ACTFL American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
ACTFL Intermediate-Low Students at this level show limited ability to communicate and understand the target language. They use and receive language on a small range of topics about which they have previous knowledge. They recognize simple texts at the sentence level. At this level, language is used to accomplish elementary survival tasks and simple social requirements, although the student can create with the language and combine memorized material. Errors remain in speech and writing after repetition. Most communication happens face-to-face with supporting structures and with native speakers who are very sympathetic to the non-native learner.
ACTFL Intermediate-Mid Students at this level can use the target language in a variety of simple survival and social tasks. They understand speech and text on a variety of subjects about which they have a personal knowledge or interest. Everyday survival skills involving transactions can be accomplished with some repetition. Patterns of errors remain, but the student can create meaning with memorized material and new material gathered during interaction in the target language. The student can write in the target language to communicate more than minimal needs using present tense and (at least) one other major time frame. The student can be understood most of the time by a sympathetic native speaker.
ACTFL Intermediate-High Students at this level can handle most uncomplicated tasks and situations in the target language. They use the language to accomplish tasks in a range of topics beyond their immediate needs, environment, and experience. They understand speech and text on a broader range of topics with different kinds of organization. They can infer meaning from context in unfamiliar arenas of discourse. They can write in the target language for a variety of purposes with reasonable accuracy. Their language begins to show connections beyond the sentence level. These students can make themselves understood with some repetition and inaccuracy to native speakers who are not used to dealing with non-natives.
CLA College of Liberal Arts. This is the largest college of enrollment at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities).
DGS Director of Graduate Studies. This is the title given to a professor in a department who is responsible for graduate education and graduate program policy in that department.
DLI Director of Language Instruction. This is the title given to a professor in many language departments at the U of M who is directly responsible for language teaching and instructors.
EPT Entrance Proficiency Test. Passing this test is required for new/transfer students who want to take second-year (intermediate) French, German or Spanish courses.
GPT Graduation Proficiency Test. From 1986-2003, this test was the second language requirement for most CLA students. Learn more about the history of the GPT.
ILA Individual Language Assessment. A test taken as part of the process to fulfill the CLA Second Language Requirement in languages not taught at U of M.
LPE Language Proficiency Exam. Starting in spring 2003, the passing the LPE fulfills the CLA second language requirement. The LPE is also taken by new/transfer students needing placement into 3000-level (third-year) courses.
OPI Oral Proficiency Interview. This is the speaking portion of the LPE. It is patterned after the Oral Proficiency Test designed by ACTFL.