The oral interview (OI) was developed to meet the need for a testing procedure of second language speaking skills. It has been refined and expanded several times since first developed in the 1950's for use by the U.S. Government. Now known as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Educational Testing Services (ACTFL/ETS) scale, or "academic scale," the oral interview assessment method has demonstrated a high degree of validity and reliability as a testing method. It has been used in training workshops for oral proficiency testing of high school and postsecondary second language students since 1981. There are eleven specified ranges of proficiency in functional language use, from 0 (no practical ability to function in the language) to 5 (ability equivalent to well-educated native speakers). A list of resources for tester training workshops and references are provided. (JW)