PLACEMENT, PRE-UNIVERSITY WORK, CREDIT BY TEST-OUT
Any student who has taken a foreign language in high school or gained proficiency through other means, such as living abroad, may be eligible to receive up to 16 credits toward graduation. To qualify for these credits and to continue your foreign language study at UW-SP, you must take a placement exam. Incoming freshmen normally take the placement exam as part of their regional testing program.

The Department of Foreign Languages also administers the exam periodically, please check with the department secretary (CCC 490) for specific dates. Students with previous exposure to a foreign language are placed into the course appropriate to their level. You must complete the course into which you are placed with a grade of B- or better in order to receive credit for the courses below the level of the one you complete. Thus, depending on your placement and your completed course grade, you may receive 4 credits for each of the following courses: 101, 102, 211 and 212. Retroactive credits are granted only after the course you were placed into is completed with a B- or better and will be entered on your official transcript by the Records Office during the following semester.

You may also test-out of part or all of the General Degree Requirement for foreign language study. You simply take the UW System placement exam at one of the regional test sites or from the Department of Foreign Languages. To test-out of 101-102, you must place into 211 which is the next course in the sequence. The results of our placement and advising program have been positive. Students have expressed satisfaction with the program in their course evaluations administered by the Department.

Even though the placement and advising program functions well, you can help ensure your success in language study through the following steps:

Do not wait another semester to continue your foreign language studies. The longer you are away from the foreign language, the more your proficiency suffers.

Even if you are not currently planning to continue your language study, you should take the placement exam. Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of the test. Very few students will achieve a perfect score on the exam. Whatever your score, it will give us one more piece of information to aid us in advising you.

Once you are enrolled in a foreign language course, be sure to inform your instructor if you have been placed in a course you feel is above or below your ability. If your placement seems inappropriate, you can be transferred to another course early in the semester, preferably during the first two weeks.

PLACEMENT FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS
Native speakers pursuing a major or minor in their native language who have completed a high school or college education in their native language will normally be exempted from 313, 314, and 317, but will take one additional 300-400 level language course outside these to complete the major or minor. Under these circumstances, for example, a major (non-teaching) will consist of 18 credits at the 300-400 level and a minor (non-teaching) of 12 credits at the 300-400 level, excluding 313, 314, and 317. The teaching major will consist of 21 credits at the 300-400 level and Foreign Language Education 333; the teaching minor of 15 credits and Foreign Language Education 333. Students who have completed college preparatory work in literature and culture may apply for course substitutions.

If native speakers have not attained a high school or college education in the native language, they will write a 500 word proctored essay on an assigned topic demonstrating their writing ability and they may be asked to take the placement exam. Based on evaluation of their writing skills and accuracy of grammar structures, they may be exempted from 313, 314, and 317 upon faculty recommendation and may complete the majors described above. If a partial exemption from 313, 314, and/or 317 is recommended, the student will complete a 24 credit major (27 credits and Foreign Language Education 333 for teaching majors) including any skills courses recommended by the faculty. If no exemptions are granted, the student will complete the normal major and minor requirements of the Department.

See a departmental advisor to determine your options as a native speaker pursuing a major or minor in the language.

Read more information about Foreign Language majors and minors.

Read more information about Foreign Language Courses.