RTTUZYUW RUEWMCS0000 1551444-UUUU--RUCRNAD ZNR UUUUU R 031444Z JUN 08 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// BT UNCLAS //N01500// NAVADMIN 156/08 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/JUN// SUBJ/FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTING UPDATE// REF/A/DOC/DEPSECDEF/JAN05// REF/B/MSG/CNO/182208ZNOV05// REF/C/DOC/USD(PR)/27NOV06/-/NOTAL// REF/D/DOC/USD(PR)/01DEC06/-/NOTAL// REF/E/MSG/CNO/152204ZDEC06// REF/F/MSG/CNO/052016ZOCT07// REF/G/DOC/DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE/12MAR08/-/NOTAL// NARR/REF A (DEFENSE LANGUAGE TRANSFORMATION ROADMAP TASK 1.0) DIRECTED CONVERSION OF THE DEFENSE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST (DLPT) FROM PAPER/PENCIL EXAMS TO WEB-BASED TESTING ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD). REF B IS NAVADMIN 300/05, WHICH ANNOUNCED THE INTRODUCTION OF DLPT VERSION 5 (DLPT5), AS WELL AS WEB-ENABLED LANGUAGE TESTING WITHIN NAVY. REFS C AND D ESTABLISHED DLPT5 AS THE OFFICIAL TEST OF RECORD FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY BONUS (FLPB) CERTIFICATION AND PROVIDES GUIDANCE ON TRANSITIONING FROM EXISTING TEST FORMS TO DLPT5. REF E IS NAVADMIN 352/06, WHICH PROMULGATED PROCEDURES FOR CONVERSION TO DLPT5 AND IMPLEMENTED TEMPORARY MEASURES TO FACILITATE THE TRANSITION, PARTICULARLY WHERE FLPB CERTIFICATION WAS CONCERNED. REF F IS NAVADMIN 259/07, WHICH ANNOUNCED THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF DLPT5 AS TEST OF RECORD FOR MODERN STANDARD ARABIC (MSA) PENDING RESOLUTION OF TECHNICAL ANOMALIES. REF G REINSTATED DLPT5 AS OFFICIAL TEST OF RECORD FOR MSA.// RMKS/1. CONSISTENT WITH REFS A THROUGH E, THE TRANSITION OF DEFENSE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY MEASUREMENT FROM PAPER/PENCIL FORMS/FORMATS TO WEB-ENABLED TESTING CONTINUES. THIS NAVADMIN PROVIDES UPDATED INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE RELATIVE TO WEB-ENABLED LANGUAGE TESTING POLICY, MANAGEMENT, AND ADMINISTRATION IN THE U.S. NAVY. 2. DLPT5 A. CURRENT DLPT5 TESTS OF RECORD: ALBANIAN ARABIC (MSA) CHINESE-MANDARIN DARI EGYPTIAN GREEK HINDI IRAQI (LISTENING ONLY) JAPANESE KURDISH-SORANI LEVANTINE (LISTENING ONLY) NORWEGIAN PASHTO PERSIAN-FARSI RUSSIAN SERBO-CROATIAN SPANISH URDU B. MSA DLPT5. REF F ANNOUNCED THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF THE MSA DLPT5 PENDING RESOLUTION OF TEST ANOMALIES, AND PROVIDED TEMPORARY WAIVER GUIDANCE FOR THOSE SAILORS RECERTIFYING FOR PURPOSES OF FLPB. REF G CONFIRMED RESOLUTION OF MSA DLPT5 TEST ANOMALIES AND REINSTATED IT AS THE OFFICIAL TEST OF RECORD. THE ONE-YEAR TRANSITION WAIVER AUTHORIZED FOR MSA ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2007 AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. C. WAIVER POLICY (1) DLPT5 RECERTIFICATION. BECAUSE THE DLPT5 IS A MORE CHALLENGING PROFICIENCY EXAM, DOD AUTHORIZED THE SERVICES TO RECERTIFY MEMBERS FOR A ONE-YEAR PERIOD USING SCORES FROM THEIR LAST RECORDED DLPT IF A DLPT5 EXAM RESULTED IN LOWER SCORES. REF E IMPLEMENTED THE DOD POLICY WITHIN NAVY FOR ONE YEAR EFFECTIVE 31 DECEMBER 2006 AND APPLIED THE WAIVER TO DLPT5 EXAMS RELEASED PRIOR TO 1 OCTOBER 2007. THE ONE-YEAR TRANSITION PERIOD EXPIRED 31 DECEMBER 2007; HOWEVER, SCORE WAIVERS EXECUTED PRIOR TO 31 DECEMBER 2007 WILL REMAIN EFFECTIVE FOR A MAXIMUM OF ONE YEAR. AT THE END OF THE ONE-YEAR WAIVER, ANNUAL CERTIFICATION FOR FLPB SHALL BE BASED SOLELY ON DLPT5. (2) TRANSITION/WAIVER POLICY FOR DLPT5 EXAMS ACTIVATED AFTER 1 OCTOBER 2007. AS TESTS IN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES ARE CONVERTED TO DLPT5, THE SAME ONE-YEAR TRANSITION POLICY DESCRIBED ABOVE WILL APPLY. THE TRANSITION PERIOD BEGINS ON THE DATE THE NEWLY-DEPLOYED DLPT5 BECOMES THE OFFICIAL TEST OF RECORD IN A PARTICULAR FOREIGN LANGUAGE. DURING THIS PERIOD, SAILORS WILL TEST IN THE NEW DLPT5 VERSION ON OR BEFORE THEIR NORMAL ANNUAL RECERTIFICATION DATE. IF THEIR CORRESPONDING DLPT5 SCORE DECLINES FROM THE LAST RECORDED PRE-DLPT5 EXAM IN THE SAME LANGUAGE, THE SAILOR WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF USING HIS/HER EXPIRING PRE-DLPT5 SCORE TO EXTEND FLPB CERTIFICATION FOR ONE CALENDAR YEAR. SUBSEQUENT CERTIFICATIONS IN THE SAME LANGUAGE; HOWEVER, WILL BE BASED SOLELY ON DLPT5 SCORES. THE ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW (OPI) REMAINS THE OFFICIAL TEST FOR MEASURING SPEAKING PROFICIENCY. 3. WEB-ENABLED, NON-DLPT5 EXAMS. TO ACCELERATE AVAILABILITY OF LANGUAGE TESTING TO THE BROADER DOD CONSTITUENCY, DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER HAS BEGUN TO TRANSITION VERSION 1 THROUGH 4 DLPT EXAMS FOR ADMINISTRATION VIA THE WEB. ALTHOUGH WEB- BASED, THESE EXAMS ARE NOT DLPT5 VARIANTS. THEREFORE, THE WAIVER POLICY DESCRIBED ABOVE DOES NOT APPLY TO THEM. CURRENT WEB-BASED (NON-DLPT5) LANGUAGE TESTS INCLUDE: BULGARIAN BURMESE CAMBODIAN CANTONESE CHINESE-AMOY CZECH DANISH DUTCH FRENCH GERMAN HAUSA (EFFECTIVE 15 JUN 08) HEBREW HUNGARIAN ICELANDIC INDONESIAN ITALIAN KOREAN LAO LITHUANIAN POLISH PORTUGUESE-BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE-EUROPEAN SLOVENIAN SWAHILI SWEDISH TAGALOG THAI TURKISH UKRAINIAN VIETNAMESE YIDDISH (EFFECTIVE 15 JUNE 2008) 4. POLICY FOR TESTING IN LOCATIONS WHERE WEB-ENABLED EXAMS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. IF A MEMBER IS OVERSEAS AND WEB-BASED TESTING IS NOT AVAILABLE, THE DLPT ANNUAL RECERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT WILL BE SATISFIED VIA OPI. IF THE MEMBER IS DEPLOYED TO A REGION OVERSEAS WHERE NEITHER WEB-BASED TESTING NOR OPI IS AVAILABLE, THE DLPT ANNUAL RECERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT IS WAIVED PENDING THE INDIVIDUAL'S RETURN FROM OCONUS ASSIGNMENT. IN THESE CASES, RECERTIFICATION IS REQUIRED WITHIN 90 DAYS OF RETURN TO CONUS. IN ALL CASES, TEST NON-AVAILABILITY MUST BE VERIFIED BY NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER (NETPDTC). 5. EXPANDED AVAILABILITY OF WEB-BASED DLPT. WEB-BASED DLPT IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND'S TRANET SYSTEM, WHICH PROVIDES ACCESS AT SELECT NAVY COLLEGE OFFICES (NCO) AND NAVY ACCESSION POINTS. ADDITIONALLY, DEPLOYMENT OF WEB-BASED DLPT WITHIN THE OVERSEAS ONE-NET ENTERPRISE WAS AUTHORIZED 18 MARCH 2008 AND IS BEING IMPLEMENTED ON SPECIALLY-CONFIGURED COMPUTERS AT KEY NAVY INSTALLATIONS. CURRENT/PROJECTED TEST LOCATIONS INCLUDE: NCO YOKOSUKA, JAPAN NCO SASEBO, JAPAN NCO NAPLES, ITALY NCO SOUDA BAY, GREECE NCO GUAM NCO BAHRAIN NCO SIGONELLA, ITALY NCO ROTA, SPAIN FULL OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY IS ANTICIPATED JULY 2008. 6. OPI MANAGEMENT. ON 28 FEBRUARY 2008, RESPONSIBILITY FOR OPI TEST MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITHIN NAVY SHIFTED FROM THE NAVY FOREIGN LANGUAGE OFFICE AT OPNAV (N13F) TO NETPDTC IN PENSACOLA. 7. FOR ASSISTANCE WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGE TESTING ADMINISTRATION AND COORDINATION ISSUES, PLEASE CONTACT NETPDTC'S NAVY FOREIGN LANGUAGE TESTING OFFICE. POINT OF CONTACT IS MR. DARRIN WILLIAMS AT (850) 452-1001/DSN 922 OPTION 3 EXT 1538, OR EMAIL AT DARRIN.WILLIAMS(AT)NAVY.MIL. INFORMATION ON DLPT5 TESTING AND OTHER DLPT QUESTIONS IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT HTTPS://WWW.ADVANCEMENT.CNET.NAVY.MIL/ (DEFENSE LANGUAGE LINK). 8. FOR ASSISTANCE WITH NAVY FOREIGN LANGUAGE POLICY ISSUES, PLEASE CONTACTMR. DUANE BEAUDOIN, OPNAV N13F1, AT (703) 693-7210/DSN 223, OR EMAIL AT DUANE.BEAUDOIN(AT)NAVY.MIL. 9. RELEASED BY VADM M. E. FERGUSON III, N1.// BT #0000 NNNN