Lead Teachers: Susi Lopez and Denise Fullerton
The registration and dates for the 2023-24 language placement test will be posted here on or around March 1st, 2023. Please come back then.
The World Languages placement test for incoming students will take place on Saturday, May 22nd. The test for students taking a Spanish or Mandarin placement test will start at 9:30 AM. The test for students taking a French placement test will start at 11:00 AM.
Who Should Take This Test?
- Students with little or no previous language experience are automatically placed in level 1. They DO NOT need to take this test.
- Students who have completed two years of the same language in middle school will be placed in Level 2. This includes students from within BUSD, as well as from private and independent schools. They DO NOT need to take this test
- Students who were in a level at BHS last year, will move on to the next logical level, provided they got a passing grade in the previous class. They DO NOT need to take this test.
- Do you want to skip a level? Do you want to start at a level that is higher than one of the above automatic placements? THIS TEST IS FOR YOU and you need to register.
In order for a student to participate in one of these tests, you must do the following:
- Complete this registration form only once, please. Students who did not not pre-register will NOT be able to take the test. The registration must be completed by MAY 7.
- After you complete the registration, look for a confirmation email and the Zoom link by May 15th.
- Your student should be prepared to do a one-on-one oral proficiency test with a language teacher. They will then receive a link with the writing portion of the test. The students will be monitored by a teacher on Zoom while they complete the written part.Students will enter the Zoom waiting room and will be called on one by one by the moderator to verify registration. Depending on the number of people testing, students could be in the waiting room for a long time. Be patient. Wait in the room until you are invited into the main session.
The placement results will be sent to parents and guardians within five days. Please have your student be ready to stay on Zoom for approximately two hours. It will be best if the student uses a computer to take the placement test. As a reminder, we will use both the oral and written tests to determine the appropriate placement. Academic dishonesty of any kind including the use of electronic translators, such as Google Translate, is prohibited and will void results.
PLEASE NOTE that students who are unable to attend the May 22nd placement test will be assessed by their assigned language teacher when the 2021-22 school year starts. Once we receive the results of the placement test, we will make the recommendation to the counselor. No level changes can happen before then.
Please email susilopez@berkeley.net or denisefullerton@berkeley.net with further questions.