Placement & Assessment

What if I already have experience in the language that I wish to study?

If you have not had any prior high school courses in the foreign language you intend to study, or have little or no background, you may enroll in the beginning course without taking a placement exam.

German students are not required to take a placement exam. If you have had two years of high school German, then sign up for GRM 201. If you have had three or more years of high school German, then sign up for GRM 301. If you are not sure which class will work for you, make an appointment with Verena Hutter, German program director.

French and Spanish students All students take a placement exam on Moodle to determine an appropriate level at which to start. Typically, students who have taken at least two years of high school French/Spanish are placed into FRN/SPN 201. If you have not yet taken the language placement exam, you must do so during Orientation Weekend. You may take the web-based placement exam anytime by following the instructions below.

ILC recommends that you sign up for language classes in the fall since courses designated 101/102, 201/202, 301/302 are generally two-semester sequences intended to be taken together in the same year. 101/201/301 courses are only offered in the fall. With the exception of Spanish 302, you will not be able to sign up for 102/202/302 courses unless you have completed the fall courses. We offer a one-semester advanced Spanish course in the fall semester, Spanish 308, for heritage speakers. If you are a Spanish heritage speaker, please take the placement exam, note your score, and contact ILC department chair for assistance choosing the best level for you. If you need additional assistance deciding which course to take please contact Lora Looney, ILC department chair.

Instructions to take the placement exam:

1. Visit our placement test Moodle page.

2. Log in to Moodle with your UP username and password.

3. Scroll to portion of the course information page titled "Self Enrollment", and click on the blue "Enroll Me" button.

4. Select the appropriate language placement exam.

Opportunities for third-party language assessment:

International languages and cultures offers opportunities for third-party assessment of student's language skill and proficiency. All students completing the 200 level and graduating with a major in ILC are required to take the STAMP 4S testing as part of its internal departmental assessment. For more information, contact Lora Looney, ILC department chair.