Foreign Language Placement and Assessment

The Kent State Foreign Language Placement Questionnaire and Placement Tests

All majors in the College of Arts and Sciences (and selected other majors at Kent State University) require proficiency in a foreign language. Foreign language requirements vary by academic program and by the catalog term under which you were admitted to Kent State. Check the Undergraduate Catalog (2011) (2010) (2009 or prior) or consult with your college advising office for more information on the language requirements pertaining to your program.

The foreign language placement questionnaire is available to all admitted Kent State Students through the Placement and Assessment Channel in the student tools tab in FlashLine.  Newly admitted students majoring in programs with a foreign language requirement should complete the foreign language placement questionnaire prior to their initial advising appointment even if they have not studied a foreign language before. Returning students who have not taken a language placement test but who wish to study a foreign language should also complete the placement questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is submitted, students will then be directed to an online foreign language placement test (WebCAPE - French, German, Russian or Spanish) or to appropriate faculty or staff for additional placement and advising  information for languages for which there is no online placement exam. Placement cutoff scores are advisory. All students should consult with an academic advisor or MCLS faculty prior to self-enrolling in their first language course at Kent State University. Questions about the placement questionnaire, placement tests and special approvals to register for language courses should be directed to Modern and Classical Language Studies at MCLS@kent.edu or 330-672-2150.

WebCAPE Placement Cutoff Scores and Recommendations (French, German and Spanish)

French 000-159 160-239 240-289 290-399 400 or higher	Placement Recommendation FR 13201 Elementary French I FR 13202 Elementary French II FR 23201 Intermediate French I FR 23202 Intermediate French II Consult with a French faculty advisor.	Students who place beyond FR 13202 should consider taking CLEP to earn academic credit for prior knowledge of French.
German 000-229 230-319 320-369 370-499 500 or higher	Placement Recommendation GER 11201 Elementary German I GER 11202 Elementary German II GER 21201 Intermediate German I GER 21202 Intermediate German II Consult with a German faculty advisor.	Students who place beyond GER 11202 should consider taking CLEP to earn academic credit for prior knowledge of German.
Spanish 000-159 160-219 220-269 270-399 400 or higher	Placement Recommendation SPAN 18201 Elementary Spanish I SPAN 18202 Elementary Spanish II SPAN 28201 Intermediate Spanish I SPAN 28202 Intermediate Spanish II Consult with a Spanish faculty advisor.	Students who place beyond SPAN 18202 should consider taking CLEP to earn academic credit for prior knowledge of Spanish.

 
WebCAPE Placement Cutoff Scores and Recommendations for Russian: Please consult with a Russian faculty advisor. 

 

Language Learned in the Home or in Stays Abroad

Language learned in stays abroad or in the home is a great benefit in communication, but is frequently not at the level of formal academic language study and does not guarantee success in college foreign language classes. Students with language learned this way often have difficulty with formal writing, spelling and punctuation conventions, etc. If you think your placement score or the recommended course level are incorrect, contact Modern and Classical Language Studies (330-672-2150) and meet with a language faculty advisor for correct placement.

College Credit or Waiver for Prior Foreign Language Study

Students who have taken a foreign language in school, studied in a non-English-speaking country, or learned a foreign language at home may be able to earn college credit for this prior foreign language study. There are five options:

• The College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Academic Testing Services administers computerized CLEP exams where students may earn academic credit for French, German, Russian and Spanish. These tests must be taken before enrolling in a college foreign language course. For more information, see www.kent.edu/career/testing/clep.cfm. Experience indicates that students scoring 300 or above on the KSU placement test are often successful in earning CLEP credit.

• CLEP EXAMS	SCORE CUT-OFF	CREDIT AS APPEARS ON KSU TRANSCRIPT	KSU CREDIT HOURS
  French Language, College Level (one exam for up to 14 hours)	50	French 13201, 13202 - CLEP	8
  	59	French 23201, 23202 - CLEP	6
  German Language, College Level (one exam for up to 14 hours)	50	German 11201, 11202 - CLEP	8
  	60	German 21201, 21202 - CLEP	6
  Spanish Language, College Level (one exam for up to 14 hours)	50	Spanish 18201, 18202 - CLEP	8
  	63	Spanish 28201, 28202 - CLEP	6

  
  
  
• Advanced Placement (AP). Kent State University awards college credit for Advanced Placement exams with scores of 3, 4, or 5. If you want this credit attached to your Kent transcript, contact the College Board. No credit can be posted until a student has enrolled as a Kent State University student. For more information, visit the Honors webpage at: http://www.kent.edu/honors/academicsandresearch/advanced-placement.cfm
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit. Kent State University awards college credit for most International Baccalaureate exams with scores of 5 or higher on the higher level examinations. No credit can be posted until a student has enrolled as a Kent State University student. For more information, visit the Honors webpage at: http://www.kent.edu/honors/academicsandresearch/international-baccalaureate.cfm
• Foreign Study Credit. Students whose education before university study was conducted primarily in a language other than English should provide documentation of this fact to the university, which will normally waive the requirement of foreign language study for such students.
• Credit by Examination may be possible for credit for some individual language classes.

 

American Sign Language Testing

ASL Testing is available as follows:

Kent Campus	Stark Campus
Saturday, May 12, 2012  Saturday, June 2, 2012 Saturday, July 28, 2012 Saturday, August 18, 2012 For test location and exact times, please contact Steve Vickery at svickery@kent.edu.	Second Friday in February Second Friday in March Second last Friday in August Second Friday in September Second Friday in October

For more information, including contact information and test content, consult the ASL Resources Page.
 

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