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 American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL, https://www.actfl.org)—ACTFL is oriented to the teaching of world languages such as Chinese, Spanish, or Russian. As you now know, English is the foreign language in some locations. The organization is known for developing the first proficiency guidelines to determine an individual’s speaking ability in the target language. It has subsequently developed writing proficiency guidelines as well. It offers professional development such as an annual convention in November, oral proficiency interview (OPI) test preparation for teachers, publications, and advocacy engagement. The OPI test proctor preparation is thorough and highly valued by education programs. It has books on topics such as assessing language performance and language processing in our brains. The organization is also engaged with advocacy to raise public awareness of the benefits of additional language learning; on the website you can find advocacy resources and position statements.

 Council of Europe (https://www.coe.int/en/web/portfolio/home)—The Council of Europe created a set of proficiency guidelines that are employed widely throughout Europe, the Middle East, and South America. The proficiency guidelines are called the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, and Assessment (CEFR). Professionals in areas that utilize the CEFR will refer to learners’ proficiency levels simply by the level (A, B, C) and stage (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2). The CEFR helps instructors to orient their lessons to the proficiency level(s) of their students. You can read more about the CEFR at https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/level-descriptions. The Council of Europe also offers tools for developing curricula, designing programs with reference to the CEFR, aligning instruction to the CEFR, and research to better understand language teaching and learning. Many other schools, school districts, and language schools utilize the CEFR and have developed resources that work within the CEFR, which can be found online.