Assessments

Russian Flagship students’ developing proficiency is measured using two important scales, the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, used by the U.S. government, and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scale, used by U.S. schools, colleges, and universities. Both scales are used to assess global, functional abilities in the skills areas of speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Speaking is assessed through an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI); other skills are assessed through online proficiency exams.

The Language Flagship has three levels of recognition for students who complete Language Flagship programs, based in part on students’ proficiency scores at the end of their overseas capstone programs:

Flagship Certification with Distinction: Completion of a Domestic Flagship Program and an Overseas Capstone experience, including direct enrollment and an internship, as well as meeting or exceeding the proficiency minimum of ILR 3 in speaking, reading, and listening. ILR 3 proficiency or higher must be demonstrated in all three modalities to be eligible for certification with distinction.

Flagship Certification: Completion of a Domestic Flagship Program and an Overseas Capstone experience, including direct enrollment and an internship, as well as meeting or exceeding the proficiency minimum of ILR 3 in speaking, and an ILR 2+ in reading and listening.

Flagship Completion: Completion of a Domestic Flagship Program and an Overseas Capstone experience, including direct enrollment and an internship, as well as the demonstration of a post-capstone proficiency of less than ILR 3 in speaking.