This article reports on Beyond the OPI: Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) Design Project, a three-year (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000) Language Learning in the 21st Century (National Standards, 1999, 2006. A second goal of the project was to use the assessment prototype as a catalyst for curricular and pedagogical reform. This paper presents the lntegrated Pevformance Assessment (IPA) prototype, illustrates a sample IPA, and discusses how classroom-based research on the IPA demonstrated the washbach effect of integrated performance-based assessment on teachers' perceptions regarding their instructional practices.

About the ACTFL OPIThe ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is a valid and reliable testing method that measures how well a person speaks a language (see Dandonoli & Henning, 1991;Thompson, 1995; Surface & Dierdorff, in this volume). It is a face-to-face or telephonic interview between a certified ACTFL tester and an examinee.On the surface, the interview is interactive and continuously adapts to the interests, experiences, and abilities of the speaker. Below the surface, the OPI follows a specific set of procedures to measure general spoken language by determining patterns of strengths and weaknesses. It establishes a speaker' s level of consistent functional ability as well as the upper limits of that ability. Although the conversational format of each ACTFL OPI follows an established protocol, there is no script or prescribed set of questions.The ACTFL OPI is a criterion-referenced test. It compares a sample of speech with the 10 proficiency levels outlined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines-Speaking, Revised (BreinerSanders et al., 2000). The Guidelines describe language proficiency from Novice-Low (little or no functional ability in spoken language) to Superior (ability to function in formal and informal contexts, and to state and support opinions and hypotheses in extended discourse, with a high degree of accuracy). The 10 proficiency levels of the ACTFL rating scale are Superior, Advanced- The OPI assesses language proficiency in terms of the ability to respond to questions and tasks posed in a structured interview. The OPI does not compare one individual' s performance with another' s. Rather, it compares each individual' s performance to the assessment criteria. The assessment criteria used to determine a rating include global tasks and functions, contexts and content areas, text type, and accuracy (see Swender, 1999).Official ACTFL OPIs are conducted and rated by ACTFL certified proficiency testers. The testers are highly specialized language professionals who complete a rigorous training process and participate in ongoing quality control and tester-norming activities. Each interview is tape recorded and assigned an initial rating by the tester. Under the supervision of the ACTFL testing office, the interview is blindly rated by a second certified tester. If the ratings disagree, the interview is arbitrated by a third certified tester. When two ratings agree exactly, an official rating is assigned and an official ACTFL OPI certificate is issued. FAQs 1 and 2Does taking an OPI over the phone produce a different rating than a face-to-face interview? Are there differences in testing performance from one testing occasion to another when there is no significant opportunity for learning or forgetting between the two tests?

The renewed national focus on teacher quality and effectiveness has resulted in more rigorous standards that describe the knowledge and skills required of teacher candidates across all disciplines. In the area of foreign languages, three sets of professional standards address the oral proficiency of teachers in the target languages they teach across the career continuum. For teacher candidates, the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (2002) establish minimum oral proficiency levels based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines-Speaking (2012). Utilizing ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) data, this study examines to what extent candidates are attaining the ACTFL/NCATE Oral Proficiency Standard of Advanced Low in most languages or Intermediate High in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Findings indicate that 54.8% of candidates attained the required standard between 2006 and 2012 and that significant differences emerged for language, year tested, and university program results. Further research that takes into account additional contextual information about candidates and programs will inform continuing professional dialogue about the oral proficiency of teacher candidates entering the profession.