Students with previous modern language experience in Spanish are strongly encouraged to take the placement exam to ensure proper enrollment in a Modern Language course. The exam has three assessments: Reading, Listening, and Grammar. Each assessment has a time limit of 50 minutes, multiple-choice questions, and is available on demand via Blackboard . No materials are available to study for the placement exam since the assessment is intended to measure your overall knowledge and skill set.
NOTE: Modern Languages Department placement exams are NOT CLEP or Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Your exam results are applicable for course placement at Missouri Southern State University only and DO NOT give you credit.
Exam Policies:
To take the placement exam:
Contact Emily Boydston (boydston-e@mssu.edu) to be enrolled into the Blackboard site.
You will receive further instructions via email about how to access the Placement Exam and what to do after we have processed the results.
*Upon successful completion of a higher language course a student may petition to receive retro credit for lower-level courses. See Retroactive Credit Program below.
MSSU students may qualify for retroactive credit for previous modern language experience upon completion of a language course higher than the entry level (101) course at MSSU with a grade of “C” or better. A student may earn a maximum of twelve hours of retroactive credits for a modern language. The number of credits received by the student petitioner depends on the level of the language course taken by the student (102, 203, etc.) and on that student's successful fulfillment of each of the procedures described below. The student should fill out a Retroactive Language Credit Request Form and follow the procedures described on that form in order to be considered for retroactive credit. If a student earned retroactive credit at another campus, admissions will normally allow the credits to transfer.
To be eligible to earn modern language retroactive credits…
A.…the language course must be an in-house course of the same language at a higher level,
Complete List of Equivalencies:
| Course Taken | Eligible retroactive credits for lower level courses |
| 102 completed with a C or beter = | 3 hrs. credit |
| 203 completed with a C or beter = | up to 6 hrs. credit |
| 204 completed with a C or beter = | up to 9 hrs. credit |
| Upper Division courses completed with a C or beter = | up to 12 hrs. credit |
Retroactive Credit Cost:
Students must pay a cost equal to $60 per credit requested using the form available from the Department of Language & Literature. No credit will be awarded until the appropriate cost is paid to the Business Office and the receipt is presented to the Department of Language & Literature.
For example:
A student places into 203, completes that course and earns a “C” grade; the student has followed steps A through D above to earn credit for 101 and 102.
Depending on the student’s preference, they can pay $360 ($60.00 x 6 credit hours) for and receive sic (6) retroactive credits for 101 and 102, or they can pay $180 ($60.00 x 3 credit hours) and receive only three (3) retroactive credits for 102.
The student’s transcript will then reflect CR (no letter grade) for any retroactive credits and an academic credit (letter grade “C”) for 203.
Contact the department for any questions or concerns.
In addition to required coursework, Modern Language students must also pass a Senior Assessment. Our program uses a combination of five assessments. Students must pass at least three (3) of the five (5) assessments to meet graduation requirements. The Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing assessments do not require any preparation or studying as they are indicative of your overall skill set and not of any particular content or curriculum.
Reading
This assessment gauges a student's ability to read at the Intermediate High level, the required level for graduates. This level meets benchmarks set by the American Council on the Teaching of Modern Languages (ACTFL). The Reading Assessment contains 35 questions about short passages and takes approximately 50 minutes to complete.
Listening
This assessment gauges a student's ability to listen at the Intermediate High level, the required level for graduates. This level meets benchmarks set by the American Council on the Teaching of Modern Languages (ACTFL). The Listening Assessment contains 35 questions about short audio excerpts and takes approximately 50 minutes to complete.
Speaking
The Oral Proficiency Interview-computer (OPIc) is a thirty-minute interview that gauges oral (speaking) proficiency. The OPIc is recorded and rated officially by Language Testing International (LTI) according to required benchmarks set by the American Council on the Teaching of Modern Languages (ACTFL). This is the only Senior Assessment with a cost since it is rated by a third-party. Contact the Department for current pricing.
Students may use their ratings for resumes, job interviews and portfolios. We encourage students to review this .pdf for more details and advice.
Writing
For the Writing Assessment you need to submit your best, original writing sample that uses multiple time frames (past, present, future) and is at least two pages in length and/or around 500 words. Students are encouraged to revise a writing sample from an academic course, but they may also write a new sample.
Cultural Competency
The Cultural Competency Assessment is based on the Missouri Content Area Exam for World Languages, Cultural Understanding Domains 7 & 8. It is a series of 25 multiple-choice questions, written in English. This assessment is not written in a modern language since it assesses your cultural knowledge as opposed to the other assessments which assess your linguistic skills.
When should students take the Modern Language Senior Assessments?
The Missouri Southern Writing Placement Exam (WPE) is a timed writing assignment. Students complete an essay in response to a writing prompt. The students' essays are then evaluated by an MSSU English Department professor. The results of that evaluation are used to determine in which First-Year Writing course the students will be placed: ENG 080, ENG 0101, or ENG 0111.
The exam can be taken at no cost available through Blackboard. To register please contact Emily Boydston boydston-e@mssu.edu.
Advisors may obtain a student's placement score through LIONET or Native Banner. Scores for students taking the WPE will be available within 24 hours.
All students must complete six hours of First-Year Writing courses to meet the Core Curriculum requirements for a baccalaureate degree. They should make every effort to complete that six hours in their first two semesters. For more information on these requirements, refer to the Missouri Southern State University Catalog.
Placement into first-year writing courses is according to the following:
English 080- ACT of 17 or below on the English portion of the ACT;
English 101-English ACT score of 18-28 or demonstrated ability on a writing placement essay;
English 111-English ACT of 29 or above.
Students with no English ACT score will write a monitored essay to determine placement into the appropriate first-year writing course.
Any student may challenge placement based on English ACT scores by electing to write a placement essay. If performance on the essay demonstrates that the student has a good chance for success in a different (higher-level) first-year writing course, the student can elect to enroll in the higher-level course.
Some students are exempted from taking the WPE. Exemptions are limited to the following:
Students who have received Advanced Placement credit for first-year college composition through the national AP exam and who have received documentation verifying the AP credit;
Students who have received transfer credit for ENG 101.
Students who believe they may have completed ENG 101 credit, either transfer credit or through an approved dual credit program, should contact the Transcript Analyst, at 417-625-9513 for verification.
Enrollment of International students in a First-Year Writing course is overseen by the Institute of International Studies. For more information: (417) 625-9821.
ENG 080: BASIC COMPOSITION
This course is designed for students who have had limited opportunities to practice writing in classroom settings or who have struggled in their high school writing classes and thus would benefit from a developmental writing class. Students will write at least six essays. Special attention will be given to grammar, mechanics, syntax, paragraphing, and organization. Passing this course enables students to enroll in ENG 101. ENG 080 does not count toward the baccalaureate degree.
ENG 101: COLLEGE COMPOSITION I (Writing Intensive)
This course is an introduction to the principles of college-level writing and critical thinking and is much more rigorous and challenging than 080. Students will write a number of essays and read and analyze a number of complex essays written by professionals. Successful completion of ENG 101 enables the student to enroll in ENG 102.
ENG 111: ADVANCED COLLEGE COMPOSITION (Writing Intensive)
This course is designed for honors students and for students who demonstrate exceptional writing abilities on the WPE. Students receiving a grade of "C" or better in ENG 111 automatically receive the required six hours credit for First Year Writing.
