Prior Instruction, Equivalency Formulas, and Functional Proficiency: Examining the Problem of Secondary School‐College Articulation

Dale Lange, Paul A Prior, William Sims

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Articulation is an enduring, complex, and problematic issue in foreign language (FL) education. For students and FL programs, the move from secondary schools to college or university is often characterized by abrupt change and frustration rather than smooth transition. Placement into university coursework, whether determined by achievement tests or self-placement, and certification for graduation requirements, often stated in terms of seat time (semesters/quarters of study), appear to be driven more by the demands of our bureaucracies than by our growing knowledge of language assessment and instruction. Since Fall of 1988, the University of Minnesota has had in place an innovative foreign language requirement that includes entrance and exit proficiency assessments for approximately 1500 students a year. This large-scale assessment program has allowed us to investigate articulation from a functional proficiency perspective.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)284-294
Number of pages11
JournalModern Language Journal
Volume76
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1992

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language

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