Avant Launches Spanish Heritage Language Test in Partnership with University of Houston
Eugene, OR, July 18, 2015 --(PR.com)-- New Assessment Helps Schools Place Spanish Heritage Speakers in Language Programs.
Avant Assessment announces the release of the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) Test for secondary and post-secondary students under an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Houston (UH).
“Spanish heritage language learners are individuals who grew up in Spanish-speaking homes and are able to communicate, to some extent, in more than one language,” said Marta Fairclough, director of the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) Program and associate professor of Spanish linguistics at the UH. “While some are highly proficient in Spanish, others only possess basic speaking and listening skills - or merely understand the language, so effective assessment for placement has become a critical need.”
Fairclough and a team of Spanish heritage language experts at UH developed the SHL Test based on ten years of research and analysis in response to the rapidly growing population of Spanish heritage language learners in the U.S.
The SHL Test measures the Spanish language skill levels of students by focusing on the unique characteristics of the learner’s grammar, verb use, spelling, and vocabulary. As a web-based, multi-stage curriculum-neutral test that allows early exit for lower-level students and deeper assessment of writing and speaking for higher-level students, it can be used for placement and awarding credit in Spanish Heritage Language Programs.
“We have seen increasing interest in assessing the language skills of Spanish heritage speakers in both secondary and post-secondary education. This interest is driven by the need for accurate placement and awarding credit for the millions of students in the U.S. who are heritage Spanish speakers,” said David Bong, CEO & Founder of Avant.
Avant Assessment, a U.S.-based global provider of language proficiency and placement assessments, and the University of Houston partnered to make the SHL Test more widely available to the field. The SHL Test is scheduled for release in August 2015.
To learn more about the SHL Test and Avant’s other assessment solutions, visit www.avantassessment.com or contact David Bong at david.bong@avantassessment.com or (0) 541-743-8907 or (cell) 541-543-6008.
About Avant Assessment
Since 2002, Avant has provided STAMP, the leading online world language proficiency assessment in nine languages, to monitor student progress, evaluate program efficacy and increasingly to qualify students for the Seal of Biliteracy. Avant’s PLACE assessments are widely used in higher education. Avant is based in Eugene, Oregon and is owned by its employees and the University of Oregon.
Media Contact:
David Bong
Tel. 541-743-8907 (O)
541-543-6008 (C)
david.bong@avantassessment.com
Avant Assessment announces the release of the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) Test for secondary and post-secondary students under an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Houston (UH).
“Spanish heritage language learners are individuals who grew up in Spanish-speaking homes and are able to communicate, to some extent, in more than one language,” said Marta Fairclough, director of the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) Program and associate professor of Spanish linguistics at the UH. “While some are highly proficient in Spanish, others only possess basic speaking and listening skills - or merely understand the language, so effective assessment for placement has become a critical need.”
Fairclough and a team of Spanish heritage language experts at UH developed the SHL Test based on ten years of research and analysis in response to the rapidly growing population of Spanish heritage language learners in the U.S.
The SHL Test measures the Spanish language skill levels of students by focusing on the unique characteristics of the learner’s grammar, verb use, spelling, and vocabulary. As a web-based, multi-stage curriculum-neutral test that allows early exit for lower-level students and deeper assessment of writing and speaking for higher-level students, it can be used for placement and awarding credit in Spanish Heritage Language Programs.
“We have seen increasing interest in assessing the language skills of Spanish heritage speakers in both secondary and post-secondary education. This interest is driven by the need for accurate placement and awarding credit for the millions of students in the U.S. who are heritage Spanish speakers,” said David Bong, CEO & Founder of Avant.
Avant Assessment, a U.S.-based global provider of language proficiency and placement assessments, and the University of Houston partnered to make the SHL Test more widely available to the field. The SHL Test is scheduled for release in August 2015.
To learn more about the SHL Test and Avant’s other assessment solutions, visit www.avantassessment.com or contact David Bong at david.bong@avantassessment.com or (0) 541-743-8907 or (cell) 541-543-6008.
About Avant Assessment
Since 2002, Avant has provided STAMP, the leading online world language proficiency assessment in nine languages, to monitor student progress, evaluate program efficacy and increasingly to qualify students for the Seal of Biliteracy. Avant’s PLACE assessments are widely used in higher education. Avant is based in Eugene, Oregon and is owned by its employees and the University of Oregon.
Media Contact:
David Bong
Tel. 541-743-8907 (O)
541-543-6008 (C)
david.bong@avantassessment.com
Contact
Avant Assessment
David Bong
541-743-8907
www.avantassessment.com
David Bong
541-743-8907
www.avantassessment.com
Contact
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