Some Challenges in Assessment for Teacher Licensure, Program Accreditation, and Educational Reform

The issue and commentary papers in this "Perspectives" column address one use of assessments--speaking and writing proficiency assessments based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL, 2012) Proficiency Guidelines--as a means for establishing and maintaining one important competency standard for world languages teachers who work in U.S. public schools. To be sure, as reflected in the insightful, critical, and poignant observations of the contributors, the issue is highstakes, along several dimensions: (a) would-be language teachers are held accountable to performance on a proficiency test as a pre-requisite to licensure; (b) teacher preparation programs are responsible for developing teachers' competencies, including language proficiency, and they are accredited based on their ability to do so; and (c) the professional organization of language teachers, ACTFL, has established recommended standards of language proficiency for qualified teachers, and the appropriateness, accuracy, and fairness of these standards is on the line.