Intermediate Mid Research Articles

Thermal measurement of erythema across skin tones: Implications for clinical identification of early pressure injury

AimTo assess the effectiveness of thermography, colorimetry, and oximetry at detecting temperature changes after erythema induction across diverse skin tones in healthy adults. Materials and methodsErythema was induced at the forearm and ulnar head (UH) using a cupping device. Temperature via thermal image, erythema value via colorimeter, and oxygen saturation via oximeter were collected immediately and 5–10 min (delayed) after cupping at both sites. ResultsAt the forearm, the delayed timepoint was significantly warmer than baseline. At the UH, the immediate timepoint was significantly colder than baseline. Erythema increased at both timepoints and both locations. The correlation between temperature change and erythema change was weak. Change in temperature did not differ between skin tone groups. The Intermediate Low Eumelanin skin tone group had more change in erythema compared to the Intermediate Mid (i.e., darkest) skin tone group immediately after cupping at the UH and at the delayed timepoint at the forearm. ConclusionsThis study observed differences in the change of erythema across skin tones but did not observe differences in temperature across skin tones. Given high variability in results, it is premature to conclude thermal imaging works equally well across all skin tones. Further research is necessary to validate the effectiveness of thermal imaging in diverse populations. Results suggest visual erythema may be a problematic indicator as less erythema was consistently noted in participants with dark skin tones. The potential of technology to increase our ability to detect erythema warrants further investigation.

Over-order multiplicities and their application in controlling delay dynamics. On zeros’ distribution of linear combinations of Kummer hypergeometric functions

A series of recent works have shown that, for a system of linear functional differential equations, a spectral value having a multiplicity exceeding the order of the system tends to correspond to the spectral abscissa of the system, a property called MID for multiplicity-induced-dominancy. In particular, when this multiplicity coincides with the degree of the characteristic quasipolynomial, this property is called generic MID (GMID), in opposition to the intermediate MID (IMID), which corresponds to a multiplicity strictly smaller than the degree. The GMID has been fully characterized for single-delay retarded as well as neutral delay-differential equations thanks to the representation of the corresponding quasipolynomial in terms of a Kummer hypergeometric function. However, apart from partial results, in full generality, no result of the literature enables the characterization of the dominance of a spectral value having an intermediate multiplicity, which is essentially due to the lack of existing results among the open literature pertaining to linear combinations of Kummer functions’ zeros distribution. In this work, we overcome this difficulty and we further investigate the MID to cover the so-called over-order MID, that is, the cases where the multiplicity is larger than the order of the corresponding differential equation.

The speaking proficiency outcomes of face‐to‐face and online intensive summer LCTL programs

AbstractThis article is the first large‐scale study to document the speaking proficiency outcomes of intensive programs in less commonly taught languages in US higher education. Speaking proficiency was measured by pre‐ and postprogram ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interviews (N = 484) in 14 languages: Arabic, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi, Indonesian, Kazakh, Persian, Tamil, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur, and Uzbek. The intensive programs are usually taught face‐to‐face but were offered fully online during the COVID‐19 pandemic. No significant difference in speaking proficiency outcomes, as measured by the ACTFL OPI, was found between the face‐to‐face and online formats. Students at all levels of instruction made significant gains in speaking proficiency, with greater gains made by students in Level 1 than at Levels 2‐3, and with wide variation within instructional levels. The average speaking proficiency outcomes were Advanced Low (Level 3), Intermediate High (Level 2), and between Intermediate Low and Intermediate Mid (Level 1).

The Effectiveness of Duolingo English Courses in Developing Reading and Listening Proficiency

This study evaluated the reading and listening proficiency levels of 245 English language learners who completed the Basic content (through Common European Framework of Reference for Languages [CEFR] level A2) of one of the following three Duolingo English courses: English for Japanese, Spanish, or Portuguese speakers. Participants self-reported having little to no prior proficiency in English and used Duolingo as their only learning tool. Their language skills were measured using the reading and listening sections of the STAMP 4S English Test from Avant Assessment. The results show that, on average, learners at the end of the Basic content (A2) scored Intermediate High in both reading and listening in all three courses. Given that Duolingo’s English courses are CEFR-aligned with an expected proficiency outcome of Intermediate Mid upon completion of the A2 content, it is noteworthy that participants across the three studied courses surpassed these expectations by achieving an additional American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) sublevel in both reading and listening. Such results present a robust and coherent body of evidence affirming the efficacy of Duolingo’s English courses in enhancing learners’ competencies in reading and listening comprehension.

Организационные и педагогические условия обучения студентов-юристов составлению правовых документов на иностранном языке посредством инструментов искусственного интеллекта

Importance. Artificial intelligence technologies can significantly expand the opportunities for students to form professional competencies during the study in higher education. At the same time, the effectiveness of teaching methods depends on a number of conditions. The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the list of organizational and pedagogical conditions of training law students to legal drafting in a foreign language through artificial intelligence tools. Materials and Methods. The research is conducted on the basis of analyzing scientific literature on psychology, pedagogy and methods of teaching foreign languages. The sample of sources included domestic scientific journals of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation list (category 1 and 2), as well as other modern sources: monographs and educational and methodical works. Results and Discussion. The author’s list of organizational and pedagogical conditions for training law students to legal drafting in a foreign language through artificial intelligence tools is identified and substantiated: a) the level of foreign language communicative competence – from Intermediate Mid to Advanced Mid; b) differentiation of law students’ study groups at the classes on foreign language; c) taking into account the peculiarities of specialist’s professional competence in the field of jurisprudence; d) the use of legal document constructors; e) the use of exercises system and tasks based on the following criteria. Conclusion. The novelty of the research consists in the development and substantiation of organizational and pedagogical conditions list of training law students to legal drafting in a foreign language through artificial intelligence tools. The obtained results can be used in the methods designing of teaching students of non-linguistic training direction in the development of professional competences based on the use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Sustaining Dual Language Immersion: Partner Language Outcomes in a Statewide Program

AbstractDual language immersion (DLI) as an alternative model to monolingual English‐medium education has continued to expand rapidly over the past decade. As this model continues to grow across the United States, stakeholders look to research to demonstrate sustainability and scalability of dual language programs. Drawing on 224 schools, the statewide study reported in this article investigated whether students’ growth in a non‐English DLI partner language sustained into the secondary level, to what degree students met performance benchmarks for these partner languages, and whether targeted outcomes were attained during program expansion. The longitudinal analysis of assessment data shows that middle school students performed at Intermediate Mid to High levels on the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and that a segment of students raised their performance levels from 8th to 9th grade. Furthermore, a considerable portion of DLI students in French and Spanish dual language programs reached the Advanced level in 9th grade. Finally, 3rd‐ and 4th‐grade data show that targeted performance outcomes held from one testing year to another, 4 years later, and after a substantial increase in enrollments. The article concludes with a discussion of curricular and policy implications.

Contextualizing Social Turmoil Abroad and at Home in the L2 Classroom

This short-form article describes a multimedia unit of study on social turmoil for students at the ACTFL Intermediate Mid and Intermediate High levels. It explains the rationale for the cultural products used based on current scholarship as well as ACTFL and MLA standards and provides explicit instructional guidance so that students with little prior cultural knowledge and developing language skills are able to construct a meaningful understanding of the social and political contexts in which the cultural products were created. While the unit uses materials that focus on events in twentieth century Chile and Argentina, students will also make connections with social turmoil within the United States.

Expression Orale: Amérique Du Nord by Michèle Barféty et al.

Reviewed by: Expression Orale: Amérique Du Nord by Michèle Barféty et al. Shannon Becker Barféty, Michèle, Patricia Beaujoin, Fabien Olivry, et Denis Liakin. Expression orale: Amérique du Nord. CLE International, 2019. ISBN 978-2-09-035176-7. Pp. 128. Part of the Compétences series, Expression orale is intended for students at the B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which corresponds to approximately the Intermediate Mid to Advanced Low level in ACTFL standards. It is important to note that this book is intended for learners who will be communicating with speakers of Québécois French. The book is divided into five units, each containing three lessons and followed by a quiz called a "bilan." The lessons are divided into sections called "imiter," "interpréter," and "s'exprimer," a thoughtful strategy that allows the learner to progress from exercises centered on identification and repetition, to answering open-ended questions based on written and oral prompts, and finally to text-based discussions leading to a debate. Importantly, Expression orale maintains a focus on communication throughout, only addressing grammar in boxes of "outils" that provide students with important sentences and phrases that they can incorporate into their production. Among other tasks, learners are asked to verify oral comprehension, to repeat dialogues, to use clues to guess the context of dialogues, to exchange information, and to role play based on visual and audio prompts. This culminates in reading a text, answering discussion questions, and preparing a debate with classmates. After each unit, learners complete the bilan, a brief quiz worth 25 points containing only two exercises: one that requires them to fill in the blanks of a written dialogue using the various outils, or grammatical structures, from the preceding lesson, and one that asks them to fill in the blanks of a short text using words from a provided list of vocabulary. A particularly interesting activity, which appears only in the first bilan and is thereafter replaced by the text completion task, asks learners to read a sentence and decide which of three sentences below it is the best reformulation, i.e., containing the same information and synonyms of key words. Native speaker dialogues are used throughout the book, with audio files available online and transcripts in the back of the book. The quality of the dialogue recordings is high, and the speakers articulate clearly and at an appropriate speed for this level of learner. It is easy to imagine using elements of this book even beyond a conversation course, for example in a survey course to introduce learners to Québécois French. Visually, the format of the chapters is easy to follow, with clearly delineated sections and "outils" boxes that stand out from the text, and numerous pictures throughout. [End Page 201] Shannon Becker Northern Illinois University Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French

Using different carrots: How incentivization affects proficiency testing outcomes

AbstractThis study represents program‐level action research. A U.S. university Spanish language program had a goal for students to reach the ACTFL (2012) Intermediate Mid level after 2 years. An empirical question that resulted after regular end‐of‐year testing was whether the students were doing their best on assessments. To investigate this, 253 end‐of‐second‐year students were divided into two experimental conditions: (a) 95 students received up to 10% of their final grade based on meeting the speaking goal, and (b) 73 students received up to 5% of their grade on the same criterion. Eighty‐five students formed a control group with no grading incentive. All took ACTFL tests in speaking (the Oral Proficiency Interview‐computerized [OPIc]), listening (Listening Proficiency Test), and reading (Reading Proficiency Test). The group whose OPIc score counted for 10% performed significantly higher than other two groups. Females were more positively affected by the incentivization. Programs with language goals should consider incentivized proficiency‐based exit tests to motivate their students (Chalhoub‐Deville, 1997).

Integrating National Standards in the curricular development, implementation, and student outcomes of a post-secondary Chinese language program

Abstract This paper chronicles the development of a post-secondary Chinese program after the establishment of the Language Center at Stanford University in 1995. It outlines a continuous process of curriculum development aiming to be consistent with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning (ACTFL, 2006) and World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL, 2014). It also describes assessment programs implemented to obtain data on students’ oral and writing proficiency levels at the end of 150 hours of instruction (completion of first-year Chinese) and at the end of 300 hours of instruction (completion of second-year Chinese). Because Chinese is a non-cognate language to English, students’ achieving ACTFL proficiency levels of Intermediate Low in oral and writing proficiency at the end of their first year and achieving Intermediate Mid and higher at the end of their second year indicates the program’s successful curricular design and implementation. This paper outlines the main factors contributing to this success.

Contribution of Home Gardens to Household Food Security in Sri Lanka: A Comparative Study on Wet Zone and Intermediate Zone

In Sri Lanka, home gardens ensure to some extent the stability of household food security at the village level. Home gardening, which is an age-old practice in various parts of the country, varies on the basis of plant growth influenced by the seasonal weather changes, the composition of the soil and the structure of the locality. This paper attempts to identify the contribution of home gardens to food security with a focus on species richness and the availability of annual food supplement for family nutrition, as identified in a study carried out in four Agro Ecological Zones: the Kariyamadiththa and the Dambethalawa GN in the Intermediate Low Country (ILC); the Kumbalgama and the Silogama GN in the Intermediate Mid Country (IMC); the Vidulipura North and the Vidulipura South GN in the Wet Zone Up Country (WZUP); and the Dammala and the Pannimula GN in the Wet Zone Low Country (WZLC). The sample consists of 200 village level home gardens. While the sampling was random, the data analysis was carried out by means of SPSS 17.0 and the Shannon Diversity Index. According to the sample, the highest number of fruit varieties was found in the WZLC while the highest number of vegetable types was found in the WZUC. Most of the home gardens were maintained for both family consumption and marketing in the ILC. Animal husbandry was practiced sparsely but mostly in the ILC. Shannon diversity index shows that there are large variation in diversity and evenness among home gardens. The survey revealed that most of the householders did not have a reasonable knowledge about the seasons in which crops were available in their home gardens. The study highlights the importance of giving continuous incentives and identification of the potentials of the home gardens for increasing production to minimize the household food insecurity.

Linguistic performance of dual language immersion students

The assessment of dual language immersion (DLI) students’ proficiency in the partner language plays a key role in program evaluation. This article reports findings from a large‐scale study, drawing on cross‐sectional assessment data from 73 schools and longitudinal data from 25 schools. Students were tested in the interpretive (listening and reading) and interpersonal (listening/speaking) modes of communication, using the ACTFL Assessment of Proficiency Towards Performance in Languages. The cross‐sectional analysis shows that French and Spanish students performed at Intermediate Low across skills in fourth or fifth grade and Intermediate Mid in sixth grade. Sixth‐grade Chinese DLI students attained near Intermediate Mid in listening and Novice High to Intermediate Low in reading and speaking. Across languages, students achieved the highest ratings in listening and, overall, performed more strongly in listening and reading than speaking. A regression analysis of students’ change scores over time revealed significant progress in nearly all tested skills and languages. Baseline scores and partner language (Chinese, French, or Spanish) accounted for significant variation in growth rates; between‐school differences were found not to be significant. The article discusses implications for assessment instruments and DLI policy and also addresses some instructional implications.

Décibel par M. Butzbach, et al

Reviews 197 directly connected to three Ps thus requires careful planning from instructors. They will need to evaluate how to integrate language learning in a way that demonstrates best practices and responds to ACTFL guidelines for each of the selected readings. Nevertheless, the strength of La culture francophone can be seen in the quality selection of its cultural components as well as its variety. This focus, in turn, provides more freedom to instructors to structure their classes around the essential questions on which they would like students to reflect. University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Virginie Cassidy Butzbach, M., C. Martin, D. Pastor, et I. Saracibar. Décibel. Paris: Didier, 2015. Méthode de français A1. ISBN 978-2-278-08107-3. Pp. 95. Cahier d’activités A1. ISBN 978-2-278-08120-2. Pp. 66. Méthode de français A2.1. ISBN 978-2-278-08336-7. Pp. 106. Cahier d’activités A2.1. ISBN 978-2-278-08347-3. Pp. 66. Méthode de français A2.2. ISBN 978-2-278-08337-4. Pp. 106. Cahier d’activités A2.2. ISBN 978-2-278-08350-3. Pp. 95. This three-part series is designed for middle school but could be used at the secondary level as supplementary resource. It is leveled A1, A2.1, and A2.2 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which correlates to the ACTFL Novice Low through Intermediate Mid proficiency levels. Décibel’s goal is to prepare students for the DELF certification. Materials include the Méthode de français, Cahier d’activités, teacher resources (DVDs and CDs), and online access to a Guide pédagogique. In the first two books, traditional topics such as “Les commerçants de mon quartier”and“À la maison”dominate. In level A2.2, students interact with more current topics such as social justice and ecology. Unit objectives include vocabulary and grammar topics, perfunctory culture, and DELF test preparation. Teachers accustomed to the ACTFL“Can-Do”statements and proficiency goals will find that the unit goals are designed for test performance. Herein lies the conflict for United States teachers looking for more “authentic” materials from a French publisher: The objectives and exercises do not match the ACTFL National Standards. The program was designed mainly for Europeans preparing for the DELF exam. The textbooks and ancillary content focus mainly on vocabulary and grammar while setting aside engaging communicative activities. The weak coherence between unit lessons is distracting. In an A2.1 unit,“Les quatre saisons,”the introduction presents a review of basic weather phrases. Lesson one discusses savanna animals, speed records, and comparisons. Lesson two introduces predictions about future life on the planet with the future tense. Lesson three revisits superlatives and comparisons with recordbreaking places in France. The writing activity returns to describing an animal. There is a short bande dessinée that combines weather and physical comparisons of humans. Finally, in the “Bilan oral,” a drawn scene of a protest for the protection of bees provides a series of six short exercises that award points for describing the weather, circumlocution, describing an animal, making comparisons, and understanding conversation about the weather.While each of these topics was touched on in the unit and in the workbook, the summative exercises do not provide a pedagogically-sound assessment of students’linguistic progress. The workbook proposes mainly busy work including crossing out a nonsense word in a string of words and writing the dialogue that remains, matching pictures to numbers or filling in verb forms or vocabulary terms. These types of exercises harken back to a more traditional, non-communicative style of language acquisition that emphasized task completion, not progress toward proficiency. Metropolitan France dominates the ancillary resources, and the DVD vignettes (available with subtitles in French) present adult-focused geography and cultural information that does not always relate to the unit objectives. While Décibel is not an ideal text for the United States system, one may keep in mind that it is the teacher, not the textbook, who sets the curriculum. The provided materials could support teachers who have access to more communicative interpersonal and presentational activities, but who...

Understanding Intermediate-Level Speakers’ Strengths and Weaknesses: An Examination of OPIc Tests From Korean Learners of English

This study profiled Intermediate-level learners in terms of their linguistic characteristics and performance on different proficiency tasks. A stratified random sample of 300 Korean learners of English with holistic ratings of Intermediate Low (IL), Intermediate Mid (IM), and Intermediate High (IH) on Oral Proficiency Interviews-computerized (OPIcs)—100 at each level—were analyzed by trained ACTFL raters to determine what was needed for the learners to progress to the next higher sublevel. The findings indicate that while ILs minimally met all the linguistic characteristics required of the Intermediate level, they needed to improve in the quantity and quality of all the linguistic characteristics they employed and improve their mastery of the types and variety of questions they could use when performing Intermediate tasks to move to the IM sublevel. In contrast, IMs demonstrated a pattern of strength when completing Intermediate tasks, but to move to the IH sublevel they needed to improve their ability to perform all Advanced-level tasks, especially in terms of accuracy when using paragraph-length discourse. Similar to the IMs, for the IHs to move to the Advanced Low sublevel, they needed to improve their accuracy with paragraph-length discourse and expand their content mastery to beyond the autobiographical.

Setting Evidence‐Based Language Goals

AbstractThe purpose of this project was to identify target language benchmarks for the German program at Michigan State University (MSU) based on national and international guidelines and previous research, to assess language skills across course levels and class sections in the entire German program, and to adjust the language benchmarks as needed based on the study results and make recommendations for the curriculum. The goal of the study was to identify cost‐ and time‐effective valid and reliable assessment tools for program‐wide language assessment. During the 2012 spring semester, all students enrolled in a German class at MSU (N = 320) participated in this study. At the beginning of the semester, students completed two different language tests both advertised as being aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The research was guided by the following two research questions: (1) What are the mean and median language levels of students enrolled in German classes at MSU as determined by (a) a language learning software test, and (b) a language test adapted from Goethe‐Institut practice exams? and (2) Is there a correlation between the two tests and/or subsections of the tests? Benchmark levels were initially set as Novice High after the first year of language study, Intermediate Low after the second year, Intermediate High after the third year, and Advanced Low after the fourth year. Students mostly met the benchmark levels, though not equally at each program level and not equally across skills, with the higher scores in productive skills rather than receptive skills. While there was a correlation between the tests and course levels and also between many of the test portions, the tests did not yield the same CEFR ratings, which suggests that at least one of the instruments was not as valid and reliable as hoped. After reviewing the results, the benchmarks were revised to Intermediate Low after the first year, Intermediate Mid after the second year, Intermediate High after the third year, and Advanced Low after the fourth year with the recommendation to put more emphasis on receptive skills in the curriculum.

University Students' Perceptions of Integrated Performance Assessment and the Connection Between Classroom Learning and Assessment

AbstractIn 2013, Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) was adopted at all levels of instruction at a private university in southern California. The study reports the opinions of 1,236 Novice, Intermediate Low, and Intermediate Mid Spanish students concerning IPA and their perceptions of the way in which classroom instruction was reflected in the content of those assessments. As a group, participants offered positive opinions of IPAs, although these varied somewhat depending on participants' proficiency level, previous assessment experiences, and reasons for taking Spanish, and the characteristics of the students' individual instructors and classes. Pedagogical issues that may influence IPA implementation in second language classes are also considered.

Using Speaking Test Data to Define the Advanced Proficiency Level for L2 Arabic Speakers

AbstractReaching the Advanced level of proficiency in speaking is a common goal of second language learners, but data on advanced learners of less commonly taught languages such as Arabic are scarce. This mixed‐methods study reports words‐per‐minute and type‐token ratios for three ACTFL levels—10 Intermediate Mid, 10 Advanced Mid, and 8 Superior—obtained from full‐length OPIs. Independent‐samples t tests revealed a significant difference between Intermediate Mid and Advanced Mid speakers on both measures, but no significant difference between Advanced Mid and Superior speakers was found. Qualitative observations on the distinctive features of Advanced learners' speech are also shared.

Development and Assessment of the Effectiveness of an Undergraduate General Education Foreign Language Requirement

AbstractThis article describes a faculty‐led, multiyear process of formulating learning objectives and assessing the effectiveness of a foreign language requirement for all College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates at a research university. Three interrelated research questions were addressed: (1) What were the levels and patterns of language courses completed under the language requirement compared to those under the previous curriculum? (2) To what extent was the oral proficiency learning objective being attained? and (3) How did oral proficiency vary by course level and the patterns of courses completed to satisfy the language requirement? The oral proficiency of 614 students was assessed with the Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview and categorized in terms of ACTFL ratings. Study findings indicated that 76% of students met or exceeded the objective of the Intermediate Mid level of oral proficiency and that oral proficiency differed by course level and the pattern of courses completed to satisfy the language requirement. In particular, the impact of completing an advanced‐level course was clear, which in turn had implications for curricular policies and academic advising. It is argued that faculty‐led evaluation of program effectiveness, in which assessment approaches are both summative and formative and findings are routinely used to improve educational practices as well as document student learning, is the necessary context for developing an evidence‐based approach to undergraduate language education.

Hindi Heritage Language Learners’ Performance during OPIs: Characteristics and Pedagogical Implications

The present paper examines the oral performance of Hindi language learners during practice Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) conducted during workshops hosted by New York University and sponsored by STARTALK. The most salient characteristics of the heritage language learners’ output are compared with the output of foreign language learners who are rated similarly at the Intermediate Mid or Intermediate High level on the ACTFL scale. The paper’s focus is on patterns of grammar and discourse strengths and deficiencies, as well as elaboration of topics and code-mixing in relation to students’ background. Pedagogical implications are discussed with reference to teaching strategies that address the differences in the language abilities of the heritage versus foreign language learners of Hindi.

Speaking Strategies: Meeting NCATE Oral Proficiency Standards

Abstract: The teaming of ACTFL and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education resulted in the requirement that teacher candidates speak at the Advanced Low (AL) or higher level on the Oral Proficiency scale. Providing the means to help candidates meet that minimum standard for certification is a fundamental consideration. This article outlines the design of a course, Speaking Strategies, that was implemented to address the specific issue of increasing students' oral proficiency. Inspired by Schmidt's (1990, 1993, 1995, 2001) noticing hypothesis, Speaking Strategies focuses students' attention on the tasks of the next proficiency level, resulting in an increase in proficiency of at least one sublevel in 71% of the cases. Most important for teacher candidates, more than one-third of those who did not reach the minimum AL rating prior to the course did so upon its completion. Key words: conversation, NCATE standards, oral proficiency, teacher certification, teacher credentials Introduction Teacher preparation programs underwent significant changes in 2002 with the collaboration of the ACTFL and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The result of the organizations' efforts to standardize teacher training are articulated in Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (ACTFL, 2002). That document prescribes minimum competencies in language, culture, pedagogy, and linguistics for the licensing of foreign language teachers. Moreover, the Standards establish a minimum level of oral proficiency in the target language at the Advanced Low (AL) level on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Guidelines. Of the areas in which teacher candidates are tested, oral proficiency is likely the most difficult for many of them. Proficiency refers to a speaker's ability to ''use the language effectively and appropriately in real-life situations'' (Swender, 1999, p. 1). Unlike content areas that one masters through study, oral proficiency develops and improves over time. In addition, Advanced-level proficiency is an ambitious goal for typical undergraduate foreign language majors, particularly if they have no significant study abroad experience (Rifkin, 2003). Research shows that most language majors rate at the Intermediate High (IH)/AL border upon completing their studies, with more placing on the Intermediate side of the border. Swender (2003) reported that in a study of 501 Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) ratings of undergraduate majors, 47% rated above the Advanced-level border and 53% rated below. As such, the AL minimum requirement sets the bar higher than many undergraduates' typical performance. The challenge for teacher trainers is to assist students in developing their skills to perform consistently at the Advanced level. The preparation of future teachers is the responsibility of faculty and program directors in both education and foreign language departments. It is incumbent on those of us in language programs to address the requirement that our future teachers speak at the AL level for teacher certification and attempt to train them accordingly. A primary question guides this article and the course described herein: Is it possible to increase oral proficiency by means of a classroom experience, in one semester? The answer is affirmative. This article describes the design of a course in Spanish oral proficiency called Speaking Strategies, which is offered in the Department of Hispanic Studies at the College of Charleston. Speaking Strategies was created to address the development of Advanced-level proficiency among undergraduate Spanish majors. Based on the results of pre- and post-OPIs, along with class activities that target Advanced-level tasks, Speaking Strategies has proven successful in increasing students' oral proficiency by at least one sublevel (i.e., Intermediate Mid to IH, IH to AL, etc.) for 71% of the students enrolled in the course. …