--- Forwarded Message from [log in to unmask] (James Severance) ---
>Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 17:01:57 -0800
>To: [log in to unmask]
>From: [log in to unmask] (James Severance)
>Subject: language placement exams
Good evening listmembers,
Here at the University of San Francisco we have been taking a second look
at our system of placing students in language courses. First of all, we
have placement exams that are rather old (not necessarily a bad thing) and
generally test for writing comprehension (syntax/vocabulary). Still we
consistently have problems with placing students in the proper level. For
example, native Spanish speakers that were educated in English tend to
place lower than they should because their reading and writing skills may
be lacking but when participating in class, they are likely to intimidate
the other students whose speaking skills, conversely, are lacking.
Ideally, it would help if we tested all aspects (esp. oral communication)
but we're not sure if we have the resources right now for such a
personalized approached (esp. for Spanish). I'm sure that some of you may
have already gone through the difficult process of tailoring a program that
fits your needs and works for you. Below, I have included some questions
and would appreciate it if any of you could share your success stories with
us here. It is not necessary to answer all the questions; if you prefer to
write a short note on a particular topic that we failed to consider, that
would be fine, too. In fact, any help would be welcome. Also, if anyone
would like me to pass on to them any feedback I receive, please let me
know.
We are a small to medium-sized Jesuit university (4,500 undergrads). We
offer Spanish, German, French, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, Japanese and
Hebrew. Spanish is taught to 60% of the 450 students enrolled in language
courses during an average semester.
Thanks for your time and feedback,
James Severance
Language Learning Center
University of San Francisco
[log in to unmask]
___________________________________________________________________
Do you have a centralized placement exam system?
Who is responsible for testing? Departments? Individual faculty? Language
Center?
What technology/equipment do you use for the exams (VCR's, computers,
cassette decks, etc.)?
How often and when do you offer the exams?
- early registration (summer, registration, during semester)
- drop-ins
To what extent are the language professors involved in the testing process?
Are the professors happy/unsatisfied with the exams? Why?
What skills do you test for? What is the breakdown (more or less)
percentage-wise?
- oral
- listening
- reading
- writing comprehension (syntax/vocabulary)
How do you take into account the different varieties of a language (i.e.
the Spanish of different countries) in your exams?
What is the undergraduate language requirement at your university?
--semesters/quarters?
--units?
specific to...
- liberal arts majors
- science majors
- business majors
- nursing majors
- other
In what ways can the language requirement be waived?
Again, thanks for your contribution, big or small!
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