STAMP FAQ’s

Avant STAMP is used by anyone, including educators, employers, and government entities, who wish to understand the true language proficiency of students, employees and/or workers within the context of learning and/or their ability to perform job duties where more than one language is required or useful.

Avant STAMP is used to monitor progress, measure language learner growth, evaluate programs, and determine skill level. This model promotes informed decision-making around professional development, instructional planning, and employee duties and/or pay range.

Avant STAMP is used by both Immersion and FLES education programs across the nation to engage learners while determining their various language proficiencies and generating meaningful data that indicates how they would perform in the real world.

Avant STAMP is also used by students who wish to qualify for State and/or Global Seals of Biliteracy, or for credit by exam as allowed by their state and district.

You can see a full list of available languages on the STAMP page.

Avant’s online language proficiency tests must be taken in a proctored environment with a proctor who is authorized by the organization sponsoring the test.

Each response for a Writing section prompt can be up to 2500 characters long (400-600 words).

Each response for a Speaking section prompt can be up to three (3) minutes long.

If the test taker does not attempt a response to the prompt or only produces one target-language word, the response will be rated as a Zero and that will affect the overall score for that section.

We encourage test takers to do their best and to submit as much language as possible for each prompt so that they can receive an accurate score.

Please refer to the Reporting Guide to see the reasons for Not Ratable (NR) and Zero (0) scores.

If the test taker leaves the response blank, they will not be able to move to the next prompt and complete the section.

All data is accessed via results viewing codes, available at the following levels:

District/organization-wide – Allows access to Avant STAMP testing results for all testing groups within the organization (e.g. school district or university).

School/sub-organization-wide – Allows access to Avant STAMP testing results for all testing groups within the sub-organization (e.g. school or university department).

Class/Testing Group – Allows access to Avant STAMP testing results for all test takers associated with a specific testing group.

Reading and Listening scores are available as soon as the test taker completes each section. These are scored by the computer-adaptive engine. Be sure to refresh the page for updates.

Writing and Speaking scores are typically available from 7 to 10  business days after test completion. Scores may be available sooner, so check the test results screen periodically to determine the rating progress. Click on any score to see additional details or to access Writing and Speaking responses. During busy testing times (March-June), scoring may take longer. Please plan accordingly.

Reading and Listening sections:

Approximately 15 – 25% of the questions a test taker comes across will be refreshed on a yearly basis.

For languages with fewer test takers, this percentage will be closer to the lower range. Whereas, for major languages it will be closer to the upper range.

As part of the yearly refresh, the position of some questions in the test will change, to reduce the amount of exposure of those questions in the test for all test takers.

Statistical analysis of question and test characteristics will take place yearly, for every test, to ensure the consistently high reliability of the STAMP assessments. Given the real-time adaptive nature of the STAMP test (i.e. not fixed form), as test takers increase in proficiency year after year they will naturally come across different, more challenging questions within the assessment.

Writing and Speaking sections:

100% of all prompts in the test are refreshed every year.

Old prompts are retired and new ones are introduced into the test. This does not apply to the Sample Tests.

The refresh serves to reduce prompt exposure and ensure that test takers experience different tasks and scenarios each year, thus increasing engagement.

Please see our Assessment Technology Guide for overall system, equipment requirements, and browser capabilities.

All of Avant’s tests that include a Writing section will require test takers to provide typed written responses. The method for inputting the language response may differ, depending on the target language for the test.

Please see our Writing Guide for language-specific directions and activating online keyboards specific to the language you are testing. Handwritten writing responses may be an added option for a fee.

For pricing information or to make a purchase, please call our Account Manager team at:

Within the United States: (888) 731-7887
Outside the United States: +1 (541) 338-9090
or email our account manager team.

Contact your account representative or our account management team at:

(888) 731-7887 within the United States, or
+1 (541) 338-9090 from outside the United States,
or submit a Contact Request Form,
or email our account management team at sales@avantassessment.com

An account manager will work with you to prepare a package and pricing based on your needs as well as walk you through the process of purchase, set-up, and obtaining testing codes.

Avant has several resources that were designed to help prepare testing coordinators and test takers as well as guide them through the entire process.

A list of STAMP resource guides can be found here.

Yes! Our support specialists are available for immediate testing support and can be reached via email or phone.

Email Avant Support

Support Hours:
Mon-Fri 5:00am – 4:00pm
Pacific Time (UTC/GMT -8)

Support Phone:
Toll Free (US): (888) 713-7887
International: (541) 607-4401

Yes! Avant provides onsite or virtual professional development offerings to help educators integrate our assessment solutions into curriculum, learn how to interpret data for program evaluation and to improve learning outcomes through Avant M.O.R.E. Learning. Training for professionals on day-to-day, classroom-based assessment and how to apply the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines is available through Avant ADVANCE. Additionally, data analysis training is available through our Research and Development team.

Contact us if you are interested in any of these options:

Email our account management team

Phone: (888) 731-7887

STAMP 4S determines language proficiency in four skills (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) for ages 13 through adult.

For test takers in school/institution settings, STAMP 4S is typically for U.S. grades 7 through post-graduate.

Avant STAMP 4S is web-based and computer-adaptive. Test takers are given real-world texts and situations selected to be level-appropriate based on research surrounding the topics taught at each level.  The questions and prompts engage learners. Due to the adaptive nature of Avant STAMP 4S, test takers are able to demonstrate their actual proficiency level without any pre-set upper limits.

Avant STAMP 4S has been validated by field testing and expert panels. It is a secure test that requires a proctor during administration.

Avant STAMP for ASL is not timed. Test takers may pause and resume the assessment at any point.

On average, STAMP for ASL test takers need around 60 minutes to fully complete the assessment.

Receptive: 35-40 minutes
Expressive: 20-25 minutes

Receptive: approximately 30 multiple choice questions
Expressive: 3 prompts

Each response for an Expressive section prompt can be up to three (3) minutes long.

Receptive section scores are available as soon as the test taker completes the section. It is scored by the computer-adaptive engine. Be sure to refresh the page for updates.

Expressive section scores are available from 20 to 22 business days after test completion. Scores may be available sooner, so check the test results screen periodically to determine the rating progress. During busy testing times (March-June), scoring may take longer. Please plan accordingly.

Avant STAMP for ASL uses full motion video for both Receptive and Expressive skills, which requires a strong network connection and a current computer. A computer camera will be required for the signing-Expressive portion of the test.

Avant STAMP for ASL is currently compatible with only the Chrome browser (the latest version) on PCs, Macs and Chromebooks. Please see our Assessment Technology Guide for overall system, equipment requirements, and browser capabilities.

The Avant STAMP WS language test was developed to address the needs of language communities for rigorous, professionally scored, and affordable assessments. The Avant STAMP WS language proficiency test is a semi-adaptive test. Test takers will be asked to answer seven self-evaluation questions that best represent their skill/ability level in both the Reading and Listening sections. We use the self-evaluated reading score to determine the level of prompts we deliver for the writing prompts, and the self-evaluated listening score in the same way for the speaking prompts, thus making the productive sections more appropriately leveled for each test taker.

Avant STAMP WS requires a proctor during testing.

Avant STAMPe (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency) determines language proficiency in 4 domains (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking) for grades 2-6.

Avant STAMPe is web-based and computer-adaptive, with real-world questions on topics selected to be level-appropriate based on research into topics taught at each level.

The questions engage learners, and because STAMPe is adaptive, students are able to demonstrate their own actual proficiency level without any pre-set upper limits. Avant STAMPe was originally developed as the NOELLA test by a consortium of six state Foreign Language Supervisors, the Center for Applied Linguistics, and the Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon and funded by the US Department of Education.

Avant STAMPe has been validated by field testing and expert panels. It is a secure test that requires a proctor during administration.

The Avant PLACE language test is an initial measurement of real-world language ability in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Contextualized Grammar.

The test is used to inform appropriate placement of middle school, high school and college students into the right language courses. The Avant PLACE language test is online, does not need to be proctored, and can be taken by students prior to arriving at the place of instruction.

The Avant SHL Test is an online test designed to quickly and accurately place Spanish heritage students in grades 7 through University into Spanish heritage language courses. It highlights each test taker’s strengths and weaknesses in key academic language skills that are unique to Spanish heritage students. The Avant SHL Test measures vocabulary, grammar, verb use, spelling, speaking proficiency, and writing proficiency. The Avant SHL Test requires a proctor during testing.

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Bandwidth: 512kbps per concurrent user recommended (ex. 10 Mbps supports 20 concurrent users)

Domain accessibility: Do not block outbound requests (port 80/443) to:

• .avantassessment.com
• .twilio.com

Headphones with Microphone

Teacher/Proctor/Administrators may need access to color printer, scanner if administering the writing section as handwritten.

Avant ADVANCE is an online tool designed to give teachers the training they need to internalize the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines by learning level-specific features and criteria that define the different levels. Avant ADVANCE will help teachers score with higher accuracy, confidence and inter-rater reliability. Users will receive feedback instantly, can practice rating at their convenience, and can receive Professional Development Units (PDUs) for training.