Checkpoint A (Formerly Second Language Proficiency - SLP) Exams
Who takes this test?
Students who have completed two years of coursework (or one year of accelerated coursework) in Chinese (Simplified), French, Italian, Latin, or Spanish before the end of grade eight may be eligible to take the Checkpoint A exam to earn two high school credits. Your child’s school can tell you whether your child is eligible to take the exam.
When is this test given?
The Checkpoint A exam is given in the spring semester of the school year.
What is on the test?
- The Checkpoint A tests students’ proficiency at Checkpoint A of the NY State Education Department’s learning standards for Languages Other Than English(Open external link) (LOTE). On the Checkpoint A, students are required to:
- Have conversations in the language being tested
- Listen to spoken language in the language being tested and respond to multiple choice or matching questions
- Read a text in the language being tested (for example, a paragraph,a menu, or map) and respond to multiple choice or matching questions
- Produce responses to writing prompts in the language being tested
How is the test scored?
Teachers use rubrics to score the Speaking and Writing sections of the exam. The Listening and Reading sections of the exam are multiple choice, and they are scanned and machine-scored. The final score is the sum of points earned on all four sections, and students pass the exam with a score of 65 or more out of 100.
How are the results reported?
The results of the Checkpoint A exam are reported on a student’s transcript.
How are the results used?
The NY State Education Department requires(Open external link) that students earn at least two high school credits in World Language to graduate with a Regents or local diploma. Students who complete the required coursework and earn a passing grade on the Checkpoint A earn two high school credits and fulfill the World Language graduation requirement.
World Language Comprehensive Exams (Formerly “LOTE”)
In 2021, The New York State Education Department Board of Regents replaced the term “Languages other than English (LOTE)” with “World Languages” in reference to learning standards, assessments, and course credit. The LOTE exam is now called the “World Language Comprehensive Checkpoint B Exam”.
Who takes this test?
Students who have completed three years of high-school-level coursework in World Languages may be eligible to take the World Language Comprehensive exam for the following languages: Albanian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Latin, Punjabi, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Your child’s school can tell you whether your child can take the exam.
For American Sign Language (ASL), Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, students who want to take a World Language Exam in any of these languages do not need class credits to take the exam. Let your school know if your child is interested in taking one of these exams.
When is this test given?
World Language Comprehensive exam administration is during the spring semester of the school year.
What is on the test?
- Have conversations in the language being tested
- Listen to spoken langauge in the language being tested and answer multiple-choice questions
- Read text in the language being tested (for example, a menu or poem) and answer multiple-choice questions
- Produce responses to writing prompts in the language being tested
How is the test scored?
Teachers use rubrics to score the Speaking and Writing sections of the exam. The Listening and Reading sections of the exam are multiple choice, and they are scanned and machine-scored. The final score is the sum of points earned on all four sections, and students pass the exam with a score of 65 or more out of 100.
How are the results reported?
The results of the World Language Comprehensive exam are reported on a student’s transcript.
How are the results used?