ADE World & Native Language Updates

Rethinking language teaching resources: Language teaching resources are critical to effective language education span a diverse spectrum—from textbooks to digital tools and authentic materials. The key challenge lies in strategically selecting, adapting, and implementing these resources to meet diverse learning needs.

Our webinar series explores this crucial intersection, offering educators innovative strategies to bridge theoretical approaches with practical classroom implementation. Each session provides unique insights into transforming language teaching materials.

This workshop introduces the ACTFL rating scale, the structure of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and techniques of administering and rating the OPI, including its applications in the language classroom. Participants observe and conduct practice interviews at Novice and Intermediate proficiency levels. Participation in a Virtual MOPI Assessment Workshop is the first step towards becoming an ACTFL Certified OPI Tester with Limited Certification.

In today’s competitive job market, multilingual skills are a game-changer. Employers actively seek candidates who can communicate across languages, making multilingualism key in determining hiring and career advancement. If your students speak multiple languages, ACTFL assessments can validate their language proficiency and give them a critical edge. Gain actionable strategies from a world language educator at a vocational-technical school who uses ACTFL assessments to empower learners and helps them to stand out as truly College and Career Ready.

Join fellow K-12 foreign language teachers, school administrators and advocates for language education for a practical, hands-on webinar designed to help you stay on the leading edge of foreign language teaching techniques.

Morning sessions: Keynote on AI in language education and a global perspectives panel with representatives from Taiwan, Spain, Japan and more.

Breakout sessions: Discuss AI integration, language program advocacy, cultural competence and global collaborations with peers.

Afternoon workshops: Interactive sessions with hands-on experience in AI tools and language-specific breakout rooms to address unique teaching resources and opportunities.

CAL has been awarded a three-year grant by the International Research and Studies Program of the U.S. Department of Education to conduct a research study to identify program models and practices that strengthen K-16 language program articulation. Through this research, we aim to provide research-based guidance about best practices to build and sustain world language program articulation from K-12 to higher education.

As a part of this project, we are seeking current and former state world language supervisors to provide their input on a 15-minute survey! The survey will ask you about your experiences and perspectives on world language program articulation and the related topics of crediting and placement practices.

Everyone who completes a survey will also have the chance to win a $25 gift card as a thank you for participating! If you are interested, you may access your survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/79583QV.

If you’d like to learn more about the project as a whole, you can visit our project page here: https://www.cal.org/projects/strengthening-k-16-language-program-articulation-to-expand-national-foreign-language-capacity/.

Additionally, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at rmyers@cal.org. Thank you for your time, and we hope to hear from you!

Teachers, mentors, administrators! The nomination window for the 2025 LTI Seal of Biliteracy Achievement Scholarship Award is open! For the third year running, we are excited to offer this great opportunity to your students to showcase their bilingualism and tell us what attaining the Seal means to them. For information on this year’s theme and submission details, please visit this page.

Dedicated to addressing a critical national shortage by bolstering the pipeline of future language educators, this award provides merit-based scholarships to graduating high school seniors committed to pursuing the language teaching profession in languages other than English.

Launched in 2019, Language Connects Foundation's Teacher Scholarship Program provides recipients with an award of $1,500 per academic year. Scholarships may be renewed three times following the initial award, for a cumulative total of $6,000 per recipient.

Want to take your students on an adventure to visit a new place or space? With Geoliteracies and Place Based Learning you can transform your language classroom with a pedagogically designed lesson plan. Liudmila Klimanova (University of Arizona) received a CERCLL Faculty Fellowship with Lara Lomicka Anderson (University of South Carolina), and worked with Graduate Student Collaborators to create this web-guide for using maps and other tools to connect language teaching to students' immediate surroundings for the development of intercultural awareness and interpretation skills.

• FULL-TIME STUDENT presenter and/or attendee – $55.00

  Must be a full-time student. This does not include full-time teachers who might also be students.

• REGULAR attendee and/or presenter – $115.00

  Member or non-member

• Retiree/LIFE-TIME MEMBER presenter and/or attendee – $95.00

  ** Lifetime membership is a one time fee of $200. If you are not already a Lifetime a member, please DO NOT select this option or your conference registration will be cancelled. **

On Friday, November 21, Miguel Cervantes, who for years was the actor behind the most visible role in performing arts, Alexander Hamilton, in Broadway’s Hamilton: An American Musical, will keynote the Opening General Session.

ICC 2026: Call for Proposals

Intercultural Competence in a Rapidly Changing World:

Supporting Sustainable Futures for All

The Tenth International Conference on the
Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence

Call for Proposals One Pager

As dual language immersion (DLI) programs transition into secondary schools, teachers and administrators are often faced with unique challenges that are less frequently addressed in general DLI literature, research, and professional development programs. During this five-day institute specifically designed for the secondary (middle and high school) dual language immersion context, participants will explore the what, how, and why of secondary continuation programs. In particular, the group will consider program structure, curriculum and assessment perspectives, and instructional practices that are necessary to ensure that DLI students continue toward high levels of bilingualism and biliteracy. Throughout this institute, participants will engage in constructive conversation, connect research to personal experiences, and apply new ideas directly to their teaching context.

This popular three-day summer institute is designed especially for K-12 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) practitioners. After an introduction to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, participants will examine how the proficiency levels and sublevels have been defined and, also, how they have evolved over time from focusing on oral language assessment to include all modes of communication. The presenters will also share research on assessing performance toward proficiency of DLI students.

This institute is designed for future or new educators, instructional coaches and administrators in K-12 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs, including one-way, two-way, indigenous, and developmental bilingual schools. Presenters and guest speakers will explore the three foundations of DLI instruction: 1) bilingualism/biliteracy; 2) academic achievement in two languages; and 3) intercultural competence PLUS critical consciousness (3 Pillars PLUS). Participants will learn research-based instructional approaches and will collaboratively create and practice ten power strategies of effective DLI teachers.

2025 Summer Institute – Forced and Chosen Journeys: Refugee and Immigrant Experiences in Youth Literature

Dr. Short will be running a four-day summer institute June 2-5, 2025, that will connect educators with literature related to refugee and immigrant communities. Expect to see an announcement on their website early next year!