teacher development

Professional Development Sample Letter and Questionnaire

[Date]

[Name]
[Address]
[Address]
[Address]

Dear _________________________,

I am a [professor of Spanish and Teacher Education at IUP, one of your sister institutions.] I am participating in a new national endeavor called "New Visions in Foreign Language Education," which is attempting to bring about significant change in areas such as teacher development, teacher recruitment, and research. The objective of this project is to move the foreign language agenda forward in light of theories of change, change management, resources available, and past efforts.

I am writing to you to share some important information that we discussed at the June 2000 New Visions Conference in Leesburg, Virginia. A challenge facing the profession is how to ensure that beginning teachers have a level of proficiency that will enable them to successfully engage in learner-centered, performance-based teaching in the target language. Some ten years ago, several of the national language associations made recommendations regarding specific language proficiency levels that teachers should demonstrate, using the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Enclosed you will find a chart of these levels, as recommended by ACTFL, the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese (AATSP).

A sub-committee at the New Visions Conference was formed to ascertain how widespread knowledge is regarding these recommendations. These guidelines are important as our profession develops national standards for beginning and accomplished teachers, which will be linked to teacher licensure and certification. I am enclosing a brief questionnaire; your response will help our sub-committee plan for wider dissemination if necessary.

I would very much appreciate your taking a few minutes to complete and return the questionnaire to me. I also hope that you will share the recommendations with your colleagues and discuss their importance in light of new standards that the profession will be striving to attain. If you want to discuss this initiative or the New Visions project with me, I can be reached at _____________________ on [days/times] or by e-mail [address].

I thank you in advance for attending to this information and assisting our committee in disseminating it.

Sincerely,

Signature)

Enclosures

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS BRIEF QUESTIONNAIRE AND RETURN IT TO THE ADDRESS GIVEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

1. Have you seen the enclosed proficiency recommendations before?
_____YES _____NO

If yes, have faculty in your department discussed the implications of the AAT
recommendations for your program requirements?
_____YES _____NO

2. Does your program of teacher preparation require your candidates to demonstrate
proficiency at a minimum level according to the ACTFL Guidelines?
_____YES _____NO

If yes, what level of proficiency do you require? ___________________________

If yes, how do students demonstrate their proficiency level?
_____ Official OPI rating
_____ Advisory OPI rating
_____ SOPI rating
_____ Other : _______________________________________________________

If yes, what happens when a teacher candidate does not meet the proficiency level?
___________________________________________________________________

3. If no to question 2, does your program require candidates to demonstrate speaking
skill with an instrument other than the oral proficiency interview?

_____YES: _________________________________________________________
_____NO

[PLEASE NOTE: The name of your institution will remain anonymous in dissemination of
survey results.]
Optional:
Your name: __________________________________________________
Your institution: ______________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
E-mail: _________________________________ Phone: ( ) ______________________

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE!
Please return this sheet to:
Name
Address

Language Proficiency Levels
Recommended for Teacher Development
by National Associations
Using ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines

1.  The AATF syllabus of competence recognizes two levels of competence: (1) basic competence needed for teachers to function well in lower-level classrooms and (2) superior competence needed for teachers to function well in upper-level classrooms or in immersion classrooms. The first line in each box represents basic competence, while the second is for superior competence.

2.  These guidelines were created before the revision of the ACTFL Guidelines for Speaking. "Advanced" is now "Advanced Low."

Source: Lafayette, Robert C. 1993. "Subject-Matter Content: What Every Foreign Language Teacher Needs to Know." In G. Guntermann, Ed. Developing Language Teachers for a Changing World. Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company, p. 136.