By Andrea Genovese Soares (May 22, 2003)

For the first time, a foreign language benchmark assessment will be administered to every student who takes French, Spanish, or American Sign Language in grades 5 through 12, which totals about 400 students. According to Madame Johnsen, head of the foreign language department, "this will be to establish a baseline, and we’ll probably be perfecting the benchmark over several years to come." 
 

This test is composed of an oral and a written component, which will be taken during blocks designated for SOL testing, with some minor exceptions. The oral, which will be two to three minutes in length, will be derived from a visual prompt, while the writing section will be on a general topic that is appropriate to a given level of language study. "The tests are basically designed to let kids show what they can do. It’s not something that is difficult, " said Johnsen. Each part, the oral and the written, will count for its respective portion of the student’s final exam.

Rabita Aziz tapes her 3-minute oral component of the benchmark test.  (Photo by Mery Keneshiro)

The tests are designed to provide feedback on student performance in order to assess the foreign language department’s program. According to Johnsen, the tests will tell "how well we are meeting the goals that we want to meet." They will also aid the department in assisting students in their transitions and placement. For example, Spanish is now being taught in second through fifth grades and the middle school will have to accommodate these students as they enter the sixth grade with four years of Spanish. Johnsen added, "A few years down the road, we are going to have kids coming into the high school with seven years of Spanish." The tests will also provide information for the students. They will receive feedback. Proficiency is assessed according to national standards developed by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) in the 1980s. These proficiency standards were modeled on those used by the Foreign Service and adapted for use in schools. 

Johnsen recently attended a national conference where she saw a presentation about the Pittsburg City Schools. "They have actually spent three years developing their benchmark test and it’s all done on a computer. You can take a whole class in, put on headphones, and then you see the pictures on the screen. Then the students just talk into the microphone. It’s recorded on a computer. We are just dealing with tapes right now, but it’s a start," said Johnsen.