WHERE CAN TEACHERS GO TO IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE PROFICIENCIES? ARE THE OPTIONS EFFECTIVE?
The former question is eminently more answerable than the latter. Teachers participate in a spectrum of formal and informal programs with the hope that their language proficiencies will be enhanced. Study and Travel Abroad Programs. Many of these programs are either affiliated with U.S. institutions of higher learning or sponsored by foreign institutions for nonnative teachers. Published documentation on gains in proficiency as a result of these experiences is minimal. One small study is reported by Millman (1988) in which eight Alabama recipients of Foreign Language Study Grants were given certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) before and after their stay abroad. Results indicated that three individuals remained at the same level of speaking proficiency as measured on the OPI (one each at Intermediate High, Advanced, and Superior). The other five improved a step (one Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid, two Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High, two Advanced to Advanced Hi
