The National Council of Less Commonly Tested Languages and Avant Assessment Announce a Strategic Alliance
Leaders in language access collaborate to improve equity access to language assessment and proficiency credentials for learners of less commonly taught languages
Bloomington, IN– The National Council of Less Commonly Tested Languages (NCOLCTL) and Avant Assessment are pleased to jointly announce a strategic alliance.
“This alliance will expand access and open up opportunities for our members to qualify their students and themselves for their State or Global Seals of Biliteracy in a wide range of our members’ languages” said Executive Director of NCOLCTL Dr. Antonia Schleicher. “Avant is a thought leader, pioneering effective, affordable, accessible language assessment to support language equity and effective language learning and program development in Less Commonly Tested Languages. We are proud to have Avant as our assessment partner.”
NCOLCTL is a professional association that promotes, develops, and advances the teaching of less commonly taught languages worldwide. Avant Assessment is a leader in supporting effective language learning outcomes and language equity through language proficiency assessment and professional learning for educators.
The strategic alliance will provide benefits for students and teachers alike. All members of the NCOLCTL and their students will have expanded access to Avant’s STAMPTM (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency) assessments. Additionally, Avant will develop one new language assessment each year that is selected through a vote of the NCOLCTL membership.
“NCOLCTL is a leader in language equity by supporting programs in those less commonly taught of America’s languages that are so important to the culture, economy, and security of our country. Avant is thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a new language assessment each year that the NCOLCTL membership selects. We are proud to announce that our first new language assessment for NCOLCTL is Kurdish.” said David Bong the Co-Founder and CEO of Avant Assessment. “NCOLCTL plays a critical role in supporting language equity in our society by supporting all of America’s languages and we are proud to partner with them.”
About NCOLCTL: NCOLCTL’s mission is to increase the number of Americans who learn one or more less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) to enhance cross-cultural communication in our country. NCOLCTL focuses on these languages which are increasingly vital to the security, economic, social, and political welfare of the United States. NCOLCTL seeks to improve the teaching and learning of these languages and to make them more generally available. NCOLCTL is the national voice for organizations and individuals who represent the teaching of these less commonly taught languages. NCOLCTL is building a national architecture for the LCTL field and making resources easily accessible to language programs and individual learners. For more information go to: https://ncolctl.org/
About Avant Assessment: Avant Assessment is a thought-leader and innovator in language proficiency assessment and professional learning training, uniting technology’s power with human intelligence. Avant STAMP is the world’s first online, adaptive, four-skill language proficiency assessment and is the choice of leading language programs throughout the US and around the world, delivering an accurate assessment of real-world language skills. For more information go to: https://avantassessment.com/
To Contact:
NCOLCTL: https://ncolctl.org/contact/
Avant Assessment: 
