A study examined dimensions of oral proficiency curriculum and testing (OP) in American colleges and universities for the purpose of appraising the implementability of educational policy derived from them. The framework used for this policy analysis looks at the system environment, demands and resources, the process that converts demands into public policy, the policies representing formal goals or intentions of foreign language educators and governance units, classroom implementation of OP, and outcomes. The report discusses each of the components listed above, based on available research and analyses, and presents the following suggestions: (1) successful implementation of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI)/American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)/Educational Testing Service (ETS) oral proficiency guidelines depends on a large number of variables, many of which are uncontrollable; (2) the political nature of higher education may not support rational choices or achievement of targeted policy outcomes; (3) OP advocates may overlook individual institutional characteristics and availability of resources; (4) there may be unrealistic student achievement expectations; (5) elite institutions are more likely to be successful in implementation; (6) campus innovations may confound the universal value of the proficiency score; and (7) OP claims will continue to be questioned. (MSE)