Department of Foreign Languages

General Information for Foreign Language Majors

• The exit exam is required for each foreign language major, but a satisfactory evaluation is not a requirement for graduation.
  
• Only majors will take the exit exam. If the student passes he/she will earn a seal of distinction on the diploma. If the student does not pass, he/she will still graduate.
  
• An Assessment Committee of two or three members in each language group will conduct and assess each exit exam.
  
• The exit exam will consist of an interview, a portfolio, and an on-site writing sample.
  
• The student will take the exam during the last semester (excluding summer) of the senior year. The second Monday of March or October, he or she will submit the portfolio to the Assessment Committee in his or her language group and will prepare and submit the on-site writing sample. The student will complete the interview two weeks later.
  
• Students must receive a satisfactory evaluation on all parts of the exit exam: interview, portfolio and on-site writing sample,  in order to receive the seal of distinction on the diploma.
  
• Five school days after completing the interview, the Department will send written notification of the Assessment Committee’s evaluation of the interview, the portfolio and the on-site writing sample.
  

Portfolio

The student’s portfolio should consist of one three-ring binder with each section of the portfolio separated by dividers. The student, in consultation with the advisor, will select the material for the portfolio. It should include sample work from each 3000- and 4000-level class. All materials should be organized in a neat and professional manner.  

Required Materials A table of contents page A statement from the student (minimum of two pages in English) detailing his/her philosophy of language learning, what he/she learned from his/her classes, study abroad experiences, interactions with international students, etc. Students may also want to describe any challenges they overcame related to learning another language and/or experiencing another culture. After consultation with the advisor, the student should include a sample of work for each upper-level class: projects, research papers, tests, compositions, summaries, essays, skits and homework assignments. Students who do not have sample work from a class, need to write a narrative (500 words in the target language) about the course content and what they learned in that class.

Optional Materials Creative work may also be included in the portfolio. Examples may include student poetry, short stories, artwork, collages, photos, etc. that pertain to the student’s language learning experience. Students may include any services they provided such as: Oratorical Contest High School German Convention Latino Outreach Program National French Week Conversation groups Tutorials ArtsFest Language Club Fundraisers Students may list membership(s) in language honor societies and also awards received.

 

Writing Sample

• Students will complete the writing sample in the Language Laboratory at a scheduled time.
• Students will write about two themes.
• Students will have ninety minutes to complete the essays.
• A student must score at the advanced low level based on the ACTFL “Proficiency Guidelines-Writing” in order to receive a satisfactory evaluation of the on-site writing sample portion of the exit exam.
  

Oral Interview

Each student will complete an oral interview with one professor which will be tape recorded to be evaluated by the exit exam committee at a later date. No evaluation is done during the interview.

The oral interview will consist of the following three components:

• Basic dialogue.
• Description of a picture.
• Narrating a series of images that tell a story.
  

ATTENTION STUDENTS!

Please see the following ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines:

ACTFL Writing Guidelines
ACTFL Speaking Guidelines