Second Language Literacy
We define Second Language Literacy as the ability to read, write, listen, and speak a language that is not your native language.
What We Expect Our Students to Learn
Students will demonstrate reading comprehension of a short text in the target language.
Sample: Who are we looking at?
All students enrolled in a 200-level foreign language course are required to take the final exam.
Measure: How are we rating their performance?
On the final exam, students will read passages in the foreign language and respond to short-answer questions in English.
Target: What score did we expect?
70% of students will score 70% (or above) on reading comprehension.
Findings: What score did our students earn?
2019
- Spanish: 86% of students scored 70% or higher.
We plan to increase the difficulty of reading comprehension questions on the exam. - French: 90% of students scored 70% or higher.
We will continue to develop reading activities that promote string proficiency in reading comprehension. - German: 43% of students scored 70% or higher.
We will devote more class time, homework and assignments to reading comprehension strategies.
Students can compose a passage in the target language that a sympathetic native speaker could understand.
Sample: Who are we looking at?
All students enrolled in a 200-level foreign language course are required to take the final exam.
Measure: How are we rating their performance?
On the final exam, students will write a short passage in the target language.
Target: What score did we expect?
70% of students will score 70% (or above) on reading comprehension.
Findings: What score did our students earn?
2019
- Spanish: 88% or students scored 70% or higher.
We will continue focusing on writing skills with in-class assignments, homework and exams. - French: 74% of students scored 70% or higher.
We will develop more peer review writing activities to help improve students' confidence in writing. - German: 92% or students scored 70% or higher.
We will encourage more in-class writing assignments to help students rely less on translation tools.
Students can answer questions on listening stimuli at the intermediate-low level on the ACTFL scale.
Sample: Who are we looking at?
All students enrolled in a 200-level foreign language course are required to take the final exam.
Measure: How are we rating their performance
On the final exam, students will answer 10 multiple-choice questions in the target language, based on material learned in two listening passages at the intermediate-low level.
Target: What score did we expect?
70% of students will score 70% (or above) on listening competency.
Findings: What score did our students earn?
2019
- Spanish: 97% of students scored 70% or higher.
We modified the final exam to increase difficulty of listening sections. - French: 80% of students scored 70% or higher.
We will continue assigning a variety of listening activities and conduct classes solely in French language. - German: 70% of students scored 70% or higher.
We will continue assigning listening activities through in-class activities and homework.
Students can demonstrate the ability to accurately translate into English a Latin passage at the intermediate-mid level on the scale of the National Standards for Classical Language Learning.
Sample: Who are we looking at?
All students enrolled in a 200-level Latin course are required to take the final exam.
Measure: How are we rating their performance
On the final exam, students will translate a Latin passage at the intermediate-mid level into correct English.
Target: What score did we expect?
70% of students will score at the intermediate-mid level (or above) on translation ability.
Findings: What score did our students earn?
2019
- Latin: 73% of students scored 70% or higher.
Continue using the newly adopted textbook for lower-level Latin classes, which helps with translation.