Who Are We?

Founded in 1964, the Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT) serves a membership of 400 to 600 elementary through university level language teachers. WAFLT seeks to meet the needs of a profession dedicated to the teaching of world language skills and cultural awareness by providing information and sensitive global perspectives in an era of ever-increasing internationalization.

We are associated with the Pacific Northwest Council for Languages (PNCFL), the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Joint National Council on Language/National Council for Languages (JNCL/NCLIS). These links with regional and national associations help keep our membership current with national standards.

Washington World Language Assessment Days WAFLT and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) World Languages Program and State Board of Education have been collaborating on a series of Washington World Language Assessment Days since spring 2011. Our goal is to support middle school, high school, and higher education students who want to take nationally recognized world language proficiency assessments, but may not have easy access to them in their school districts, colleges, or universities. For more information, visit Washington World Language Assessment Days. On this site you will also be able to register, sign up to receive notification when new dates or locations are posted and find out more about Competency-Based Credits.

This effort is part of our state's initiative to award Competency-Based Credits to students who have developed language proficiency outside the usual classroom setting.

WAFLT is pleased to announce the appointment of Ray Verzasconi as the new FORUM editor. Ray is a lifetime WAFLT member, a former professor at Oregon State University and past editor of Oregon's publication, the Spectrum. To submit articles for publication, please contact Ray directly at rverzasconi@msn.com

2011 WAFLT Award Recipients were recognized in an evening awards reception at the fall conference at the Pasco Red Lion. Congratulations to them all!

Pro Lingua--Dr. Susie Murphy, Inspirational Leadership--Jenny Hallenbeck, ISE Language Matters--Gisela Hanks, Continuing Distinguished Service--Lauren Kiolet, and WAFLT Teacher of the Year--Taeko Tashibu. Taeko will represent Washington in the 6-state PNCFL regional consideration, which leads to the ACTFL Teacher of the Year.

Nominations for the 2012 WAFLT Awards are now open. See the description and criteria for each award on the Awards and Grants section of this website.

WAFLT Office: (360) 709-0202 (voice and FAX)

Mission Statement
The Mission of the Washington Association for Language Teaching is:

To promote the teaching and learning of world languages and cultures
To provide opportunities for all educators of world languages to grow professionally
To recognize the contributions of outstanding members of the profession and the community
To collaborate with local, regional and global partners

Last updated: April 24, 2012