In collaboration with ACTFL, the Language Institute is hosting the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview Familiarization Workshop for a limited number of UW–Madison language educators in September-October 2025. The workshop will be held online in a hybrid format, with both asynchronous online work and two synchronous online discussion sessions facilitated by Dr. Mary Jo Lubrano, Yale University. Space is limited! Interested participants must commit to fully participating in all components of the workshop (approximately 15 hours total over one month).
Workshop schedule:
- September 19, 2025: Initial access to workshop modules. Participants will need to complete assigned modules in advance of two synchronous, online sessions on October 3 and October 17.
- 3:00-4:30 pm, Friday, October 3, 2025: Discussion Session 1 (online), facilitated by Mary Jo Lubrano
- 3:00-4:30 pm, Friday, October 17, 2025: Discussion Session 2 (online), facilitated by Mary Jo Lubrano
About the workshop: This workshop will familiarize participants with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, the ACTFL Rating Scale, and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), a valid and reliable means of assessing how well a person speaks a language. The workshop will include practice applying the ACTFL speaking assessment criteria to language samples, as well as applications and implications of the OPI in classroom instruction.
After completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Define the concept of proficiency
- Differentiate between the major ACTFL proficiency levels
- Describe typical linguistic features of each of the major ACTFL speaking levels
- Differentiate between the sublevels of the ACTFL proficiency levels
- Describe the different ACTFL speaking assessment criteria for each major level
- Describe the structure of the ACTFL OPI
- Identify effective techniques for eliciting a language sample
- Apply the assessment criteria to language samples
Workshop participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from ACTFL.
Important! Participants who complete this workshop are not eligible to apply for OPI Tester Certification. Instructors who are interested in ACTFL OPI Tester Certification would need to enroll directly through ACTFL in the longer OPI Assessment Workshop or Modified OPI Assessment Workshop.
Contact and workshop coordinator: Dianna Murphy, Language Institute
Sponsor: Language Institute
Application deadline: 12:00 pm central, Monday, September 1, 2025
Eligibility: All UW–Madison faculty, academic staff, and graduate teaching assistants who teach languages other than English at the university are welcome to apply for the workshop. Since spots are limited, participants must commit to completing all workshop components (approximately 15 hours).
Evaluation criteria: If the number of applications exceeds the number of available spots, participants will be selected based on the importance of the workshop to the individual’s position, the potential impact of the workshop for the individual and the program in which they teach, and to include a broad range of languages.