Center for the Advancement of Distinguished Language Proficiency
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As of August 1st, 2011

THE CDLC has been officially closed

This is an archive website and it is no longer active



The Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers (CDLC) was founded in October 2002 for the purpose of providing support to the universities, institutions, and schools with programs that teach foreign languages to the near-native level and to individuals learning to those levels, whether at one of the member institutions, at another institution anywhere in the world, or working independently.

The CDLC is currently located in Washington, DC. It serves as a central organ and instrument to provide resources and publicity for its members, as well as for institutions wishing to develop distinguished language centers.

The lack of knowledge about how to develop high levels of proficiency in foreign languages is a serious deficit in the United States. Experience in teaching at/to Level 3 (Superior) and Level 4 (Distinguished) language proficiency is rare. The CDLC, indirectly through its affiliates and directly through its various services, seeks to foster collaboration among those experienced in this field in order to improve upon the current status of high-level language teaching, the importance of which increases as the world becomes more globally interconnected.

The CDLC serves affiliated institutions in the following and planned ways:

  • Publication of a semi-annual journal (Journal for Distinguished Language Studies) and books devoted to theory, research, and practice;
  • Organization and conduct of conferences;
  • Maintenance of a Washington Branch for Instruction to serve as a conduit for internship, as well as arrangement with appropriate institutions for course work otherwise unavailable to/at affiliates;
  • Coordination of a comprehensive research project to define Level 4 proficiency and determine how best to teach/acquire it;
  • Assistance with faculty development efforts of affiliates;
  • Maintenance of databases containing research results;
  • Facilitating collaboration among member institutions;
  • Advocacy and PR on behalf of affiliates;
  • Annual meetings;
  • Small grants (planned for the future) to jump-start new and "risky" programming;
  • Communication and sharing of information through a newsletter and listserve (planned); and
  • Awarding of a Certificate of Nativelike Language Proficiency (for institutions without their own such programs).

The CDLC serves individual members in the following actual and planned ways:

  • Communication and sharing of information through a newsletter and listserve (planned);
  • Awarding of a Certificate of Nativelike Language Proficiency;
  • Diagnostic assessment (through affiliated institutions);
  • Individualized Study Plans (through affiliated institutions);
  • Assistance with publishing on high-level language learning topics;
  • Opportunities for conference presentations;
  • Opportunities for assisting with large-scale research projects (planned); and
  • Course work (through affiliated institutions);
  • Annual meetings;
  • Discounts on conference fees and CDLC publications.