Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) have gained traction in many districts as a way to assess language performance. They sound appealing in theory: assess all three modes of communication through a real-world task, wrap it in authentic context, and align it to ACTFL proficiency levels. In theory, it’s a complete package.
But at The Comprehensible Classroom, we don’t use IPAs. Not in our Vamos Curriculum, not in Somos, and not in any of our programs.
Here’s why, plain and simple.
IPAs Take Too Much and Give Too Little
The most glaring issue is time.
IPAs are incredibly time-consuming to create, administer, and grade. Even a well-designed IPA can take multiple class periods to complete. That means days of instruction lost; not just once, but every time you assess. And for what? A snapshot of performance that may or may not even reflect a student’s true ability, especially if they had an off day or an uncooperative partner.
In classrooms where instructional time is already limited, IPAs are a drain on what matters most: language acquisition.
If the goal is proficiency—and it should be—then we need to ask:
How much instructional time is used to administer this assessment? And related, are our assessments helping students get better at using the language, or just taking time away from it?
Novice Learners Aren’t Ready for This
Another fundamental problem? IPAs assume students can perform tasks they’re not developmentally ready for.
Novice learners, by ACTFL’s own definition, are not capable of spontaneous, two-way interpersonal communication. Their vocabulary is limited. Their control of language is emerging. And their confidence is fragile.
Putting Novice students into a structured “interpersonal” assessment (especially with another Novice partner) isn’t just unrealistic. It’s unfair. And worse, it can be discouraging.
The “presentational” mode doesn’t fare much better. When students are just beginning to piece together language, asking them to create a polished product from scratch is like asking someone who just learned to crawl to run a 5K. It’s not setting them up for success!
Authentic Doesn’t Have to Mean Exhausting
Let’s talk about the word “authentic.” Advocates of IPAs often claim that they mimic real-life communication. But real-life communication isn’t divided neatly into three modes and presented in timed blocks.
In real life, you don’t have to write an essay after every conversation or analyze a flyer before answering a scripted set of questions.
At The Comprehensible Classroom, we believe in authentic communication, not artificial performance tasks. Our assessments are short, focused, and meaningful. They give teachers clear data about what students can understand and say without burning large blocks of time and energy on activities and assessments that don’t build language proficiency.
Let’s Not Pretend IPAs Are Easy on Teachers
Grading IPAs is a nightmare.
Multiple elements. Individualized scoring. Interpersonal conversations to evaluate. Presentations to watch and rewatch. Piles of paperwork for a handful of gradebook entries.
And for what? When you're already planning lessons, managing behavior, adapting materials for diverse learners, and trying to maintain a shred of work-life balance, grading an IPA isn't just hard… it's unsustainable.
Our performance assessments are fast to grade. They're embedded in instruction. And they give teachers what they actually need: clear evidence of student growth, tied to realistic expectations.
There Are Better Ways to Assess
So, what do we do instead?
We use short, embedded performance assessments that target individual modes of communication, one at a time. We assess frequently, efficiently, and in ways that feel low stress to students. We value time spent making progress over time spent measuring progress. And we keep our focus where it belongs: on helping students build real, lasting proficiency.
Discussing IPAs as “good” or “bad” creates a false dichotomy without solutions, so that’s not the point of this post. Instead, we do believe that they are poorly suited to the realities of most classrooms, especially classrooms filled with Novice learners who need time, confidence, and meaningful input to grow.
In Case You’re Wondering…
We don’t have sample IPAs to show you because, well, we don’t use them! That said, if your district is committed to that model, we can show you how to adapt Vamos units to fit an IPA format. (We just wouldn’t recommend it.)
Want to learn more about how our curriculum supports real-world communication without the baggage of IPAs? We’re always happy to talk. Email us at [email protected].
