Show What You Know!

Giulia works at a small private university and serves as the coordinator of Italian language courses. The program currently does not have a formal placement testing process, and students are typically placed based on how many years they studied Italian in high school. Her instructors have noticed that there are a lot of heritage language learners enrolling in the program, and these students are often placed into courses that are not appropriate for their level. Giulia wants to start using a placement test for new students but has limited funding and limited resources available.

Imagine you were in Giulia’s position. How would you approach placement testing in this situation? After considering your own response, click here to view the sample response.

Kenshin is the head of a Japanese department at a large public university. His department has been using a locally-developed placement test for many years, but some of his instructors think that it is outdated and no longer meets their placement testing needs. He wants to evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the test to make an informed decision about next steps.

Imagine you were in Kenshin’s position. What might you need to consider when evaluating the placement test and planning for the future? After considering your own response, click here to view the sample response.

Lena is a new German instructor at a community college. She is the only German teacher at the college, and she is responsible for determining how she wants to place incoming students into her courses. She previously used multiple approaches to placement testing when working at a different institution but doesn’t think that she will have enough time to use these methods on her own.

Imagine you were in Lena’s position. What would you do to solve this problem? After considering your own response, click here to view the sample response.