ACTFL Position Statements
ACTFL's official stance on important issues in language education
The ACTFL Board of Directors periodically releases position statements that clarify and outline ACTFL's official stance on important issues in language education.
It is evident that class size impacts a multitude of factors related to teacher efficacy and student success across all disciplines, including K-20 World Language education.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to many ongoing inequities in education and has raised various challenges for assessing student progress in remote, in-person, and hybrid learning environments.
ACTFL values diversity and strives for inclusion across world language teaching and learning contexts. It is committed to continuous reflection and evaluation of its specific practices and initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion.
ACTFL strongly recommends that a language educator be responsible for the planning, instruction, assessment, and facilitation of any language course, leveraging technology to support language learning.
ACTFL advocates the study of both world languages and computer science. Both are essential skills in a world that is connected across borders and through technology.
A world language is a form of communication, essential to the culture of a community, with a system of sounds, letters, symbols, and/or signs recognized and utilized by humans.
Recognizing the current contentious climate in the U.S., the ACTFL believes it is uniquely positioned to help bridge the ideological gaps that divide our nation.
The educator is the catalyst for developing learners’ language proficiency and global competence so that learners are prepared to interact and communicate successfully in the global community.
The ability to communicate with respect and cultural understanding in more than one language is an essential element of global competence.*
The ACTFL Board’s Executive Committee with leadership of the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NADSFL) and the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) framed the elements of a position statement to describe how four major initiatives in education in the U.S. today connect with language learning.
- ACTFL supports collaborative research and publication because studies that are conducted across levels, languages and disciplines contribute to the development of theory and practice in Foreign Language Education.
- Jointly authored publications should be valued in decisions measuring scholarly production such as merit, tenure and promotion.
Recent studies indicate a current and prospective shortage of language teachers.
As part of its mission and vision, the ACTFL provides guidance to the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures.
Since research shows that an early language learning experience generally results in the development of native or near-native pronunciation and intonation, ACTFL recommends that students be provided the opportunity to learn a second language as early as possible in school.
ACTFL and its members are committed to developing and maintaining a teaching and learning environment that reflects the broad diversity of American society.
ACTFL believes that the opportunity to learn any second language is more important than the specific language that is learned since research shows that generally learning a third or fourth language is facilitated after learning a second.
Research indicates that effective language instruction must provide significant levels of meaningful communication* and interactive feedback in the target language in order for students to develop language and cultural proficiency.
ACTFL and its members encourage learning environments that support heritage and native speakers of languages other than English. It is critical that these students be able to continue to develop their heritage linguistic and cultural skills in order to become fully bilingual and biliterate in today’s global environment.