MFLA Maryland Language Teacher of the Year
Academic Year 2025-2026
The winner of the MFLA Language Teacher of the Year Award (TOY) completes the first step in the selection process to possibly earn the title of 2027 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year!
PURPOSE OF THE LANGUAGE TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROGRAM:
According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL),
“The award for The ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year is intended to elevate the status of our profession at the state, regional, and national levels by creating opportunities for recognizing the most accomplished members of our profession. First and foremost, this process is designed to involve all of our state, regional, and national organizations in promoting our profession. Secondly, it is intended to create as many media opportunities as possible to increase the visibility of the importance of learning languages and cultures to the general public. Successful candidates must be full-time language educators who spend at least fifty-percent (50%) of their time in direct teaching during the year of application with an expectation of teaching during the next two (2) years.”
THE MARYLAND LANGUAGE TEACHER OF THE YEAR: The MFLA recipient of this award must strictly follow all application procedures outlined in this document. The winner will be named at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
THE NECTFL TEACHER OF THE YEAR: The 2025-2026 Maryland LTOY competes with the LTOYS from participating states in the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL). At the 2026 NECTFL Conference, the Maryland LTOY may earn the title of NECTFL Language Teacher of the Year.
THE ACTFL NATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Finally, the LTOY winners from each of the five regional councils or conferences (the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, the Southern, and the Central States) compete at the national level. ACTFL names its next National Language Teacher of the Year at its annual conference in November 2027.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
The process outlined within this document is designed to facilitate the development of the portfolio used in the evaluation process by requiring certain items at each level of competition leading toward the complete portfolio required at the national level. This process is intended to incrementally add the required elements of the portfolio at each level and to assist candidates with building a portfolio that best represents their teaching strengths, accomplishments, and ability to advocate for and to represent their profession.
ACTFL supplies the forms and samples needed so that candidates understand what is required at each level. In addition, there is a detailed explanation of all portfolio items on the ACTFL website at www.actfl.org.
Phase I: Nominee Requirements for the MFLA Language Teacher of the Year
The recipient must meet all of the criteria and be willing to fulfill all of the duties described throughout this document:
WRITTEN APPLICATION
The nominee must submit the following via: https://forms.gle/HZMkkhhzbzxeAELd9
* These requirements are part of the portfolio criteria at the regional and national levels. Therefore, this should be taken into account when requesting letters of recommendation.
The following areas of the written application will be evaluated based on a rubric:
INTERVIEW
Be prepared to demonstrate your understanding of current educational trends and core educational practices by articulating your classroom implementation strategies.
Interview Question Topics:
Phase I (STATE LEVEL) MFLA requirements and procedures:
Phase II (REGIONAL LEVEL) Nominee Requirements for the NECTFL Language Teacher of the Year
All documents and procedures outlined for Phase II and Phase III are NOT due to MFLA by Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, 11:59PM. They are listed below so you may become aware of what will follow if you are selected as the 2025-2026 MFLA TOY.
The recipient must submit all required materials by January 1, 2026 to NECTFL (www.nectfl.org).
Phase III (NATIONAL LEVEL) Nominee Requirements for the ACTFL Language Teacher of the Year
The NECTFL finalist will submit a portfolio for review by the national awards committee to ACTFL headquarters by the 2027 ACTFL deadline. The final portfolio includes all of the items suggested at the state and regional level with the addition of the following REQUIRED items:
Also included in the portfolio: (Located on ACTFL site)
The online submitted portfolio is not to exceed 30 pages. The required forms and photograph are not included in the page count.
ACTFL reserves the right to copy and use any of the portfolio contents for promotion of the award or for professional development.
The winner of the MFLA Language Teacher of the Year Award (TOY) completes the first step in the selection process to possibly earn the title of 2027 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year!
PURPOSE OF THE LANGUAGE TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROGRAM:
According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL),
“The award for The ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year is intended to elevate the status of our profession at the state, regional, and national levels by creating opportunities for recognizing the most accomplished members of our profession. First and foremost, this process is designed to involve all of our state, regional, and national organizations in promoting our profession. Secondly, it is intended to create as many media opportunities as possible to increase the visibility of the importance of learning languages and cultures to the general public. Successful candidates must be full-time language educators who spend at least fifty-percent (50%) of their time in direct teaching during the year of application with an expectation of teaching during the next two (2) years.”
THE MARYLAND LANGUAGE TEACHER OF THE YEAR: The MFLA recipient of this award must strictly follow all application procedures outlined in this document. The winner will be named at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
THE NECTFL TEACHER OF THE YEAR: The 2025-2026 Maryland LTOY competes with the LTOYS from participating states in the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL). At the 2026 NECTFL Conference, the Maryland LTOY may earn the title of NECTFL Language Teacher of the Year.
THE ACTFL NATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Finally, the LTOY winners from each of the five regional councils or conferences (the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, the Southern, and the Central States) compete at the national level. ACTFL names its next National Language Teacher of the Year at its annual conference in November 2027.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
The process outlined within this document is designed to facilitate the development of the portfolio used in the evaluation process by requiring certain items at each level of competition leading toward the complete portfolio required at the national level. This process is intended to incrementally add the required elements of the portfolio at each level and to assist candidates with building a portfolio that best represents their teaching strengths, accomplishments, and ability to advocate for and to represent their profession.
ACTFL supplies the forms and samples needed so that candidates understand what is required at each level. In addition, there is a detailed explanation of all portfolio items on the ACTFL website at www.actfl.org.
Phase I: Nominee Requirements for the MFLA Language Teacher of the Year
The recipient must meet all of the criteria and be willing to fulfill all of the duties described throughout this document:
- Be a 2025-27 member of MFLA. Please note that the nomination will not be reviewed if the nominee is not a member of MFLA by the date of submission. Nominees can visit http://mflamd.org/ to become members or contact [email protected] if they are unsure of their membership status.
- Maintain his/her/their status as an active member of MFLA for the 2025-26 and 2026-2027 school years.
- Be a full-time language teacher who spends at least 50% of their time in direct teaching during the year of application with an expectation of teaching for at least two additional years.
WRITTEN APPLICATION
The nominee must submit the following via: https://forms.gle/HZMkkhhzbzxeAELd9
- One-page letter of recommendation from a supervisor
- One-page letter of recommendation from a current student
- One-page letter of recommendation from a current parent or a former student/parent
- Curriculum Vitae of no more than five (5) pages that specifically highlight evidence of professional preparation, commitment to teaching, excellence in the classroom, as well as leadership and service to the profession.
- 500 word statement on the value of learning languages and developing cultural competence for all learners that is supported by personal and applicable anecdotes.
- Commitment form with the top portion completed (available on the ACTFL website at commitment form) which is a statement of willingness to participate in all required activities associated with the award including:
- A commitment to attend the NECTFL Annual Conference. MFLA reimburses expenses up to $1,000 with receipts. NECTFL pays for registration and one night’s lodging.
- If selected as the regional winner, show willingness to serve as a spokesperson for the profession.
* These requirements are part of the portfolio criteria at the regional and national levels. Therefore, this should be taken into account when requesting letters of recommendation.
The following areas of the written application will be evaluated based on a rubric:
- Evidence of Professional Preparation
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
- Evidence of Teaching Experience
- Evidence of Excellence in the Classroom
- Letters of Support
- Evidence of leadership & service beyond the district or school level
- Evidence of leadership & service at the school and/or district level
- Evidence of membership in language organization/s
- Evidence of collaboration in the greater world language community
- Evidence of advocacy in the greater world language community
- Evidence of excellence in self-presentation and writing (based on CV)
- Evidence of excellence in self-presentation and writing (based on essay)
INTERVIEW
Be prepared to demonstrate your understanding of current educational trends and core educational practices by articulating your classroom implementation strategies.
Interview Question Topics:
- Making connections with students and the community
- Providing feedback
- Integrating ACTFL core practices
- Identifying your platform/impact as a potential MFLA TOY; i.e., one policy about world language instruction you would create
- Explaining how you contribute to language education outside of the classroom
Phase I (STATE LEVEL) MFLA requirements and procedures:
- Nominees will submit the required documents (as .PDFs) as stated in the MFLA Nominee Requirements by Wednesday, April 30, 2025 by 11:59 PM to: https://forms.gle/HZMkkhhzbzxeAELd9
- Nominees failing to meet the deadlines or requirements will be disqualified.
- Those reaching the second round of the application process will be interviewed by the Awards Committee on an evening in May 22025. Candidates will be notified of the specific time at the end of the first round of the application process. MFLA will notify applicants of the interview time and online interview link.
- Applicants will be notified of a decision at the beginning of the school year 2025-26.
- If a candidate is designated as the MFLA TOY, that teacher automatically moves on to compete at the regional level.
Phase II (REGIONAL LEVEL) Nominee Requirements for the NECTFL Language Teacher of the Year
All documents and procedures outlined for Phase II and Phase III are NOT due to MFLA by Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, 11:59PM. They are listed below so you may become aware of what will follow if you are selected as the 2025-2026 MFLA TOY.
The recipient must submit all required materials by January 1, 2026 to NECTFL (www.nectfl.org).
- Nomination Cover Page (available on ACTFL website at www.actfl.org completed by an officer of the state language association.
- Examples of Student Work (two individual examples, limited to one page each and one-sided) that reflect the goals of the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (5C’s). These examples may be written or may be in a digital format.
- Reflection on the student work not to exceed 4 pages (Size 12 font, double-spaced) total for both examples that provides a written reflection about these student examples and how they:
- Demonstrate current best practices of language teaching and learning, including the integration of the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (5 C’s)
- Encourage the proficient use of the target language by both the teacher and students;
- Provide the effective use of feedback, including but not limited to rubrics.
- An interview process designed by NECTFL. It is recommended that a three-five minute practice policy speech also occur either on site at the regional conference or through electronic means (No documentation regarding this interview is required in the portfolio submitted at the national level.)
Phase III (NATIONAL LEVEL) Nominee Requirements for the ACTFL Language Teacher of the Year
The NECTFL finalist will submit a portfolio for review by the national awards committee to ACTFL headquarters by the 2027 ACTFL deadline. The final portfolio includes all of the items suggested at the state and regional level with the addition of the following REQUIRED items:
- Classroom Video (a brief, clear, and concise snapshot from a unit that must include the teacher and must show teacher interacting with students in the target language) that is a continuous, non-edited 20 minute segment of a lesson in the actual classroom setting that
- demonstrates the effective use of the target language both by the teacher and the students;
- demonstrates a variety of instructional strategies that enhance the effectiveness of the lesson;
- is filmed during the current academic year;
- is not professionally produced
- Reflection on Classroom Video (a brief snapshot from a unit) (up to 4 pages) that
- describes the learning goals and targets of the lesson;
- provides details about the activities and how these activities impacted student learning;
- provides evidence of interpretive, interpersonal and presentational elements in that unit;
- reflects on the effectiveness of the lesson, including the use of the target language in the video, as well as the next steps in the lesson.
- Response to Questions: Provide written reflections, not to exceed two (2) pages for each question (total 4 pages maximum, responding to these two questions:
- How do you engage and encourage students in language-related and culture-related activities beyond the classroom?
- How do the samples of student work and the content of the classroom video reflect the teacher’s personal statement on the value of learning languages and developing cultural competence for all learners?
- Professional involvement documentation examples, (including but not limited to certificates, newspaper articles, letters, links to videos,) (not to exceed 4 pages)
- demonstrates professional growth and involvement in professional organizations;
- provides evidence of a variety of leadership experiences, including advocacy.
- Reflection on Professional involvement documentation (not to exceed 3 pages) that
- describes and analyzes the significance and impact on you as a teacher;
- describes and analyzes the significance and impact on student learning and on language learning in your school and/or district or state.
Also included in the portfolio: (Located on ACTFL site)
- Nomination Cover Page (available on the ACTFL website at www.actfl.org completed by an officer of the regional language association.
- A one-page Contact Information Sheet containing names and addresses to notify the appropriate parties of the candidate’s selection (available on the ACTFL website at www.actfl.org.)
- A professional photograph in electronic format.
The online submitted portfolio is not to exceed 30 pages. The required forms and photograph are not included in the page count.
ACTFL reserves the right to copy and use any of the portfolio contents for promotion of the award or for professional development.