Spanish speaking students or those taking Spanish classes have the chance to put their knowledge to the test by taking the National Spanish Exam, designed to recognize achievement and promote proficiency in the study of Spanish, on Wednesday and Thursday. Depending on how the student places, they can be eligible for three different types of scholarships.

“The exam is two parts,” Spanish teacher Kristin Kubic said. “Achievement which assesses their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, and proficiency, which assesses their reading and listening skills.”

The exam was created to recognize achievement and it promotes proficiency in the study of Spanish and provides students an opportunity to apply for several scholarships if eligible based on percentile.

“I think that learning something over a long period of time pays off,” freshman Lalana Karri said. “I get to know where I stand compared to other people, and it helps me measure my level of Spanish proficiency.”

The test can be taken multiple times so students are able to take the test at different points in their learning.

“I don’t think I would get discouraged if I didn’t score as high as I thought I would,” Karri said. “Obviously I’m not a fluent speaker. There’s still stuff I need to work on. I’m definitely taking the test all four years of high school.”

Though the test is taken by the students, the results benefit the teachers as well.

“After the students take the rest the teachers are provided with a breakdown of how the students performed,” Kubic said. “It is extremely helpful for us as teachers to look at this data and identify the strengths and weaknesses of our program and identify strategies that we can implement to improve these weak areas. By taking the test, the students help us grow as teachers.”