PLACEMENT AND CREDIT BY EXAMINATION - SPANISH WITH UT AUSTIN WRITING EXERCISE

Policies Effective for the Academic Year 2008-2009*

CHANGES TO THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SPANISH TEST WITH UT AUSTIN WRITING EXERCISE FOR 2008-2009 ACADEMIC YEAR

*This is to be used as a guide only. Policies are subject to change. Contact DIIA-Student Testing Services for the latest information.

UT Austin provides you with the opportunity to earn course credit by examination. Such credit will satisfy degree requirements in the same way as credit earned by passing a course, except that it will not count as credit earned in residence. Although you may take tests before you enroll in UT Austin, you must be a currently or previously enrolled student in order to receive credit. Unsuccessful attempts to earn credit by examination will not become part of your official transcript.

Three types of tests provide you the opportunity to earn credit by examination in Spanish: the University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise, one of the Advanced Placement Examinations, or one of the International Baccalaureate Examinations.

The Lower-Division Coordinator and other faculty members in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese select the tests, set the levels of performance required for credit, and specify who is eligible to earn credit by examination. DIIA, assists the department by communicating policies, giving the tests, and reporting the credit.

LOWER-DIVISION SPANISH CURRICULUM

Lower-division courses in Spanish are at four levels as indicated below:

Students who plan to enroll in UT Austin Spanish courses and who place out of four semesters of Spanish (SPN 506, 507, 312K, and 312L) are advised to enroll in SPN 327. Before enrolling in SPN 327, please consult with an adviser in Batts Hall 110.

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN COLLEGE-LEVEL PLACEMENT TEST IN SPANISH WITH UT AUSTIN WRITING EXERCISE

Results of the University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise are used to place students in UT Austin Spanish courses appropriate for their particular levels of proficiency. Test results also serve as a basis for awarding credit in one to four Spanish courses-SPN 506, 507, 312K, and 312L.

STUDENTS FOR WHOM THE PLACEMENT TEST IS APPROPRIATE

If a student has taken Spanish in high school and would like to enroll in beginning Spanish, he or she may enroll in Spanish 508K without taking the placement test.  However, if a student with no college credit in Spanish would like to enroll in a higher-level course, he or she must take the placement examination with essay before enrolling in any Spanish course.  

Students who have completed a Spanish course at the University of Texas at Austin are not eligible to take The University of Wisconsin College Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise to receive credit for any of the lower-level language courses.  However, they may take the test to attempt to receive credit for higher-level courses.
Transfer students may also use the placement test to earn additional credit in Spanish or to earn credit for lower-division courses from which they were exempted without credit at another institution. 

Spanish credit already earned is not affected by the results of the placement test.
Students who do not intend to enroll in a Spanish course but who wish to attempt to earn credit by examination may also take the placement test.
Students who take the International Baccalaureate Examination in Spanish Language A1, A2, or B or the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in Spanish Language or in Spanish Literature are exempt from taking The University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with writing exercise.  

ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT BY EXAMINATION IN SPANISH
You are eligible for credit only in those courses for which you do not have a passing or failing grade.

In addition, if you have been enrolled in SPN 506, 507, 312K, or 312L or any equivalent course for as long as the date on which the official enrollment count is taken (twelfth class day for long semesters and fourth class day for summer school sessions), you cannot receive credit by examination for that class.

Level of Performance Required for Credit

NEW FOR 2008-2009

In addition to the University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish, which includes multiple choice test items in Listening, Grammar and Reading, there will be a UT Austin writing exercise comprised of a short essay, approximately 200 words long, that tests the student's ability to communicate ideas clearly in Spanish. The student will be expected to write in Spanish using a wide range of vocabulary, grammar structures, appropriate connecting words and organization of the topic. Students essays will be scored on context and accomplishment of task, range and use of vocabulary and grammar, textual organization, flow and use of connectors, and punctuation and spelling. To receive credit, the student must receive satisfactory scores on the University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish and the UT Austin writing exercise.

Students must meet minimum standard for the writing exercise AND the University of Wisconsin in Spanish examination in order to receive the credit specified.
The University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish has a score range of 150-850. Satisfactory scores for credit by examination are as follows:

TEST ADMINISTRATION

The University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise must be taken on the UT Austin campus.

Test Periods: The University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise is offered on the UT Austin campus during scheduled testing periods several days before each class registration period and during most summer orientation sessions.

Test Registration: You must register for a test online.

Test Registration for Students with Disabilities: If you require academic accommodations or assistance due to a documented disability, you should contact these two offices at least five business days before the day of the test:

• Services for Students with Disabilities, in the Office of the Dean of Students at ssd@uts.cc.utexas.edu,  http:/deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/, or (512) 471-6259 to seek approval for authorized accommodations;
• DIIA at (512) 232-2662 to register and make arrangements to take the test.

Registration Fee and Test Fee Payment: The total test fee is $65 (the test fee will increase to $70 effective September 1st, 2008). Beginning When you confirm your registration for a test you will be immediately billed a non-refundable test registration fee of $15. The remainder of the test fee will be billed after you take the test. Payment is due within 14 days after the test administration.

Repeating the Test: You may take the University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise only once.

Admission to the Test Room: When you register online you will be given the location of your test room. You must present, at the test room, a generally accepted form of identification that includes both your signature and photograph. Without such identification, you will be admitted only if you bring and relinquish a photograph of yourself. You should take several sharpened No. 2 pencils to the test room; all other test materials will be provided.

Test Results: Results are available within a few days after the test date, at a time and place announced at the test administration. Once they are available, results may also be found online.

COLLEGE BOARD ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATIONS

UT Austin also awards credit for lower-division courses on the basis of the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations in Spanish Language and Spanish Literature. Students who take a College Board AP Examination in Spanish are exempt from taking the required University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise.

The College Board AP Examinations are offered once a year in May, usually in high schools that offer College Board Advanced Placement courses. Although determined by each school giving the test, registration deadlines are no later than March. Test results are available in July. These tests are not offered on the UT Austin campus.

The AP Examinations are based on course descriptions prepared by The College Board. A course description, which includes sample questions, is available for these examinations at the College Board's Web site www.collegeboard.com/apcentral.

You may also write for a course description by sending $15 to the Advanced Placement Program, Box 6670, Princeton, NJ 08541-6670. High school counselors may have reference copies of course descriptions. If a high school in your vicinity is not administering AP Examinations, you can request special testing arrangements by contacting AP Services, Box 6671, Princeton, NJ 08541-6671, 1-888- CALL- 4- AP.

Level of Performance Required for Credit

The College Board AP Examinations have a score range of 1-5. Satisfactory scores on either of the two AP tests are as follows:

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE EXAMINATIONS

UT Austin also awards credit for lower-division courses on the basis of the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations in Spanish: Language A1, A2 and B.

Level of Performance Required for Credit

The IB Examinations have a score range of 1-7. Satisfactory scores on the higher-level examinations in Spanish are as follows:

IB Diploma Recipients should consult http://www.utexas.edu/academic/mec/cbe/ibcutscores.html for

satisfactory scores and credit information.

FREQUENT QUESTIONS

Q. What should I do if I think that my test results place me at a course level that is too advanced?

A. The primary purpose of the University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test in Spanish with UT Austin writing exercise is to place students in the UT Austin Spanish courses that are best suited for them-neither too easy nor too difficult. If you think that you are placed incorrectly, you should consult your instructor or a counselor in the lower-division Spanish office (Batts 110).

Q. If I earn credit by examination in Spanish, must I then enroll in a UT Austin Spanish course in order to receive credit earned by examination?

A. No. The credit earned by examination is yours-regardless of whether or not you enroll in subsequent Spanish courses. Many degree programs require a specific level of proficiency in at least one foreign language, so your decision about enrolling in additional courses may be influenced by your degree requirements.

PETITIONING/CLAIMING CREDIT

UT Austin students must petition (or claim) their credit to have it appear on their official transcript. DIIA reports petitioned credit to the Office of the Registrar.

*POLICIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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