Second Language Proficiency Exams
Who takes this test?
Students who have completed two years of coursework (or one year of accelerated coursework) in Chinese (Simplified), French, Italian, Latin, or Spanish before the end of grade eight may be eligible to take the Second Language Proficiency (SLP) exam to earn two high school credits. Your child’s school can tell you whether they offer the test and whether your child can take it.
When is this test given?
SLP administration is given in the spring semester of the school year.
What is on the test?
The SLP tests students’ proficiency at Checkpoint A of the NY State Education Department’s learning standards for Languages Other Than English (LOTE). On the SLP, students are required to:
- Have conversations in the language being tested
- Listen to the test administrator speak in the language being tested and answer multiple-choice questions
- Read a text in the language being tested (for example, a menu or map) and answer multiple-choice questions
- Write two essays in the language being tested
How is the test scored?
Teachers use rubrics to score the Speaking and Writing sections of the exam. The Listening and Reading sections of the exam are multiple choice, and they are scanned and machine-scored. The final score is the sum of points earned on all four sections, and students pass the exam with a score of 65 or more out of 100.
How are the results reported?
The results of the SLP exam are reported on a student’s transcript.
How are the results used?
The NY State Education Department requires that students earn at least two high school credits in World Language to graduate with a Regents or local diploma. Students who complete the required coursework and earn a passing grade on the SLP earn two high school credits and fulfill the World Language graduation requirement.
World Language Comprehensive Exams (Formerly “LOTE”)
In 2021, The New York State Education Department Board of Regents replaced the term “Languages other than English (LOTE)” with “World Languages” in reference to learning standards, assessments, and course credit. The LOTE exam is now called the “World Language Comprehensive Exam”.
Who takes this test?
Students who have completed three years of high-school-level coursework in World Languages may be eligible to take the World Language Comprehensive exam for the following languages: Albanian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Latin, Punjabi, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Your child’s school can tell you whether your child can take the exam.
For American Sign Language (ASL), Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, students who show interest in taking a World Language Exam in any of these languages do not need class credits to take the exam. Let your school know if your child is interested in taking one of these exams.
When is this test given?
World Language Comprehensive exam administration is during the spring semester of the school year.
What is on the test?
The World Language Comprehensive exam assesses students’ proficiency at Checkpoint B of the NY State Education Department’s learning standards for Languages Other Than English. On the World Language Comprehensive exam, students are required to:
- Have conversations in the language being tested
- Listen to the test administrator speak in the language being tested and answer multiple-choice questions
- Read a text in the language being tested (for example, a menu or poem) and answer multiple-choice questions
- Write two essays in the language being tested
How is the test scored?
Teachers use rubrics to score the Speaking and Writing sections of the exam. The Listening and Reading sections of the exam are multiple choice, and they are scanned and machine-scored. The final score is the sum of points earned on all four sections, and students pass the exam with a score of 65 or more out of 100.
How are the results reported?
The results of the World Language Comprehensive exam are reported on a student’s transcript.
How are the results used?
The NY State Education Department requires that students earn at least two high school credits in World Language to graduate with a Regents or local diploma. Students who go on to complete three years of high-school-level coursework in World Languages and pass the World Language Comprehensive exam to fulfill the World Language requirement for an Advanced Regents Diploma.