General Guidelines for Spanish Placement
Spring 2009
1. The contact person for Modern Languages course permissions is Angélique Courbou (angeli@ksu.edu).
Her office is in EH005, and office hours during enrollment are: MWF 8:30 to 11 and 1 to 5; TU 8:30 to 2:30.
Angelique will process all electronic permissions.
2. Students with no Spanish background whatsoever should be sent to Angélique Courbou as they can enroll in
Span 161. They need to know in which section of Span 161 they wish to enroll prior to requesting permission.
3. Students with prior experience with Spanish (either in high school classes, at home or abroad) must take the
placement test (in EH001 or online: http://languagelearningcenter.es.tl/Placement-Tests.htm).
4. Once the student has taken the placement test, he/she will be given a score. General placement guidelines
are as follows:
400-499
Spanish 3 or Span 365 (see #9)
0-199
Spanish 1
500-599
Spanish 4 or Span 365 (see #9)
200-299
Spanish 2
300-399
Spanish 165
600 +
See a Spanish advisor
However, the placement test is not always accurate, therefore we recommend that students bring their score to
the Spanish Coordination Office, so we can look at their Spanish background and help them choose the correct
level.
5. As a general rule of thumb:
 Students with 1 year of high school Spanish take Spanish 1 or 2. Again, placement results will help
determine this, as well as a conference with Spanish Coordination.
 Students with 2 years of high school Spanish take Spanish 2, unless their placement test score is very low
(then they take Spanish 1). Students with 2 years of high school Spanish, but who have not had Spanish for
over a year will be allowed in Spanish 1 (they will need permission).
 Students with 3 years of high school Spanish may take Spanish 3. Students with 3 years of high school
Spanish, but who have not had Spanish for over a year should consider Spanish 165.
 Students with 4 years of high school Spanish may take Spanish 4. Students with 4 years of high school
Spanish, but who have not had Spanish for over a year may take Spanish 3.
6. Candidates for SPAN 165 vs. SPAN 162: This course is ideal for students who should enroll in Spanish 261
(3), but do not feel ready, and need a review of basic Spanish. The course covers material from Spanish 1 and 2
in one semester. Students should take the placement test to measure their skills. Students’ knowledge base after
2-3 years of high school Spanish can vary, so the placement test is our best hope of assessing their skills. If they
place in 165, then they should feel fairly confident in taking the class. If, in doubt, they should take 162 (generally
a good spot for those who've had two years of Spanish).
7. Please remind students that, if they find themselves in over their heads during the first week or so of the
semester, they can come to the Coordination Office and we will help them find a class more at their level.
8. If students have a time gap before enrolling in Spanish here at K-State, then they may place in a lower level
than they would expect. They will be allowed to take it if that is the case, but they would need a placement
test result, and permission. (For example, a student with 4 years of Spanish but a 4 year gap between then and
enrollment, might benefit from Span 165 to review the basics)
9. SPAN 365: SPANISH FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS.
 This class is for US bilingual Spanish-English college students who learned Spanish while growing up at
home, therefore, Spanish is their first language, but who have not yet had the opportunity to read and write
Spanish in a school setting.
 The candidate for this class, should take the placement test, and the score is usually higher than 350.
However, the results are not the most reliable for this kind of students; therefore, they need to contact
Yasmín Díaz (EH 005) or by email (yasedi@ksu.edu) as soon as possible to make sure that SPAN 365 is
the class that suits their needs.
 It is extremely important to identify heritage speakers. Most of the time they are placed in Span 361 or 410,
which are courses designed for non-natives, and although they will do very well in the speaking and listening
tasks, they will not receive the help they need to improve their writing and reading skills.
 NOTE: If the student gets a grade of C or better, s/he can receive retroactive credit for 5 credit hours of Span
261.