cehd.gmu.edu/documents/ ).
  • Score of Intermediate Mid: must take 1 course in each area of content for a total of 12 credits (for content areas see endorsement forms at http://cehd.gmu.edu/documents).
  • Score of Intermediate High: must take 2 courses in any of the content areas for a total of 6 credits (for content areas see endorsement form at http://cehd.gmu.edu/documents). Preferably the courses are in a content area covering the section with the lowest score (either OPI or WPT).

ELIGIBILITY FOR STUDENT TEACHING / INTERNSHIP

Eligibility for student teacher/internships requires:

  • Good academic standing
  • Satisfactory completion of all other coursework in the licensure program
  • Submission of passing scores on:

    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).

Important Notice to All Licensure Candidates:

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 for Admissions:

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.

Additional Information for ACTFL OPI / WPT

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.

Registration: http://www.languagetesting.com/acad_va1.cfm

Most students schedule their exams at the Sylvan Learning Centers located in Alexandria, Fredericksburg or Woodbridge, VA.