Foreign Language Assessment Directory (FLAD)

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Name of Test	ACTFL OPI and WPT for the Seal of Biliteracy

Languages	Albanian, Amharic, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese (Cantonese), Croatian, Dari, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Malayalam, Pashto, Polish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Yoruba

Test Description	The ACTFL OPI & WPT for the Seal of Biliteracy is a bundle of two ACTFL assessments: The Oral Proficiency Interview and Writing Proficiency Test, available in 25 less commonly taught languages to offer high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to attain their state Seal of Biliteracy in those languages. The ACTFL OPI for the Seal of Biliteracy assesses how well a person speaks a language. It is an assessment of the Interpersonal Listening and Speaking communication mode. It is a 15-30 minute, one-on-one interview between a certified ACTFL-certified tester and a student. It is interactive, continuously adapting to each test taker and their speaking abilities. The speaker’s language ability is compared to the criteria outlined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines - 2024 for Speaking, and then a proficiency rating is awarded. The ACTFL WPT for the Seal of Biliteracy is an assessment of functional writing ability in a language. WPT tasks address the Presentational and Interpersonal modes of communication. It measures how well a person spontaneously writes in a language (without access to revisions and/or editing tools) by comparing their performance on specific writing tasks with the criteria stated in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for Writing.

Grade Level(s)	11, 12

Proficiency Level(s)	ACTFL Novice, ACTFL Intermediate, ACTFL Advanced

Intended Test Use	Certification/Licensure, Achievement

Skills Tested	Writing, Speaking

Test Author/Publisher	ACTFL

Publication Date

Test Cost

Test Length	15-30 min (OPI); 60-90 min (WPT)

Test Materials	Internet connection; phone for the OPI

Test Format	The ACTFL WPT is a proctored, 20–80 minute test, depending on the range being assessed. All responses are open-ended and are written in the target language. The WPT can be written using paper and pencil format or using a computer accessing the internet. The OPI is a live, 15–30 minute telephone conversation with a certified tester, conducted entirely in the target language. It measures how well you use your language to communicate, and rates your ability by comparing your speech to the descriptions listed in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines - 2024.

Scoring Method	Rated by ACTFL Certified Raters

Scoring Process	An ACTFL Certified Rater compares the sample to the rating criteria, as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines - 2024.

Results Reported	ACTFL Proficiency Level (Novice Low through Advanced Mid)

Administered By	Language Testing International (LTI)

Administered When	January-May

Administered How	Via internet (WPT) and phone (OPI) with secure access or proctored locally

Administered Where	Locally at an academic institution

Contact Information	+ Show Contact Information

Test Development and Technical Information	Surface, E. A., Dierdorff, E. C., & Poncheri, R. M. (2006, May). The "write" stuff: A preliminary assessment of a writing proficiency test. Paper; Dierdorf, E. And Surface, A. Preliminary Reliability Findings for the ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test., SWA Technical Report, 2004-C04 R01.Dandonoli, P. and Henning, G. (1990). An investigation of the construct validity of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and oral interview procedure. FLA, 23. Thompson, I. (1995). A study of inter-rater reliability of the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview in five European languages. FLA, 28. Surface, E. (2003). Reliability and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview: Reporting indices of interrater consistency for 19 languages. FLA, 36.

Comments

Parallel Versions in Other Languages

Current Users	Academic institutions

Type of FL Program

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