Graduates of the Department of Foreign Languages will have practical working skills in the language of study.
Objective
Practical Language Speaking Skills
Graduates of the Department of Foreign Languages (FOLG) should demonstrate speaking mastery of their language of study.
Indicator
Oral Proficiency Panel
All graduating majors will demonstrate practical language speaking skills through examination: a 15-minute oral capstone to a faculty panel and an oral proficiency interview with one faculty member.
Criterion
Oral Proficiency Passage Rates
Capstone presentations and Oral Proficiency Interviews will be judged intermediate high or better according to rubric standards of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Finding
Oral Proficiency Passage Rates
Nine of the eleven graduating majors who gave a capstone presentation in the fall semester 2013 and 13 of the 13 graduating majors who gave a capstone presentation in spring 2014 achieved the advanced low level or better.
FOLG instituted a three-level ACTFL/NCATE evaluation with a simplified rubric beginning with spring 2014, though the eight-level ACTFL standards/rubric was used for fall 2013.
Action
Graduating Senior Capstone Presentations
The Spanish faculty will meet before the capstone presentations to discuss capstone topic proposals by graduating majors and faculty mentors' preparation with graduating majors in order that said majors score consistently at intermediate high or above.
Objective
Practical Language Writing Skills
Graduates from the Department of Foreign Languages should demonstrate writing mastery of their language of study.
Indicator
Senior Student Writing Portfolios
All graduating seniors will present portfolios of specified written work (SPAN 3361 final exam/project, two research papers or other assignments) to be judged by a panel of faculty according to the Ten-level Amercian Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) rubric.
90% of the submitted portfolios will contain the required elements and be judged adequate for writing skills according to ACTFL standards.
Finding
Portfolio Submission And Application
Eleven of eleven graduating majors in fall 2013 and 13 of 13 graduating majors in spring 2014 submitted portfolios but none included the required final exam from SPAN 3361 Grammar & Composition. The Spanish section has not formally evaluated these portfolios as yet.
Action
Evaluation Of Portfolios
A three-person Spanish faculty committee will meet to1. adapt the ACTFL rubric for written work for an evaluation score sheet and 2. to evaluate portfolios (unacceptable, adequate or exceeds requirements) within a semester after submission each semester. The next step will be recommendations for curricular reform as a result.
As the vast majority of students and/or faculty do not retain 3361 exams beyond the minimum legal time for whatever reason and thus, students are unable to include those required exams in their final portfolios, FOLG will require those teaching 3361 Grammar & Composition to submit all final exams each semester and they will be scanned into files for future use in portfolios, especially for the use of those majors who eiher declare late, so they have not saved these and/or have not requested copies from professors at the time (and who later discard them).
Goal
Language Teacher Preparation
The Department of Foreign Languages routinely graduates students intent upon teaching language in the public schools. Graduates will have the language and classroom skills to excel in this profession.
Objective
Teaching Capabilities
Students intending to teach foreign language in the public schools will demonstrate not only language mastery but specific preparation for the teaching task.
Indicator
Methodology Course
The Department of Foreign Languages will assess a sample of written work from students in CISE 4364 (Methods of Teaching in Secondary Schools) via a sample submitted in the required SPAN 4370 Teaching Methodology course.
Criterion
Rating Teaching Candidates
Students' submitted sampled material will be rated adequate or better by the Methodology course instructor, according to the NCATE rubric.
Finding
Teaching Candidate Evaluations
Four teaching candidates in the fall and two in the spring took the teaching methodology course and were evaluated as adequate by the faculty member during their practicum. All six presented Department capstones, did Department Oral Proficiency Tests with a faculty member and submitted portfolios of written work, as well as taking the official American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Test by phone through arrangements with University Testing service and met the minimum standards or better.
Action
American Council Of Teachers Of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Test
A three-person teaching commmittee will prepare an evaluative report and make recommendations on the teaching candidates' additional requirements for graduation: 1. take the teaching methodology course, 2. be evaluated by at least one faculty member during their practicum, 3. take the official American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Test by phone through arrangements with University Testing service and both the 4. practice exams and 5. the state exams for certification (like all graduating majors, the teaching candidates present Department capstones, do a Department Oral Proficiency Test with a faculty member and submit portfolios of written work). The teaching committee faculty will also explore ways to train other faculty to consistently apply rubrics, given different evaluators.
Objective
Oral Teaching Proficiency
Students intending to teach foreign language in the public schools will demonstrate appropriate spoken language proficiency through specific tasks during the final semester before graduation.
Indicator
Teacher Candidate Oral Proficiency
All students graduating with the intent of teaching language in the public schools will complete a 15-minute capstone presentation before at least three faculty members, an oral proficiency interview (OPI) with an FOLG professor and an ACTFL OPI by phone.
Criterion
Pass Rate By Faculty Panel
90% of students' capstone presentations and both Oral Proficiency Interviews will be judged intermediate high or better by a faculty panel of at least three, according to rubric standards of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), by an FOLG OPI evaluator and by an ACTFL OPI evaluator, according to the ACTFL OPI rubrics.
Finding
Pass Rate
Six of six teaching candidates were judged intermediate high or better according to the fall ACTFL rubric and according to the three-level evaluation with a simplified rubric as of spring.
Action
Future Use Of Rubric
The Undergraduate Teaching Faculty Committee will evaluate the classroom preparation tasks in language acquisition courses, especially 1411, 1412, 2311, 2312, 3368-9 (conversation) for concordance with the ACTFL NCATE rubric in order to better prepare majors to demonstrate oral proficiency on the related final semester evaluative tasks.
Objective
Written Teaching Proficiency
Students intending to teach foreign language in the public schools should demonstrate appropriate written language proficiency.
Indicator
Texas State Examination Of Written Language Proficiency
All students preparing to teach language in public schools in the State of Texas must take a state examination.
Criterion
Pass Rate
At least 50% of graduating majors who are candidates for teaching will achieve the minimal passing rate or better on the first attempt at the state exam.
Finding
Minimal Passing Rate
Seven of ten students who attempted the LOTE (state exam) during 2013-14 passed: four of the seven passing achieved the minimal passing rate or better on the first attempt. One of the seven passed on the second attempt and another of the seven passed on the 7th attempt. Two did not pass on the first attempt and one did not pass on the 5th attempt. These three non-passing students have not yet made another attempt. Therefore, the 40% pass rate on the first attempt did not meet the criterion of 50%.
Action
Preparation For The Exam And Grading Rubrics
The Undergraduate Teaching Faculty Committee will meet with the College of Education in order to explore ways to evaluate and remediate candidates BEFORE they take the state exam for the first time. FOLG will formulate an across-the-board rubric evaluation of teaching candidates' skills in the practice exam, as well as formulate recommendations for a cycle of graders of the practice exam with follow-up review/remediation for students as necessary.