The Department of World Languages & Literatures at Western Connecticut State University adheres to national standards for foreign language learning determined by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) for language proficiency and cultural competency through the 5 C’s: Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, Connections, and Communities.

The ACTFL proficiency scale from 2012 established guidelines for language proficiency at the following levels:

·         Novice (Low, Mid, High)

·         Intermediate (Low, Mid, High)

·         Advanced (Low, Mid, High)

·         Superior

·         Distinguished

INTRODUCTORY LEVEL – FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

Students who complete the second semester of an introductory language sequence at WCSU achieve a minimum level of Novice Mid as defined by the ACTFL proficiency scale in the following courses or their equivalents: French 164, German 164, Italian 164, Portuguese 164, and Spanish 164. Students who complete the second semester of an introductory language sequence achieve a minimum level of Novice Low as defined by the ACTFL proficiency scale in oral and writing proficiency in the following courses or their equivalents: Arabic 102 and Chinese 164. Assessment at this level is conducted by faculty teaching the course in a final exam or project at the end of the semester.

MINOR IN SPANISH

Students who complete a minor in Spanish achieve a minimum level of Intermediate Mid as defined by the ACTFL proficiency scalein a total of 18 credits at the Intermediate Level (Spanish 196) or above. Spanish majors and minors are assessed annually for oral and writing proficiency as part of an internal program assessment through a final exam or project during at least one 200 level and one 300 level Spanish course on cultural and/or literary topics.

MAJOR IN SPANISH
(B.A. SPANISH, B.S. SPANISH-ELEM. ED., B.S. SPANISH-SECONDARY ED.)

Students who complete a major in Spanish (B.A. Spanish, B.S. Spanish-Elementary Ed., B.S. in Spanish-Secondary Ed.) achieve a minimum level of Advanced Low as defined by the ACTFL proficiency scale. Spanish majors and minors are assessed annually for oral and writing proficiency as part of an internal program assessment through a final exam or project during at least one 200 level and one 300 level Spanish course on cultural and/or literary topics.

 
B.S. SPANISH – SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATION

Students admitted to the professional semester for the B.S. in Spanish-Secondary Education achieve a minimum level of Advanced Low as defined by the ACTFL proficiency scale. In addition to assessment of cultural competency of students in final exams and projects in culture and literature courses, candidates for teacher certification demonstrate oral proficiency and writing proficiency through the following external assessments:

·         OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) Language Testing International

·         WPT (Writing Proficiency Interview) Language Testing International

MASTERS IN TEACHING-SPANISH

Prior to admittance into the Masters in Teaching-Spanish, candidates achieve a minimum level of Advanced Low as defined by the ACTFL proficiency scale. Candidates demonstrate cultural content knowledge, oral proficiency, and writing proficiency through the following external assessments:

·         OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) Language Testing International

·         WPT (Writing Proficiency Interview) Language Testing International

·         Praxis II-Spanish Content conducted by Educational Testing Service