Provisionally  approved 6/18/02

LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
Level I

RATIONALE:  The ability to communicate in a language other than one’s own is desirable both as a practical tool for exchanging specific information and ideas with persons who speak that other language, and as a way of broadening one’s perspective on the world.In addition to this general desirability, it is specifically valuable in public and community service, since it allows one to better serve people who speak the language.  Thus, the language serves as a tool to discover the needs and desires of people who are unable to communicate using English, and as a way to offer help to such persons in the context of one’s professional responsibilities.  Finally, ability to use the language of the client contributes to one’s possibilities of learning about the client’s culture, so allowing one to take that culture into account when serving in a public and community context.This first level represents a set of language abilities that are of limited but genuine utility in a public or community setting.  Even though these abilities may be limited to a functional level of literacy, they do allow for communication at a basic level. Students who demonstrate the Language Other Than English competency at a higher level may also receive credit for Level I.

COMPETENCY:  Can conduct, in the specified language, an interview in which one solicits and records basic personal information and provides necessary referral information.

CRITERIA:

In a role-played interview:

1.      Direct a series of questions to a person seeking help from the agency that the test taker is designated as representing.

2.      Obtain and record basic personal information from the help seeker for the agency’s records.

3.      Offer appropriate referral information, such as describing the services of the agency, providing directions to a destination where the requested help would be available, or explaining other ways of obtaining the requested help.

STANDARDS:

1.      Procedures for the interview:

a.       The test taker will play the role of the interviewer and the evaluator will play the role of the help seeker.  The theme and specific content of the interview will be developed by the evaluator, based on his/her understanding of the context in which the test taker is likely to use the target language.

b.      It must conducted entirely in the specified language, except that names or titles may be in English.

c.       Using a form provided by the evaluator listing questions in English, the interviewer (test taker) must pose the questions in the target language, soliciting basic personal information from the help seeker (evaluator) who speaks no English.

d.      The test taker must use the information obtained through the interview to fill out the form provided by the evaluator, in order to have a written record of the interview.  This form will be part of the final evaluation of the competency.

2.      During the interview, the test taker must demonstrate his/her ability to use the target language to give, solicit and record:

a.       basic personal information such as name, nationality, or age

b.      directions, including addresses, dates and times

c.       other information that is appropriate to the context of the interview.

3.      With regard to the expected level of language proficiency:

a.       A range of accents, pronunciations, and dictions are acceptable, as long as the speech of the person taking the test is understandable, and his/her speaking and listening skills are sufficient to carry out the interview.

b.      The test taker’s oral and written production of the target language will not be evaluated for fluency, or correct use of grammatical and lexical forms.  It is the ability to make oneself understood in the target language and to understand a person who is speaking that language that is being evaluated.  Even frequent errors in grammar and vocabulary are acceptable if the test taker is able to send and receive the required information.

EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:

1.      Prior Learning: A student is a native or fluent speaker of the language for which s/he is seeking evaluation.  The student makes an appointment with an appropriate evaluator and follows the criteria and standards of the competency.  It is suggested, however, that students who are proficient in a language other than English read the CPCS language competency statements and seek evaluation for the highest level they believe they are capable of demonstrating.

2.      New Learning – Independent: Working with a fluent speaker who agrees to tutor/teach on a regular basis, a student achieves sufficient proficiency to believe s/he can be evaluated at this first level of the set of language competencies.  The student makes an appointment for an interview, and follows the criteria and standards of the competency.

3.      Course:  A student takes an introductory course in a language at UMass Boston or elsewhere, achieves a grade of C- or better, and transfers the language course as this competency.