Students show progression of their Spanish language learning on the AAPPL test

The Spanish AAPPL test is required for all McNicholas students in Spanish classes to give data for the teachers to show that students are at the right level and progressing through the levels of the courses well. The four parts of the AAPPL test are interpretive listening, interpretive reading, interpersonal listening and speaking, and presentational writing.

The test takes place close to spring break to allow students to devote their attention to all exams at the end of the year. It is very similar to standard course exams, but students are unable to get exempt even with an A average in the class by the end of the year.

“It gives the students feedback on how their progressing and learning the foreign language,” Mrs. Anne Herrmann, Spanish 2 and 3, teacher states. The test shows how much the students have grown since the beginning of the year.

The test is designed to push students’ ability on what they know to see where they fall on the proficiency scale of learning the foreign language. “Students are then able to see a detailed report of their performance before they leave for summer break,” Mrs. Tracey Canisalez states.

The AAPPL test is graded by Language Testing International (LTI) that takes about three weeks to be finished, so it must be taken earlier for students to receive their test grade and improvements before the end of the year.

“The language teachers do a great job doing a general vocab review” Hermann states. Since the students do not generally have a lot of prior knowledge of what is on the test, the world language teachers review vocabulary during class that will benefit them on the test and have them worrying less about what to study.

Canisalez states, “I tell the students that this is their time to shine. The AAPPL Test is their chance to showcase their Spanish language skills that they have been developing throughout the entire year.,”

Students have been taking the test since the week of March 18 and will continue through March 27, 2024. Scores are released to students approximately three weeks following the test.