Spanish Language Proficiency (SLP) Exam

The SLP Exam consists of three components (oral, written and reading) and is administered by a SLP Exam Specialist from the Department of English Language Acquisition. Applicants must pass the Oral and Reading portions of the exam to be considered by the Department of Human Resources as a Spanish qualified applicant. Exams are given throughout the school year during normal business hours.

1. Text Components:
1. Oral Interview:

The oral interview consists of a 20-minute taped conversation and simulations of situations that exist between the teacher and the students, or the teacher and the parents. The candidate must demonstrate language proficiency. The candidate must address the specific situations. A candidate’s responses will be evaluated in six areas: communicative competence, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and accent. There are five situations, and each one is graded from 1 (fail) to 5 (excellent). The grading is based on a rubric for each of the situations.

2. Written Component:

There are two topics to choose from. All the topics are related to school situations. The grading is the same as the oral, and is based on another rubric.

c. Reading Component:

The reading test consists of five paragraphs with 25 questions. The candidate must have 15 correct answers in order to pass.

2. Appeals Process:

If you should fail the Written and/or Reading portion of the exam you are allowed to retake that portion(s) two additional times ONLY. You must wait 30 days between test administrations. In certain instances, proof of extensive study of Spanish may be considered as grounds for an additional retest. Examples may include extended study in a Spanish speaking country or completion of Spanish language college credits.

If you believe your score on any part of test is inaccurate, a written appeal can be submitted to Mary Ann Baca, the Director of the ELA Department.

3. To schedule an SLP Exam: Contact Luis Diaz at 720.423.8158.