Conflicting Scores

Q. This year I had a student who felt that he had scored higher on the NLE than the results sent to our school indicated. I sent $1 to the computer people to rescore his exam, and it came out with a higher score. How does this happen?

A. Almost every time a student's score is changed, it is because of incomplete erasures which the scantron machine picks up. With 103,436 exams to score in a very short period of time, we cannot look at each one for erasures. The directions (which are read aloud to the student) clearly state: BE VERY CAREFUL TO BLACKEN THE ANSWER SPACES EXACTLY AS SHOWN IN THE EXAMPLE ON THE ANSWER SHEET. IF YOU WISH TO CHANGE YOUR ANSWER, BE SURE TO ERASE COMPLETELY. Students often do not do this, thus causing problems in scoring correctly. Teachers can help by emphasizing this point before their students take the exam.

Semester Block

Q. We are on semester block this year and I was wondering if the NLE is addressing this issue. Do you have any suggestions for students who will start Latin II in January and have only ten weeks of Latin before the exam?

A. The NLE has been studying this situation for several years and is trying to compile some statistics to show how semester-block scheduling affects learning and test taking. Theoretically, the semester-block students should be moving twice as fast as the students in a regular curriculum, and we have no evidence that they do not. This would mean that in mid- March, theoretically, they would be at about the same place as the regular students. We are asking teachers to check the semester-block box on the application so we can compile some statistics and comparisons.

Missed Exams

Q: I mailed in my application form with a check well before the deadline of January 10. When my exams did not arrive at the expected time, I called the NLE number to check n my situation. To my dismay, I discovered that NLE had not received my application and check and that my students were not eligible to take the exam. While I understand NLE's stand on this issue, I would like to know how to ensure that this does not happen again. How can I protect myself and my students in this matter?

While we regret that your students were not able to take the NLE this March, we cannot take responsibility for applications and checks that never make it to our office. We advise all teachers who mail in their applications/checks to be on the look-out for the postcard that we send back to them indicating that their application is complete. (Also be sure to check that the number of exams ordered is correct.) A teacher who does not receive such a card should get in touch with NLE to make sure that the application was indeed received. If the application has been lost in the mail and enough time has been allowed by the teacher, the problem can be solved by submitting a second application by the January 10 deadline. We advise all teachers to mail their applications in a timely manner.

 

Scholarship Information

Q: After going over the exam with my students when the test director at my school released the exams to me, I think that I may have a a senior eligible for an NLE scholarship. What am I supposed to do about that?

You do not have to do a thing! NLE will send a letter to your student, in care of you, informing her that she is eligible to apply for the scholarship. That letter will contain all instructions and deadline information.

 

Registration Deadline

Q: I missed the registration deadline for this year's NLE. My registration form and check were returned to me even though they were only two weeks late. Why can't the NLE be more lenient about this deadline?

We regret that we are unable to accept exam registrations after the January 10 deadline. While we have on occasion allowed extra time for registrations to come in after bad weather has closed schools in a particular part of the country, the volume of mail we receive does not allow us to do this under other circumstances.

Copies of the Exam

Q:My students were not able to take the exam this year. As such, I did not receive the usual packet of exam copies the following week. How may I obtain a copy of the exam for my files?

We will mail you a copy of the exam if you send a dollar to: ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam, P.O. Box 95, Mt. Vernon, VA, 22121.

 

Forum Romanum Tapes

Q: I have heard about the NLE's Forum Romanum TV show, but we can't get the show at my school because we do not have a satellite dish. Is it possible to order videotapes of the show?

Yes, videotapes of the twelve Forum Romanum episodes are available from WNVT, the public television station which produced the series. There are four tapes, each of which has three 10-minute episodes. The tapes are $10 apiece (all four for $40), with checks made payable to WNTV 53; no purchase orders are accepted. Mail directly to WNVT 53, Attention: Forum Romanum, 8101A Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042.