Foreign Languages and Literature

Foreign Language Proficiency Exam and State Seal of Biliteracy Policy

Biliteracy Policy

• Proficiency exams may be taken in French, German, and Spanish in the Foreign Languages Teaching Center, Peck Hall Room 2310.
• Proficiency exams can only be taken by students who have been accepted to SIUE. Students must have their SIUE email, password, and 800# to take the test.
• Students who have taken one or more years of a foreign language in high school are strongly encouraged to take the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam before enrolling in a foreign language course at SIUE.
• Up to 16 hours of foreign language credit can be earned based on your test score. This credit will be added to your transcript.
• Proficiency exams are computerized and take between 20-40 minutes to complete, but they are not timed. Results are available immediately.
• Proficiency exams can be taken anytime the Foreign Language Teaching Center is open, an appointment is not necessary. Please check the hours of the FLTC and arrive at least one hour before closing.
• Proficiency exams may only be taken once. There is no charge for the proficiency exam. 

Students who have taken one year or more of a foreign language in high school or have other previous foreign language experience are strongly encouraged to take the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam in the Foreign Languages Teaching Center (FLTC) located in Peck Hall Room 2310. There is no charge to take this exam. Students should take the proficiency exam prior to enrolling in a foreign language course. For those students who are already enrolled, they have up to two weeks at the beginning of the semester to take this exam and may then enroll in an appropriate language course based on their proficiency exam scores.

Depending on the student’s Foreign Language Proficiency Exam score, they can earn up to two complete years (16 credit hours) of a foreign language at SIUE. The grade will be an A or a B with 4 credit hours earned for the successful completion of a semester “unit.” If students obtain a grade of B on the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam, they have the option of taking the class with the objective of obtaining a higher grade. The exam is computerized and will take approximately 20-40 minutes to complete, but there is no time limit to finish. These language exams are not based on any course or textbook, therefore students should review grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and other structures of the target language. If students believe their experience with the proficiency exam is not an accurate assessment of their language abilities, they are encouraged to talk to the department chair or language section faculty to further assess appropriate level of instruction.

Please note that students may take the exam only once. If a student is currently enrolled in a course in which he/she gains proficiency credit, the student must officially drop this course. It is not the responsibility of the Foreign Languages Department to drop a student from a course in which he/she has gained proficiency credit. This action is solely the student’s responsibility. Not doing so may result in an unauthorized withdrawal on their transcript.

101-202 Courses — Students who place above 101,102, 201, or 202 get credits (maximum of 16) for these courses free of charge. They do not have to register for the course(s). The credit and letter grade(s) are entered into their transcripts immediately after the proficiency exam. These are called “out-of-class proficiencies,” and the grade that goes into the student’s transcript is the grade he/she earned in the proficiency exam. Students will only pass the proficiency exam if they earn A or B. Anything lower than a B (i.e., C, D, or F) will not register as a passing grade.

PLEASE NOTE: 

CLEP scores are accepted with the following articulations:

score of at least 55  = 8 credits, earns a grade of C or better for SPAN 101,102 or FR 101, 102 or GER 101,102

score of at least 65 = 12 credits, earns a grade of C or better for SPAN 101, 102, 201 or FR 101,102, 201 or GER 101, 102, 201

 AP credit is accepted as transfer credit with the following equivalencies for French and German:

AP score of 3 = 4 hours of 101

AP score of 4 = 8 hours of 101 and 102

AP score of 5 = 16 hours of 101, 102, 201 and 202

AP credot os accepted as transfer credit with the following equivalencies for Spanish:

Spanish Language

AP score of 3 = 16 hours of SPAN 101, 102, 201 and 202

AP score of 4 = 20 hours of SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202 and 301

AP score of 5 = 23 hours of SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202, 301 and 303

Spanish Literature and Culture

AP score of 3 = 20 hours of SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202 and 301

AP score of 4 = 24 hours (beginning Fall 2019, 23 hours) of SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202, 301 and 302

AP score of 5 = 24 hours (beginning Fall 2019, 23 hours) of SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202, 301 and 302

1. A proficiency examination for a specific course may not be taken more than once. In addition, students are not allowed to take proficiency examinations in a course for which a grade has been earned.
2. Credit for advanced (300 and 400 level) courses is processed as in-class proficiencies.
3. The only advanced course into which students may be placed through placement / proficiency examination is 301.
4. Exceptions with regard to course proficiency at the intermediate and advanced levels may be made with the consent of the Chair, upon instructor’s recommendation. Proficiencies for all advanced courses are awarded as in-class proficiency.
5. The Foreign Language Proficiency Exam in French, German, and Spanish is a computer-based test. For the other languages offered in the department students take a written exam— usually the final exam — in the desired course, with the permission of the designated instructor who teaches or oversees the course.

State Seal of Biliteracy Policy

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville accepts the State Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent to 101-102 in language courses offered at the university, namely eight (8) credit hours. When the seal is granted in a language not offered at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, eight (8) credit hours in a lower division foreign language course (FL 101-102) will be awarded. In all cases, students must request course credit for their seal within three academic years after graduating from high school. To request course credit for the State Seal of Biliteracy, please contact the Transfer Center.

Olga Bezhanova, Chair and Professor of Spanish

Department of Foreign Languages and Literature

Secretary: 618-650-3510

Fax: 618-650-3509

E-mail: obezhan@siue.edu