Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and assessment are at the heart of effective world language teaching. Whether you’re designing daily lessons, building long-term curriculum, or evaluating student progress, the principles of SLA help you choose strategies that truly develop proficiency—not just performance. This pillar brings together the research, frameworks, and classroom tools that teachers need to create meaningful, measurable, and communicative learning experiences.
In this section, you’ll find resources that translate SLA theory into practical application: formative and summative assessments, proficiency-based rubrics, ACTFL-aligned tasks, backwards-designed units, and instructional routines supported by acquisition research. You’ll also find guidance for creating tasks that mirror real-world communication, promote comprehensible input, and support students as they move through each stage of proficiency.
Whether you teach Spanish, French, or any world language, this pillar is designed to help you:
- Understand how languages are acquired
- Apply research-based practices in your classroom
- Design assessments that measure real proficiency
- Build units and lessons anchored in meaningful communication
- Track growth over time with reliable tools
- Support learner autonomy, engagement, and confidence