American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

Overview:

Profession(s): Foreign Language Education
Member Type(s): Foreign Language Teachers, Administrators, Students & Method Instructors
Scope: National - United States
Formed: 1967
Registration No.: 132780784
Address: 700 S. Washington Street, Suite 210, VA, 22314, USA
Phone: 703 894 2900
Fax: 703 894 2905
Email: headquarters@actfl.org
Website: www.actfl.org

Description:

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the only national organization dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than 9,000 foreign language educators and administrators from elementary through graduate education, as well as government and industry.

Over the past 40 years, ACTFL has become synonymous with innovation, quality, and reliability in meeting the changing needs of foreign language educators and their students. From the development of Proficiency Guidelines, to its leadership role in the creation of national standards, ACTFL focuses on issues that are critical to the growth of both the profession and the individual teacher. Through their membership, new as well as veteran teachers are making an important investment in the future.

ACTFL remains the only national organization representing teachers of all languages at all education levels.

Mission/Aims:

All Americans should be proficient in at least one language and culture in addition to English. For this reason, foreign language education must be part of the core curriculum and be treated as central to the education of all children. To realize the vision, foreign language educators must strive for unity of purpose and they must take steps to realize fully the potential of professional status.

Principal Activities:

Annual Conference and World Languages Expo
Professional Development
Career Center
Resources
Advocacy for foreign language education

Member Benefits:

Free subscriptions to The Language Educator magazine and Foreign Language Annals journal
Discounted book, product and registration rates
Access to information and resources
Advocacy for foreign language education

Training/Licensing/Certification:

Oral (OPI) and written (WPT) proficiency testing in over 60 languages available.

Verification Criteria:

State teaching certificate and (optional) OPI and WPT certification.