HECB World Language Mininum Admissions Standards

The Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) has issued the following minimumstandards in world languages. In the near future, these standards must be met in order to gain admission to ANY post-secondary, baccalaureate institution within the state of Washington.

(NOTE: Certificate of Mastery will be the foundation on which admissions standards are built. However, the Commission on Student Learning does not require study of a second language as a requirement for Certificate of Mastery. Although the HECB cannot determine the requirements for a Certificate, the equivalent of two Carnegie units in a single foreign language are still required in order to be considered for admission to one of the state's public baccalaureate institutions.)

To study another language and culture gives one the powerful key to successful communication: knowing how, when, and why to communicate what with whom. Language is at the heart of the human experience. To relate in a meaningful way to another human being, one must be able to communicate. It is in learning a new linguistic and cultural system that one can get an objective view of one's own native language and culture and be able to communicate within as well as beyond one's native language and culture.

The minimum standards below represent competencies that will be required of all students applying to any of the state's public baccalaureate institutions. They do NOT represent the standards expected of students applying to specific departments. Students should recognize that continuing academic coursework post-Certificate of Mastery or finding other ways (e.g., internships, school-to-work transitions, etc.) to keep current the competencies acquired for world languages, as well as the Certificate of Mastery, will enhance the likelihood for admission to college.

NOTE:

• Development of reading skills, writing skills, and cross-cultural communication should occur across each discipline and not just under English or world language
• The assumed "benchmark" is entry into the university (2 years of high school language or exit from college level 102)
• The languages are categorized according to U.S. federal language schools and based on how long it takes learners of each language to reach a similar proficiency level.

Key:

1 = Category 1 languages (e.g., Spanish, French, Swedish)
2 = Category 2 languages (e.g., Gerrman)
3 = Category 3 languages (e.g., Russian)
4 = Category 4 languages (e.g., Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic)
L = Latin (and other classical languages)

Students wishing to be considered for admission to one of the state public baccalaureate institutions must demonstrate an ability to:

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Overview

• communicate using the target language (1,2,3,4)
• read and interpret simple texts (1,2,3,4,L)
• behave in a culturally appropriate manner with speakers of the target language(1,2,3,4,L)
• demonstrate familiarity with the geography, culture, and contributions to the civilization of the country/ies where the target language was/is spoken (1,2,3,4)
• understand how English functions (1,2,3,4,L)
• demonstrate that any human language is a SYSTEM of rules (concerning sounds and forms) that is subject to empirical analysis (1,2,3,4,L)
• demonstrate that language learning is a life-long process: by having some idea of what resources to use in future encounters with the target language (1,2,3,4,L)

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Speaking

• produce in a comprehensible manner the basic sounds of the language (1, 2, 3, 4)
• describe him/herself, friends, family; name common objects, etc. (1,2,3,4)
• express likes and dislikes (1,2,3,4)
• give simple explanations (1,2,3,4)
• engage in common courtesy exchanges, carry on simple conversations, and initiate questions (1,2,3,4)
• be able to use simple negation and express disagreement (1,2,3,4)
• have the vocabulary to use numbers, make introductions, make simple purchases (food, tickets, clothing, etc.), find lodging, make commands and simple requests (1,2,3,4)
• demonstrate an active vocabulary consisting of 500-800 words for levels 1 & 2; of 400 words for level 3; of about 300-400 words for level 4

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Oral Comprehension

• distinguish the basic sounds of the language (1,2,3,4)
• understand and respond to greetings, simple requests, introduction, descriptions, negations,
• commands, and questions dealing with immediate needs and everyday situations (1, 2, 3, 4)
• understand the basic formulaic language of home, school, and common community locations, e.g., restaurants and shops (1,2,3,4)
• recognize significant grammatical distinctions such as gender and verbal conjugation (1, 2, 3)
• recognize basic sentence patterns (1, 2, 3, 4)

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Reading

• read authentic documents such as menus, schedules, certain advertisements to obtain needed information (1,2,3,4)
• read carefully prepared short texts (1,2,3,4,L)
• read longer edited texts on familiar topics (1,2,L)
• read carefully selected authentic texts for meaning and specific information(1,2,L)
• have mastered the regular sound values of written language (1,2,3,4)
• demonstrate a reading vocabulary which surpasses 1600 words for levels 1 & 2; of 1000 words for level 3; of 1200 words (L); of 500 - 800 words and 40 - 60 Kanji for Japanese (4) ; of 440 characters for Chinese (4); of 540 words for Korean (4); of 360 words for Arabic (4)

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Writing

• use common regular and irregular verbs in the present and past tenses (with occasional proper use of other tenses) (1,2,3,4,L)
• combine nouns with modifiers (1,2,3,4,L)
• use pronouns and make subject-verb agreement (1,2,3,4,L)
• use diacritic marks correctly (1,2)
• write a simple postcard, fill out a hotel registration form, make lists, etc. (l, 2,3)
• write a simple paragraph of description or narration (1,2,3,4,L)
• be able to write with a vocabulary of 500 - 800 words and 40 - 60 Kanji for Japanese (4); of 440 characters for Chinese (4); of 450 words for Korean (4); of 360 words for Arabic (4)

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Cultural Knowledge

• understand the importance of polite and familiar forms of address (1,2,3,4,1.)
• make simple requests in an appropriate manner (1,2,3,4)
• know and demonstrate standards of behavior in a common social setting (dining, purchasing, in the classroom, travel) (1, 2, 3, 4)
• know what behaviors from his/her own culture would be inappropriate or offensive (e.g., in a home or school setting) and what significant differences to expect in the target culture (1,2,3,4)
• demonstrate an appreciation of differences in the target culture (1,2,3,4)
• demonstrate knowledge of important cultural information associated with the target language (e.g., historical, daily life, geography, etc.) (1,2,3,4,L)

PERFORMANCE LEVELS: Language Analysis Skills

• demonstrate basic understanding of how target language is structured in terms of the grammatical structures taught, including basic conjugation patterns, declension systems, grammatical particles, word order variants, etc. (1,2,3,4,L)
• trace the influence of Latin on the development of English vocabulary (L)
• understand that certain concepts or ways of expression (e.g., vocabulary) may not exist in the target language or may be expressed differently (1,2,3,4,L)
• understand that the principles concerning Language Analysis Skills can be generalized to new situations (1,2,3,4,L)
• know how to use a bilingual dictionary (1,2,3,4,L.)