ACTFL Virtual Oral Proficiency Interview Assessment Workshop

Funded by Department of Education to the Assessment and Evaluation Language Resource Center (AELRC) at Georgetown University

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Applications can be received through Sunday, June 4

Apply to participate in this free of charge OPI Assessment Workshop, sponsored by the AELRC of Georgetown University! The workshop will be held virtually both asynchronously and synchronously Monday, July 3, 2023 – Sunday, August 6, 2023. This workshop will be delivered in English, but upon completion and meeting all other requirements, participants may apply for OPI Tester Certification within the language of their choice.

The AELRC funding for this workshop comes from a grant from the US Department of Education. It is intended to support teachers in the United States at community colleges, Minority Serving Institutions (postsecondary), and/or postsecondary instructors of heritage languages or Less Commonly Taught Languages.

If you meet any of these criteria, we encourage you to apply for this opportunity by filling out the below form and uploading your responses to our short answer prompts. The deadline to apply is Sunday, June 4, 2023. ACTFL will review submissions and select participants by Friday, June 9, 2023. Enrollment is highly limited, so if you are not selected, we encourage you to register for one of our open virtual OPI Assessment Workshops also in July. If you have any questions, please contact plc@actfl.org.

Workshop Description

The Virtual OPI Assessment 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. With this online format, participants will work asynchronously on six modules at their own pace and will receive feedback from facilitators during two 1.5-hour discussion sessions and with responses on a discussion board.

The last portion of the course includes the practice interviews with feedback and discussion from the facilitator and other participants. Each participant will observe an exemplar interview conducted by the facilitator and all practice interviews conducted by their fellow participants and will also conduct one practice interview with guidance from the facilitator. Participants observe and conduct live practice interviews across all proficiency levels (Novice through Superior).

Upon completion of the six on-demand online modules and attendance at the two facilitator-led discussion sessions and all practice interviews, participants will receive a certificate verifying 30 hours of professional development. Participation in an OPI Assessment Workshop is the first step towards becoming an ACTFL Certified OPI Tester with Full Certification (Novice through Superior) or Limited Certification (Novice through Intermediate High).

Workshop Schedule

  • Monday, July 3 – Thursday, July 13
    On-demand/asynchronous completion of Modules 1-3
  • Thursday, July 13 at 7:00pm – 8:30pm Eastern/4:00pm – 5:30pm Pacific
    Live Discussion Session #1 via ACTFL Zoom
  • Friday, July 14 – Thursday, July 27
    On-demand/asynchronous completion of Modules 4-5  
  • Thursday, July 27 at 6:00pm – 8:30pm Eastern/3:00pm – 5:30pm Pacific
    Live Discussion Session #2 via ACTFL Zoom
  •  Friday, July 28 at 11:00am – 5:15pm Eastern/8:00am – 2:15pm Pacific
    Live Interview Day #1 via ACTFL Zoom
  •  Saturday, July 29 at 11:00am – 5:15pm Eastern/8:00am – 2:15pm Pacific
    Live Interview Day #2 via ACTFL Zoom
  •  Sunday, July 30 – Sunday, August 6
    Complete all on-demand/asynchronous course modules, including Module 6, Summative Knowledge Check, Workshop Evaluation Survey

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