Office of Teaching Initiatives

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Examination in Lieu of Content Core

For some languages other than English, native speakers or others skilled and proficient in the language may demonstrate their knowledge in an alternative manner. Candidates can earn a maximum of 30 semester hours of credit toward the content core by passing both the oral and written proficiency portions of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) examination. The full Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the full Written Proficiency Test (WPT) (and not the Adanced Level Check AL-C) must both be taken and passed to receive the credit. The acceptable performance level for credit toward certification in a specific language is indicated in the following ACTFL Standards for LOTE Candidates Chart. Information concerning the administration of the examinations can be found at the ACTFL Web site at www.actfl.org. A list of language examinations offered by ACTFL is available at:
http://www.languagetesting.com/languages_academic.cfm.

Please note that a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) foreign language examination or a New York University Proficiency examination is considered a duplication of the ACTFL exam. Also, tests taken for certification must not duplicate courses completed for college credit.

Source: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (August 2002).