Many of the performance-based assessments required for teacher certification in French, Germa,n or Spanish will be met in the 319 and 320 methods courses and during student teaching. However, other assessments are addressed in the language major content courses. The following links will provide a list of the required assessments (which you will want to print and ask professors to sign as you complete each one), a description of each assessment and the rubric used for evaluation. Be sure to also print off the Content Portfolio Assessments Sign-off List as a checklist, to monitor your progress through the assessments.

Interpretive (Listening) Competence Assessment

The listening assessment in French, Spanish, and German is divided into three sections, which cover the different areas described in the Listening Assessment Rubric (doc). Students should read over all of the questions before beginning. Students should listen to the audio segment once, and then respond to the questions regarding the material covered. Once students have finished with the first, they should continue to the next segment of the assessment. At the end of the third section, students will be asked to write a brief essay in English on a topic related to the theme of the program. Among the skills students will be expected to demonstrate in this assessment are: an ability to describe, summarize, and interpret an oral message. Students will be expected to answer several questions regarding the content as well as to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words, interpret the narrator’s intention, or offer an interpretation of the message.

The listening assessment test will be given once each semester in the LAN Computer Lab in STV 231A. You will be notified of the date and time each semester via the LAN Teacher Ed listserv. We recommend that you take this test during the semester prior to student teaching.

Oral Presentational Competence Assessment

The oral presentation competence assesment evaluates a student's speaking ability using the Oral Presentational Competence Assessment Rubric (doc). Students choose from one of the following assessments:

Read a set of news from different foreign language newspapers
Read a literary/cultural text
Research a cultural topic

Students then must give a 10 minute oral presentation that includes:

A synthesis of main events/ideas supported by relevant details using descriptive and narrative strategies
An interpretation of these ideas from a cultural perspective and/or director/character’s intentions (for the literary text)
Analysis of the cultural practices and/or beliefs present or inferred from the news or text(s)

This assessment can take place in any of the following classes:

LAN 233.15, 243.15, 244.15, any 300.15 course (Spanish)
LAN 214.12, 305.12, any 300.12 course (French)
LAN 217.13, 218.13, 222.13, any 300.13 course (German)

Linguistics Assessment

The Linguistics Assessment Test will be given once each semester in the LAN Computer Lab in STV 231A. You will be notified of the date and time each semester via the LAN Teacher Ed listserv. We recommend that you take this test during the semester prior to student teaching. Spanish Teacher Education majors may be able to complete the linguistics requirements in the Spanish 215.15 course. Students in Spanish who receive credit for 215.15 at another university or during a study abroad program will need to take the Linguistics Assessment Test described above. A detailed explanation of the requirements can be found on the Linguistics Assessment Rubric (doc).

Additional performance-based assessments will be explained and covered in the LAN 319.11 and 320.11 methods courses and during student teaching.

Literary and/or Cultural Research Paper

The literary and/or cultural research paper demonstrates the student's ability to interpret a literary and/or cultural text on a number of levels beyond the literal comprehension of the text, analyze it from a number of perspectives, and give a detailed personal interpretation of the text supported by a rich range of cultural knowledge. A detailed explanation of the requirements can be found on the Literary and/or Cultural Paper Rubric (doc).