Third Time’s a Charm: English Proficiency Strikes Classes Again
By Greg Stasiw ’11
News Reporter
The Choate English Proficiency Test, which is administered before winter break, can be a rather daunting challenge for some students. The test is required for all sophomores; a score of at least eighty percent is required for a student to be deemed “proficient.” Those who do not pass must sit for the retake, which is usually held the week after spring break.
The goal of the test is to ensure that all sophomores have reached a certain level of grammatical comprehension. Many new students come to Choate as fourth-formers, and the test provides teachers with a standard for the students’ progress. There is, however, some debate as to whether freshmen should be required to take the test. Upon entering Choate, the freshmen have had varying grammar instruction; some argue that the test would be a good way of measuring if the students are up to Choate standards.
Students have the comfort of knowing that even if they fail the test a second time, they have a third opportunity for success in the spring term. Between the second and third retakes, the English Department holds five review sessions in which students work on grammar exercises and meet with English teachers to improve their knowledge of grammar and usage.
Students find the Proficiency Test difficult for various reasons. For some, the test is challenging because they lack skills in English or other foreign languages. The Proficiency Test counts on some students’ term grades, depending on the teacher, but is not sent to colleges with a student’s transcript. If a student fails the test a third time, however, a letter is placed in the student’s file and sent to his or her parents to provide a more complete picture of a student’s academic attributes.
There was a general reluctance among students who failed the test on the third try to comment on their outcome. One student who wished to remain anonymous asserted, “The test was sort of unfair; I don’t test that well.” The examination certainly has an effect on the way students see themselves performing in English class. A current student who has experienced the horrors of failing the test says, “It’s either a kick in the pants or a pat on the back.” There is certainly a difference of opinion between teachers and students. As one student mentions, “A lot of kids don’t think we [the student body] really need to be good at grammar to have a good life. At least the test doesn’t count too much towards our grade.”
English teacher Megan Shea described grammar as “the nuts and bolts” of our language. She expressed her support for administering the test and ensuring the grammatical proficiency of students who come from “a culture where everything is shortened.” Proper grammar is dying out as today’s youth favors modern and increasingly abbreviated methods of communication. Mrs. Shea believes that if a student “internalizes” grammar, that student will be a better writer and more able to vary sentence structure and communicate clearly. Mrs. Shea feels that grammar “is necessary in the workplace” as well, and that any field of work requires grammatical accuracy. A mere misplacement of something like a comma can drastically alter the meaning of a message, memo, or important statement. “We want our kids to be good writers,” she explains.
Mrs. Shea also spoke about how grammar coverage has evolved since she first came to Choate. There has been “a call to make the grammar more applicable to students’ writing,” she says. She said that older “core” texts, which she considers to be somewhat “dry,” are being supplemented with teacher-created materials to increase effectiveness and communicability to students. To her, the test is “an efficient way to discover” information about a student’s progress and abilities. While the future of the test is debated, the English Department will definitely continue to emphasize the importance of grammar as an essential part of the study of English.
