Fair Grove’s Spanish Students Soar Above Expectations
April 11, 2022
Spanish 3 and 4 students in their class. Students clearly pictured from left to right are Jaden Hudson (11), Taylor Rode (11), and José Estrada (11). Photo provided by Hannah Bruner (10).
Fair Grove High School’s Spanish class, led by Shelly Thornton, took the Assessment of Performance Towards Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) test on March 9th, 2022.
The AAPPL test is designed to grade a student’s proficiency in a language. Students receive scores that range anywhere from an N-1 (novice-low) to an A-1 (advance-low). Students who receive an I-3 (intermediate-mid) or above in all four sections during their senior year of high school, receive the seal of bi-literacy along with 12-16 free credit hours of Spanish depending on the university.
Piper Logan (10) is currently enrolled in Spanish two. Logan took the AAPPL test for the first time this year. She shared, “I am taking the test so that I can be prepared when I take it again my senior year. If I score high enough on the test my senior year, I can get a lot of college credit and college hours.”
Logan explained, “While taking the test you normally start with a reading section, where you read articles and paragraphs and then answer multiple choice questions. Next, you would move onto the listening section, where you listen to a person read articles then have to answer multiple choice questions.”
You then move on to the second half of the test by doing the speaking and listening section. Logan shared, “The speaking and listening part is essentially talking to a fake video chat partner. They will ask you questions, you can replay it once then the microphone starts immediately for you to respond vocally.”
Last, you will end with a writing section where you will be given a prompt and you have to write as much about that subject as you can.
To prepare and study for the test, Logan looked over all of her old notes and assignments, as well as taking practice tests on the website.
Serenity Davis (12), currently enrolled in Spanish two, has been preparing for the test by studying grammar and practicing by listening to different sources as well as reading in Spanish. This will be her first time taking the AAPPL test.
Davis revealed, “I took the test because if you score well enough you can earn 12-16 hours of college credit.”
Many other students took the AAPPL test this year: Reese Wells (9), Garrett Mulis (10), Charlie Harp (10), Nico Jekins (10), Taylor Rode (11), Haydn Hall (11), Jaden Hudson (11), Zoey Hupman (12), Lydia Engel (12), and Katie Burch (12). Burch and Hupman were the only two that scored high enough to receive the seal of bi-literacy.