Language Assessment

At least 350 languages are spoken in American homes. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. households speak a language other than English.* Yet speakers of most non-English languages lack opportunities to demonstrate proficiency and gain recognition for their language skills.

Learn more about our comprehensive approach to language assessment by exploring the sections below, from the NEWL exam to ILR-based testing and expert psychometric analysis.

The National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL®)
ILR Assessment Tools
Language Assessment at American Councils

The National Examinations in World Languages 

Developed by American Councils, The National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL®) is an online language assessment in four critical languages: Arabic (MSA), Korean, Portuguese (global), and Russian. The exams measure functional language proficiency across four skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

Targeted for traditional foreign language learners and heritage learners, NEWL® exams produce AP®-style score reports, which can be used to apply for college credit and/or placement.

Learn more about NEWL here.

ILR Assessment Tools

We develop foreign language proficiency tests under the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) language proficiency guidelines that are used by The Language Flagship, a national foreign language educational program that is sponsored and funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP).

The exams are used for qualification, pre-departure, and post-return assessment levels for participants, and measure proficiency levels, which range from L0+ to L3+, in levels 0+, 1, 1+, 2, 2+, 3, and 3+ in the ILR scale. Reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills are offered in:

• Arabic (MSA)
• Chinese
• Korean
• Persian-Farsi 
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Swahili

Language Assessment at American Councils

American Councils’ language testing initiatives are powered by the American Councils Language Assessment Support System, or ACLASS, an end-to-end online testing platform. ACLASS supports version-controlled item development, exam form creation, registration and scheduling, exam administration and monitoring, and score reporting. To date, ACLASS has been used to administer more than 16,000 online language exams.

Our full-time team of assessment specialists develops, pilots, administers, analyzes, and scores all items and exams in accordance with the highest professional standards. Item-level analyses estimate item performance in terms of difficulty, discrimination, and potential bias. Scale-level analyses examine quality and reliability to ensure that valid inferences can be drawn from exam results. Exam forms are piloted, and new forms are created on a routine basis in strict accordance with exam specifications. Exam administration is monitored using modern technology. Raters of open-response items are consistently trained to ensure high levels of inter-rater reliability.

To learn more about how American Councils ensures high-quality exams, please contact us at exams@americancouncils.org.

Contact Us
info@americancouncils.org