This publication is a guide to assessing the competence of prospective foreign language teachers with respect to their subject area in California. The guide was developed as part of a state-wide response to legislated entry and exit standards for teachers in elementary and secondary schools. A preface stresses the importance of quality education in the foreign languages and the role of assessment of prospective teachers in that effort, and section 1, an introduction, describes the regulations and Executive Orders that are the basis for the guide. The second section covers unity of purpose among the diversity of programs, subject matter competency assessment, and assessment process and design. The next section establishes two categories of competencies--first, generic competencies which are fundamental to all disciplines and, second, specific foreign language competencies which include language proficiency, knowledge of culture and society, language analysis, and command of spoken English. The fourth section discusses general guidelines and instruments of assessment including classroom observation, interviews, portfolios, testing, capstone courses, academic transcripts and letters of recommendation. The final section treats recommendations related to resource and administrative issues. Appended are three model assessment formats. (JB)