The purpose of conducting this study was to identify differences between teachers using a communicative approach, as defined by the effective teaching guidelines published by the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Language (NADSFL), and teachers using a noncommunicative approach. The procedures of the study also provided a description of foreign language programs in 300 exemplary middle schools in the United States, measured the extent to which current instruction in these programs matched the NADSFL guidelines, and identified possible factors influencing the use of a communicative approach.