Abstract
Language aptitude tests are widely used in the U.S. Government to select and place students into long-term language training that ranges from 26 to 64 weeks at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). Graduates of these language training programs go on to serve multi-year terms as language professionals in the military. Each military service requires ongoing language training during the course of the year to support service goals of maintaining a qualified workforce. As proficiency standards have increased over the years, this annual training has taken on more importance, as graduates from DLIFLC need to improve their language skills. Selection into DLIFLC programs relies upon a battery of measures, including the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB). Traditional approaches to gathering validity evidence in support of aptitude test use have focused only on the outcome of initial training. With the advent of more stringent standards of language proficiency, language proficiency growth has become critical. This chapter will extend the argument regarding the use of DLAB by taking a longitudinal approach, advocating for the investigation of the impact of aptitude on language proficiency over time.
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