This digest focuses on the American Council on the Speaking of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Speaking Proficiency Guidelines. The history and development of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (originally, the ACTFL Provisional Proficiency Guidelines) are reviewed, the generic characteristics of each level of the speaking guidelines are presented in detail, and the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), a face-to-face speaking test, is described. Additional information is provided on how to learn more about the ACTFL Guidelines and the OPI, and a 12-item bibliography is included. (VWL)