The connection between goals and student motivation has been widely investigated in the research literature, but the relationship of goal setting and student achievement at the classroom level has remained largely unexplored. This article reports the findings of a 5‐year quasi‐experimental study examining goal setting and student achievement in the high school Spanish language classroom. The implementation of LinguaFolio, a portfolio that focuses on student self‐assessment, goal setting, and collection of evidence of language achievement, was introduced into 23 high schools with a total of 1,273 students. By using a hierarchical linear model, researchers were able to analyze the relationship between goal setting and student achievement across time at both the individual student and teacher levels. A correlational analysis of the goal‐setting process and language proficiency scores reveals a statistically significant relationship between the goal‐setting process and language achievement (p < .01).

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How close are we to the reality of all students having the opportunity to learn another language and gaining support for these efforts from the general public? The answer has a long history, which we point out by referencing articles that span the 50‐year history of Foreign Language Annals. From the 1979 President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies report under President Jimmy Carter (Perkins, 1979) to the recent article by Kroll and Dussias (2017) on the benefits of multilingualism, this article tracks ACTFL's advocacy efforts over the years, including the 2017 launch of the Lead with Languages public awareness campaign and other initiatives such as the Seal of Biliteracy that are rapidly propelling our field closer to a “new normal” in the United States where language education is accessible to all and is viewed as essential to the well‐being of all Americans.

This article analyzes and synthesizes the major theoretical frameworks for building intercultural communicative competency (ICC) within the domain of the foreign language classroom. Researchers used a pragmatist orientation as a venue for the translation of theoretical models into usable, accessible guidelines for classroom teachers in order to provide a deeper understanding and clarity of ICC and its implementation in the language classroom.

Within foreign language classrooms, one intervention gaining recognition is LinguaFolio, a portfolio‐based formative assessment designed to increase self‐regulated learning. The question emerges whether such an intervention impacts student motivation, learning, and achievement. Researchers conducted a classroom‐based, quasi‐experimental, one‐semester quantitative study with first‐year French and ­Spanish classes at a Midwestern university. Students (N = 168) completed a pre‐ and ­post‐questionnaire. Accuracy in self‐assessment was investigated by comparing data from LinguaFolio to student performance on unit tests. The impact of instructor beliefs on LinguaFolio use was analyzed via questionnaires. The results indicate that LinguaFolio use is linked to increased student intrinsic motivation, increased task‐value, and more accurate self‐assessment of learning. This study supports LinguaFolio as an ­effective approach to increase self‐regulated learning in students.

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