The Pennsylvania State University
College of the Liberal Arts
Proficiency Certification and Credit by Examination in Foreign Languages
Information for Students and Advisors
at the Lehigh Valley Campus
Some students seek to satisfy language requirements by means other than taking coursework. If their
situations fall within the criteria established by Penn State’s Foreign Language Placement Policy, they
may request that the relevant language and literature departments provide Credit by Examination or
Non-Credit Proficiency Certification.
Credit by Examination (CRX): this process can confer credits
This is a method of graded credit acquisition. It is officially defined by Faculty Senate Policy (52.50.1)
and the Handbook: "Penn State students may earn credits which are accepted to fulfill degree
requirements through successful completion (C or better) of a comprehensive examination. This
examination is a substitute for completing the usual requirements of a course. Credit by examination
may not be used to earn credit for a course previously completed with a quality letter grade (including
courses that were failed). Credit by examination may not be attained on the satisfactory - unsatisfactory
grading system. Obtaining credit by examination may not be possible for some courses."
A fee per credit is charged for CRX. The Fall 2013 rate is $30 per credit—for instance, $120 for a 4credit language course. The credits and grades are entered on the student's transcript. Paperwork to
request CRX can be obtained from advising offices and from academic departments
In language courses, students are eligible for CRX only within the parameters of the University's Foreign
Language Placement Policy. This policy states, for example, that students may not receive credit for
elementary or intermediate courses in their native language.
Non-Credit Proficiency Certification: this process does not confer credits
Sometimes the situations of students do not fall within the CRX opportunity. Examples include the
following:
a) Graduate students who need certification of proficiency (but not necessarily credits) in order to
meet doctoral requirements, apply for grants, etc. This issue does not arise at Penn State Lehigh
Valley.
The next three situations are those most likely to apply at Penn State Lehigh Valley
b) Undergraduates seeking documentation of their proficiency in a language acquired through
means such as education abroad or other such programs, often to satisfy the 12th-credit-level
B.A. proficiency requirement.
c) Undergraduates who are native speakers of languages other than English. Such students are
not eligible for credit in the elementary or intermediate courses in their native language, as
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noted above, but they may be seeking certification that they have met the 12th-credit-level
proficiency requirement for B.A. (and some other) degrees.
d) Students seeking proficiency certification in languages not taught at their Penn State location.
Procedure: Students seeking credits through the CRX option should obtain the CRX paperwork from an
advising office or a department office and follow the instructions it provides. The fee ($30/credit as of
Fall 2013) must be paid before the examination is administered.
Students seeking Non-Credit Proficiency Certification in Foreign Languages should use the Non-Credit
form available here. Requests are to be submitted to the Office of the Director of Academic Affairs at
the Lehigh Valley Campus. It is not guaranteed that all requests will be fulfilled. If the campus cannot
fulfill the request, the student will be notified and can seek alternative means of documenting
proficiency (such as taking an external standardized exam in the language). If the Campus can fulfill the
request, the fee ($60 as of Fall 2013) must be paid before the examination is administered. For
questions about this policy, contact the Lehigh Valley Campus Office of Academic Affairs (610) 2855056.
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Request for Non-Credit Proficiency Certification in Foreign Languages
at the Lehigh Valley Campus
Name of Student (please print) __________________________________________________________
Student Number ________________________________Email ____________________________
Local Address and Phone _______________________________________________________________
Permanent Address and Phone __________________________________________________________
Major (or pre-major or DUS)_____________________________________________________________
Academic Adviser’s Name (please print) ___________________________________________________
Adviser’s Email _______________________________________________________________________
To the student: This form does not lead to your receiving credits. It only certifies that you have been
found proficient at the level specified. The staff assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs will tell you
which instructors or other examiners are authorized to provide certification for your language.
After Academic Affairs staff member tells you the name of an authorized instructor or other examiner, it
is your responsibility to contact this person, arrange a time to be examined in the language, pay the fee
by check or money order to “Penn State Lehigh Valley” (prior to taking the exam), give the form to the
examiner at the time of the exam, and obtain the first two approval signatures in the order shown
below. The language examiner -not the student- should return the form to the Office of Academic
Affairs. (In some cases, at the option of the Director of Academic Affairs, official credentials showing
your prior knowledge of the language may be used as an alternative or supplement to an exam.)
Academic Affairs will then send the completed form to your advisor and give you a copy of the form for
your records. Your advisor can have your language proficiency entered into your official “degree audit”
record.
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CERTIFICATION OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
To the Lehigh Valley Director of Academic Affairs:
The student identified here has been found proficient in the language indicated, at the level indicated.
This form is valid only when all approval signatures are provided.
NAME OF STUDENT ____________________________________________________________________
LANGUAGE __________________________________________________________________________
PROFICIENCY equivalent to completion of the highest Penn State course level that is checked below:
_____ Language 001 (4th-credit level)
_____ Language 002 (8th-credit level)
_____ Language 003 (12th-credit level, which completes the B.A. requirement)
_____ Language ___________ (or 15th-credit level)
_____ Language ___________ (or 18th-credit level)
_____ Beyond 18th-credit level (may include native speakers)
_____ Other pattern of equivalency (for example: 3 credits, 6 credits) __________________________
Additional descriptors may also be used (optional). For example, if only a reading knowledge, or only a
conversational knowledge, has been tested, this can be indicated below.
Listening skills
_____ Not tested
_____ Very minimal or no practical ability to comprehend the spoken language
_____ Able to understand short, basic utterances on everyday topics and immediate situations
_____ Able to understand ideas and details of conversations beyond the immediate situation
_____ Able to understand main ideas and essentials of most or all speech in a standard dialect, when
listening for personal, social, and professional purposes
_____ Native or native-like ability
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Speaking skills
_____ Not tested
_____ Very minimal or no practical speaking ability
_____ Able to handle a range of uncomplicated, basic tasks and simple practical and social situations
_____ Able to satisfy the needs of many everyday situations, including routine school and work
_____ Able to participate effectively in most or all situations and to speak appropriately on practical,
social, academic/professional, and abstract topics
_____ Native or native-like ability
Reading skills
_____ Not tested
_____ Very minimal or no practical ability to understand written material
_____ Able to read short, simple texts dealing with basic practical and social needs
_____ Able to read prose several paragraphs long, and to understand main ideas if not all details
_____ Able to read with complete or almost complete comprehension, including
academic/professional material and material on unfamiliar subjects
_____ Reading ability of a well-educated native or native-like speaker of the language
Writing skills
_____ Not tested
_____ Very minimal or no practical ability to communicate in writing
_____ Able to meet limited practical needs such as writing a short letter
_____ Able to write items such as routine correspondence though there may be some errors
_____ Able to use written expression successfully in most or all formal and informal writing situations,
including writing on academic/professional topics
_____ Writing ability of a well-educated native or native-like speaker of the language
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Signatures (obtain in the order indicated):
1. Student. I have requested Non-Credit Proficiency Certification as indicated on this form. I have read
and understand the policy and procedure statements on this form.
____________________________________________________(signature) ___________________(date)
2. Office of Academic Affairs staff member. With reference to the student indicated on this form, the fee
for the language examination and/or evaluation of his/her credentials ($60) has been paid.
_____________________________________________________(signature) _________________(date)
3. Examiner (do not administer the exam or evaluate credentials unless both signatures #1 and #2 have
been supplied). I am an instructor or examiner whom the Lehigh Valley Director of Academic Affairs, as
indicated above, has authorized to verify proficiency in the language shown. Having examined the
student identified above, or having evaluated his/her credentials, I certify that he/she is proficient in the
language at the level indicated.
____________________________________________________(printed name)
____________________________________________________(signature) ___________________(date)
4. Director of Academic Affairs, Lehigh Valley Campus
____________________________________________________(signature) ___________________(date)
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