--- Forwarded Message from "Dennis D. Magnuson" <[log in to unmask]> ---
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2005 18:56:22 -0600
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
>From: "Dennis D. Magnuson" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7807 placement test Placing incoming students
LLTI Colleagues and others interested in Language Placement,
Like many other institutions, Luther College for many years faced
this problem of false beginners--we used to call them
"sand-baggers--who filled up our lower level courses, especially the
beginning level. The problem, as we ultimately discovered, was that
we merely stated that a student had to take ANY number of credits in
a second language, regardless of where they started.
As a result, we too had "non-language types" just taking the 101/102
steps (maybe adding 201 or 202). The consequences were that we would
have, say for Spanish, 7 sections of 101, 4-5 of 102, and 2 or 3 of
Sp 201.
Several years ago we made some curricular changes and got faculty
support for a minimum second language requirement that stated the 3
semester course was needed for anyone who had studied at least one
year of that same language in high school. In effect, it provided an
incentive for those students to complete their requirement with only
one course--but at the third semester level. BTW, for those who wish
to take a new language, i.e., not continue with one that they had
studied in high school, the requirement is still 101 and 102. That
allows for students to try languages that they might not have had in
high school (think Norwegian at Luther College!, though it could be
Italian, Russian, Hebrew, or a couple of others).
The result: we now have more or less flip-flopped our enrolments.
This past fall we had 3 sections of 101, 4 of 102, and 6 of 201 (we
have had as high as 7 of 201).
Although we have not totally deterred the false beginners, we feel
that we have made great strides toward a more normal pattern based on
entering high school backgrounds.
I have often thought that we might even add another item and state
that only those taking 201 or 202 would be considered for graduation
or departmental honors, though the politics in that kind of thinking
are not for the faint of heart.
In any event, to just state A MINIMUM will get just that. Set the
bar "a bit" higher, and it just may give the kind of results that we
have experienced.
For those with a full two year language requirement (or higher), I
presume they may have even fewer problems than we used to. I look
forward to reading how others have dealt with this problem of the
false beginner.
Dennis D. Magnuson
Assoc. Prof. of Spanish
Luther College
Decorah, IA 52101
(319) 387-2160
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Responding to Placement Test Query:
> >Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:00:26 -0500
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>From: Hiroyo Saito <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: placement test
>Haverford, PA 19041 [v011]
>Hello,
>
>The Spanish department asked me to post this message.
>
>"The department of Spanish is contemplating the possibility of
>changing our placement procedure for next year. We would like to know
>if other language departments at other institutions have specific
>policies related to the selection of students at the beginning level.
>Do, for instance, some of these universities require a minimum score
>at the placement test for students who have already been exposed to
>the language at the high school level?"
>
>The Spanish department has been placing students who have taken
>Spanish in high school but who do not get a minimum score for the
>intermediate class in the placement test into the beginner's level
>along with students who have never taken Spanish before.
>The number of students in the beginner's level has been increasing
>and they do not have enough staff members to create a new class for
>false beginners. They do not want to set a minimum score for the
>beginner's level because they do not want to close to the door to the
>students who have never taken Spanish before. They would like to
>accept the true beginners, but they would like to limit the number of
>false beginners somehow. They are seeking ideas which allow them to
>do this.
>If you have any experience in similar situations, please let me know.
>I would appreciate your inputs.
>Thank you.
>Hiroyo
>
>--
>***********************************
>Hiroyo Saito
>Director of Language Learning Center
>Haverford College
>370 Lancaster Avenue
>Haverford, PA 19041
>(610)896-4971
>[log in to unmask]
>http://www.haverford.edu/llc
>************************************
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