Competency-based language teaching (CBLT) is an approach to language instruction that focuses on developing students' practical skills and abilities. CBLT originated in the United States in the 1970s as an application of competency-based education. It is based on theories of functional and interactional language perspectives, and emphasizes the development of communicative competence through systematic, modularized instruction centered around real-world tasks. Students' progress is assessed through ongoing demonstrations of their mastery of specified competencies and subcompetencies.