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Home / Academics / Academic Divisions / Literature & Languages / World Languages / Resources
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| Resources |
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| World Languages courses are typically offered in the following sequence: |
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180 (first semester) and 185 (second semester) courses are considered elementary |
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280 (third semester) and 285 (fourth semester) courses are considered intermediate | |
| If you have no previous (academic and/or personal) experience with a language that you wish to study, 180 is the appropriate course for you. |
| If you have previously studied or have significant personal experience with a language, and are unsure about the level in which you should enroll, follow the guidelines below to help you determine the appropriate level for you. |
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Previous Academic Experience. In general, two years of high school language study may be considered the equivalent of one semester of college-level language study. Thus, if you've completed two years of high school language study with a satisfactory grade, you should bypass 180 and enroll directly in a second semester (185) course. If you've completed four years of high school language study with a satisfactory grade, 280 would be a more appropriate choice for you. |
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Note that the correspondence between high school and college-level study outlined above does not work in all cases. Circumstances such as the level of the high school language program, the level of your performance in those classes, and the length of time that has passed since you took those courses need to be taken into consideration. For example, a student with two years of language experience from a high school with an extremely strong Foreign Language program may find him/herself at the same level as a student with three or four years of language experience from a high school with an average Foreign Language program. In the same way, a student who took four years of language five years ago will likely not be as prepared as one who just completed her/his high school studies. If you're in one of these (or similar) situations, you'll want to use one or more of the stategies outlined below to help you determine your level. |
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Previous Personal Experience. Students who have significant personal experience with a language include those who grew up in a household in which that language is spoken, and those who have lived for an extended period of time in a region in which that language is spoken. If you lived and attended school in a country other than the United States during part or most of your childhood, and you hope to enroll in a course in the language used in that country, be sure to let your counselor and/or instructor know: you may not be eligible to earn credit for certain courses, depending on the extent of your academic experience in that country. |
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If you have only non-academic experience (i.e., via family or travels) with the language that you hope to study, the most appropriate course for you is probably a course for heritage speakers. Currently, OCC offers one such course: Spanish 260, or Spanish for Fluent Speakers. If you are unable to enroll in this course, use the guidelines below to help you determine the most appropriate level in which to enroll. | |
| Below are three specific strategies that you can use to help you determine the course that is most appropriate for you. |
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Explore the course content in advance. Before enrolling in a course, take a look at the textbook used in that class (click here for a complete list of textbooks used in OCC World Languages courses-- all are availabe at the campus bookstore, and some are on reserve at the campus library). If possible, contact an OCC instructor in advance to find out what chapters of a particular book are covered in each level of a language. Typically, a textbook is used over two semesters; for example, Spanish 180 covers Dos mundos Introductory Chapter A through Chapter 5; and Spanish 185 covers Chapter 6 through Chapter 11. If you're unable to contact an instructor, but know how many semesters the textbook is used, you can get a rough idea by dividing the textbook in half, or thirds, or whatever is appropriate. |
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When examining the textbook, you'll want to focus on two areas: the grammar and the vocabulary. Often, there are specific sections in a textbook where the grammatical structures are presented; and, frequently, vocabulary is organized into lists that appear in each chapter. As you scan the grammatical explanations and vocabulary lists, try to ascertain how comfortable you are with the material that you're examining. If the material is familiar to you, you'll certainly want to enroll in a higher level. This may or may not be the next level in the sequence: do the same exploration with the content covered in that course. If you still feel relatively comfortable with the material, explore the next level (probably, this will mean looking at a different textbook). When you get to the point where you find that you are unfamiliar with the majority of the material that you're examining, you've probably found the level at which you should enroll. |
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Take an online assessment test. OCC currently offeres online assessment tests in three languages: French, German and Spanish. Click here for detailed, step-by-step instructions on taking the exam. Otherwise, click here to go directly to the log-in page, and follow the abbreviated instructions that follow: |
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When prompted for a password, enter "pirates1" (the word pirates with the number 1, all as one word and without quotes), and click on the "Login" button. |
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Choose the appropriate language from the drop-down menu, and click on the "Begin" button. |
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Complete the required fields (include your OCC student ID number, of you have one) as well as the brief survey that follows about your past experiences with the language. When you finish, click on the "Continue" button at the bottom, and begin the test. |
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You will see one question at a time, with instructions on how to answer it at the top. Read the instructions carefully for each question. Note that the amount of questions that you will have to answer is variable, as the program adapts to your responses (click here to learn more about how the test works). |
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After you answer the last question, you'll see a page that includes information such as your name, the length of time that it took for you to complete the exam, and, most importantly, your score (see examples below of three score summaries). As mentioned above, first semester (sem1) is 180; second semester (sem2) is 185; third semester is 280; and fourth semester is 285. According to the results, Student 1 below should definitely enroll in German 180. Student 2 should enroll in Spanish 180-- although s/he is pretty close to the cut-off of 281, and might consider trying out 185 for more of a challenge. Student 2 should enroll in French 285. |
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| Student 1 |
Student 2 |
Student 3 | |
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You will not receive your results by e-mail (as in previous versions of this test), but can always return to the site, log in, choose the appropriate language, and then follow the instructions to view your previous results. Instructors at OCC have access to your exam results. as well. |
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Consult with your counselor and/or instructor. If, after reading the guidelines above, examining the textbooks, and taking the online test (if it's available in the language that you wish to study), you're still unsure about what level is most appropriate for you, you may wish to consult with your counselor and/or instructor (if you haven't already done so). The more information that you can bring to them, the better they'll be able to help you find the best class for you. Click here for the Counseling Center; click here for World Languages instructors contact information. | |
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In summary, the following general guidelines may help you determine the appropriate level for you, but you should also consider your particular circumstances; and, don't hesitate to consult with a counselor or instructor. If you find yourself "on the border" between two courses, where one seems very easy, but the next seems quite challenging, you'll need to consider your current life situation. Remember that all World Language courses are worth 4 or 5 units; they require a lot of work. If you're taking four other classes and working 20 hours a week at a job, you may not be able to put in the time necessary to successfully complete any 4 or 5-unit course, much less one that's especially challenging. On the other hand, in general, it's probably a better idea and more rewarding to go with a course that is challenging than one that is very easy. If you do choose to enroll in a more challenging course and find that the material is a bit difficult, you can look into strategies such as those outlined on the Getting Started and Getting Help page of the World Languages website.
General Guidelines for Placement
180
- No experience in the language (true beginner)
- Less than two years of high school study in the language
- Less than 281 on the WebCAPE placement test (for French, German, Spanish)
185
- Two years of high school study in the language
- 281-346 on the WebCAPE placement test (for French, German, Spanish)
280
- Three to four years of high school study in the language
- 346-403 on the WebCAPE placement test (for French, German, Spanish)
285
- Four to five years of high school study in the language
- Greater than 403 on the WebCAPE placement test (for French, German, Spanish) |
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