The American Council on Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL):
The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)
Presenter: Mr. Duong Bui, Defense Language Institute,
Monterey, CA
Duong Bui has worked for the Defense Language Institute foreign Language
Center for 30 years. He is currently the chief of the Vietnamese Department. His
experience includes curriculum development, Non-resident language representative
of the Air Force, Navy and U.S. Marines and Faculty Development Specialist. He
has authored several books including " English Language specific for
Foreign Fisherman"; English language for Law Enforcement Personnel";
"In Preparation for Interpreter Certification."
The
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) invited
interested participants of the conference to attend the Oral Proficiency
Interview (OPI) orientation. ACTFL is the only national organization dedicated
to improving the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of
instruction. According to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, OPI emphasizes
observable and measurable outcomes in terms of real world communication. When a
student or a job seeker takes the OPI, its outcome will determined the speaking
proficiency level of the individual. Thus, the assigned level will indicate to
prospective employers and scholarship granters what this person can and can' do
with the language. The OPI's concept will further enhance the skill of
curriculum developers and test writers. The presentation will be in English
(note: The following text is from ACTFL's
website (click link above, or click
here for original source)
Official OPI Testing
The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview is a world-renowned, standardized method of measuring how
well a person speaks a language by comparing his or her performance of specific language tasks
with the criteria outlined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines-Speaking (Revised 1999).
The ACTFL OPI is widely used to establish levels of language competence for purposes such as
teacher certification, qualification for a special job, student placement in language and international
business programs. Official ACTFL OPI ratings are accepted for credit at several U.S. undergraduate
institutions.
Through a carefully structured, tape-recorded interview that can last from 10 to 30 minutes, a
trained OPI tester elicits a ratable sample of speech from an individual. The tester monitors the
speech sample during the interview to pitch the 'probes' and 'level-checks' appropriately. Then,
after listening to the entire tape, the tester rates the sample by comparing the candidate's
performance with the criteria for ten proficiency levels described in the ACTFL Proficiency
Guidelines-Speaking (Revised 1999). The speech sample is then blindly second rated by a different
certified tester.
An Official ACTFL OPI is a blind-double rated test conducted and/or rated under the supervision of
the ACTFL Testing Office. It is conducted according to the strictest ethical and professional
standards of impartiality and propriety and hence may not be administered to a person with whom
the tester is personally acquainted (family, friend, employee, or recent student). Official OPI's are
validated and certified by ACTFL through the ACTFL Testing Office, which alone can issue an ACTFL
Rating and an ACTFL OPI Certificate. Only currently Certified ACTFL OPI Testers may conduct
official ACTFL OPI's.
While the terms 'OPI' or oral proficiency interview exist in academia and other testing
environments, and they may even refer to the proficiency levels described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, the
terms 'ACTFL OPI', 'Official ACTFL OPI', and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview protocol are the
property of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and are restricted.
Language Testing International (LTI), the ACTFL Testing Office, can arrange Official Oral Proficiency
Interviews in nearly 40 languages for either individuals or institutions. Interviews are conducted
telephonically and in person. Each recorded interview is evaluated and rated by two certified
testers. A certificate is issued that states the interviewee's name, language of interview, and
official rating. The fee for an official academic ACTFL OPI is $115.
To request and Appointment Form or for scheduling information, contact LTI at (914) 948-5100, fax: (914) 948-0794, or Testing@LanguageTesting.com.
