Note: This post is one in a series on how we prepared our homeschooled children to take various College Level Examination Program tests. The introductory post for this series explains why we take these tests, what parts of the preparation worked for us, and what parts of the preparation did not work.
The CLEP test: Spanish
SPECIAL NOTE: Unlike the other entries in this series of posts, the explanation we provide here will probably not be valid for most homeschool students who plan to take the Spanish CLEP test. We speak Spanish at least half the time in our home as my wife was born and raised in Mexico. We plan for the kids to study a third language using Rosetta Stone. If we chose to go with French or German, for which there are available CLEP tests, we will post our results here.
Primary study materials:
- Best Test Preparation for the CLEP Spanish includes two audio CD’s for practice on the listening section of the test
Secondary study materials:
Tertiary influences:
- We speak Spanish at home at least half of the time with a native speaker of the language.
Discussion:
Both Rosetta Stone and the REA materials served Kelly very well in preparation for the test. Again, because we have a native speaker in the home, this is probably the least valuable of the explanations on how to prepare for a CLEP examination. We plan to use a similar method for our next language, but with the addition of some grammar workbooks. We do not yet know which language we will chose, but we will add a page for that language if it is either French or German for which there are available CLEP tests.
Results:
Kelly took the test in the ninth grade. She received a scaled score that, according to the REA book, would give her an A if the course were graded for two years of college level Spanish. Christian will not take the test until he is in the ninth grade. Christian ended up taking this test as an eighth grader and got an A on the test for two years of college level Spanish.
What we would do differently: Nothing.
Hi Ken! I am glad to read a bit about your kids’ experience with this. I am planning to start taking CLEP exams this year–starting with the Spanish exam. The free practice exams I have found haven’t been difficult for me, so I haven’t planned on doing any preparation. Is that a really bad plan?
On another note, I think of you guys often! I have to start speaking mor Spanish with Ernestito, his papá is getting worried that he is speaking more English than Spanish….I haven’t forgotten your advice about that when we saw you last year at Boring!
It is great to hear from Brooke! I am glad you are going to speak more Spanish with Ernestito! We love that we did that and are sure your whole family will benefit from it greatly in the future. We hope to see you up here before long now that we are back in Oregon.
As for the CLEP tests, we have kind of realized that we do not know the answer for the Spanish CLEP tests the kids took because we used Rosetta Stone (two years of that), the REA CLEP study book and of course we speak the language at home. I really think that firmed up the kids speaking skills. They did really great on the tests and I am sure you will, too. You have worked it and lived it long enough. I think I would need a better founding in grammar to do well, but them I am the non-native speaker!