National French Contest/Le Grand Concours
The National French Contest/Le Grand Concours is an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students of French in all 50 states and abroad are invited to take a written test and compete against students with similar educational background for prizes. At Oyster Bay High School, students enrolled in a French III course are invited to participate in the corresponding Secondary Contest.
Students were instructed to notify their French teacher by the end of September if they were interested in participating in this prestigious competition. All French III & French III H students are eligible. Past copies of the contest are available for purchase for review and practice purposes. Audio scripts and scoring keys for past years are also available.
The National Spanish Examinations
The National Spanish Examinations are a motivational contest to recognize student achievement in the study of Spanish and to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish. The National Spanish Examinations are online, standardized assessment tools given voluntarily by about 4000 teachers throughout the United States to measure performance (interpretive communication) and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language.
From 1957 until 2005, the National Spanish Examinations were administered in a paper and pencil format. Since 2006, the National Spanish Examinations have been administered in an online format through the Quia Corporation and was the first national world language exam administered online.
The National Spanish Examinations are the most widely used tests of Spanish in the United States. In the spring of 2018, a total of 150,303 students registered for the National Spanish Examinations.
The National Spanish Examinations are recognized by many administrative and teaching associations and organizations at the local, state and national levels. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed this program on the NASSP National Advisory List of Contests and Activities for 2018-2019.
What is the purpose of the National Spanish Examination?
The purpose of the National Spanish Examination is
- to recognize achievement in the study of the Spanish language
- to promote proficiency in interpretive communication in the Spanish language
- to assess the national standards as they pertain to learning Spanish
- to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish
- Many teachers state that they use the National Spanish Examinations to prepare students to take other standardized tests such as AP, IB, SAT II and college placement exams.
- Many administrators state that they can use data from the National Spanish Examinations to create reports to show how their schools have improved over an academic year.
What is the mission of the National Spanish Examination?
The mission of the National Spanish Examination (NSE) is to recognize student achievement and to promote language proficiency in the study of the Spanish. NSE is committed to providing teachers with assessment tools and offering students opportunities to know their language skill ratings in vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.
What does the test measure?
The National Spanish Examinations are standards-based assessments which evaluate both content standards (what a student knows) and performance standards (what a student is able to do) over various levels of secondary instruction (grades 6-12).
1. The achievement section of the test assesses content standards through specifications for vocabulary and specifications for grammar.
2. The proficiency section of the test assesses performance standards as defined by the National Spanish Examination Proficiency Levels. This section assesses Interpretive Communication: both reading comprehension and listening comprehension.
What is the cost of administering the NSE?
There are two mandatory costs associated with giving the National Spanish Examinations: (1) cost per teacher and (2) cost per student.
Cost per Student. Each school pays a fee per examination to the national office. This fee includes (1) a national portion of $4.00 and (2) an optional chapter portion (between $0.25 and $3.00 per student). Each chapter has a slightly different fee schedule because each chapter recognizes students in a different way (prizes, certificates, awards, banquets, etc.). Student recognition is funded through this chapter fee.
When is the National Spanish Examination Administered?
Teachers may administer the NSE between March 1 and April 10.
All testing must be completed by April 10.