About NCLA
Trusted provider of language assessment to the government
The National Center for Language Assessment (NCLA) specializes in recruiting, training, and certifying language proficiency testers. Our certified testers provide Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) using the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Speaking Descriptors across a wide range of languages. NCLA's assessments are designed to measure a wide range of language abilities, from basic communication to professional and expert-level proficiency.
We ensure that all candidates meet the necessary requirements for specific government roles and functions. NCLA also provides the USG with norming services and benchmarking for DOD developed reading and listening language proficiency tests to ensure valid, accurate, and precise assessment of language proficiency for its professionals.
Delivering excellence to our partners
NCLA currently tests across four frameworks that describe and assess proficiency:
• ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
• Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Skills Level Descriptions
• Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
• NATO’s Standardized Agreement (STANAG) 60011
Since 1992, NCLA and Language Testing International (LTI) have partnered to develop and deliver ACTFL proficiency assessments within corporate, academic, and government sectors. NCLA/LTI currently schedules, administers, and reports proficiency ratings for 200,000 proficiency tests each year.
Over 128 corporations utilize our proficiency assessments including Fortune 500 companies such as: AT&T, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Comcast, HSBC, PayPal, Samsung, Sears, State Farm, and Verizon. These companies use ACTFL proficiency assessments to inform selection of and compensation for bilingual employees.
In addition, over 25 U.S. State Departments of Education and over 242 colleges and universities (e.g., Brigham Young University, Stanford, Notre Dame and Yale) require official ACTFL assessments for students. Finally, over 52 Federal, State and local government agencies arrange our OPIs to evaluate language learners, identify qualified bilingual candidates and grant foreign language incentive pay.
In addition, NCLA has actively collaborated with the Defense Language community on important proficiency and testing issues through a series of ILR Testing Summits beginning in 2008. NCLA coordinated and convened three Speaking Summits and two Listening Summits, collaborating with representatives of government agencies, language services industry contractors to the government, and academia to build a community of understanding and to discuss areas of agreement/discord in the utilization and application of the ILR SLDs.
We are proud to have authored and disseminated within the ILR testing community the "Comprehensive Guide to Measuring Listening according to the ILR Skills Level Descriptions for Listening.”
Services we Offer
Need Personal Assistance? Give us a call!
If you need personalized assistance or have any questions about anything NCLA, we are standing by to assist! Call us at (703) 894-2900. A team member will be happy to assist you.