Welcome to the
Department of
English Language Acquisition
Spanish Language Proficiency (SLP) Exams
New Testing Process Effective October 1st, 2011, teacher candidates applying for Spanish designated assignments with Denver Public Schools will be required to successfully complete a Spanish language proficiency exam proctored by the Berlitz Corporation. The district has partnered with Berlitz Languages, Inc. to facilitate and proctor this exam. The district will continue to administer the SLP exam for clerical (DAEOP), paraprofessional and special service provider positions (e.g., speech language pathologists, nurses, social workers, audiologists, psychologists); see instructions below if you are a candidate for a Spanish-speaking clerical, paraprofessional or special service provider role. Note: All teachers who were hired into an ELA-S designated position before October 1st, 2011, will complete the testing process they began with the Office of Multicultural Outreach. Registering for SLP Exam (s) Berlitz has locations worldwide to administer the Denver Public Schools Spanish Language Proficiency exam. This exam is a prerequisite for all bilingual (Spanish/English) teacher and special service provider candidates. Denver Public Schools requires all teacher candidates to successfully complete the Denver Public Schools Spanish Language exam before being considered for positions that require Spanish and English instruction and delivery. These positions can be identified on the online posting system as ELA-S (English Language Acquisition–Spanish). To schedule an SLP Exam, submit your completed application in one of the following ways. Click here to register to take the SLP test. Cost and Reimbursement Process Each test attempt (speaking, reading and writing) costs $150.00. Once a candidate successfully completes the exam and is hired to perform in the capacity of an ELA-S designated assignment, he or she can submit a request for $150 in reimbursement via the ProComp system. To see more about Procomp, visit http://denverprocomp.dpsk12.org/ The break-down cost per test is as follows: •$70-Test of Speaking Skills •$40-Test of Writing Skills •$40-Test of Reading Comprehension Skills Exam (s) for teacher candidates About the Exam Administered by Berlitz Languages, Inc., the Spanish Language Proficiency (SLP) Exam for teachers consists of three components (oral, written, reading). Applicants new to Denver Public Schools or internal teachers who change assignments into ELA-S positions must pass all portions of the SLP Exam to be considered by the Department of Human Resources as Spanish-qualified applicants. However, the following arrangement is allowed: “…if employed pursuant to the ELA-S program, receipt of a passing grade in the oral and reading portions of the Spanish Language Proficiency (“SLP”) test or other District-approved Spanish language proficiency examination prior to entering into this Contract; and (d) if employed pursuant to the ELA-S program, receipt of a passing grade in the writing portion of the SLP or other District-approved Spanish language proficiency examination prior to the end of February of the current school year.” If an applicant fails the written and/or reading portions of the exam, he or she is allowed to retake that portion of the test only two more times. Both the initial exam and any portion that must be retaken can be scheduled at your convenience via the Berlitz Testing Coordinator and Account Management Team dedicated to Denver Public Schools. Oral Interview and passing score The Berlitz Test of Speaking Skills is a validated oral proficiency testing system designed to accurately measure the examinee’s active oral communicative ability in a professional setting. This testing system is based on a guided 20-minute dialogue between the Berlitz Rater and the examinee by telephone. Our raters are native-fluent in their test languages and trained to lead a Berlitz Test of Speaking Skills in a professional and pleasant manner. Through a series of questions, prompts, and tasks set in a professional context, the Berlitz Rater elicits oral language production from the examinee. It is measured in the areas of fluency, grammatical accuracy, lexical range, and phonological control. Results are based on the Common European Framework—one of the most widely used and recognized language proficiency scales in the world. •The passing score is 4-5 using a DPS 1-5 scale. Click here to see the rubric and the descriptors for each score. Written component and passing score Examinees can choose between two topics. Both topics are related to school situations. Grading is based on a rubric. Click here to see the rubric used to score the written component of the SLP. •The passing score is 4-5 using a DPS 1-5 scale. Click here to see the rubric and the descriptors for each score. Reading comprehension component and passing score The reading test consists of five paragraphs with 25 questions. •The passing score is 18 correct answers minimum using a DPS 1-25 possible reading comprehension answer test. Exam Results Denver Public Schools will email results to candidates once a week on each Friday. Although the timeframe to receive results from Berlitz is 24 hours after being tested, this is the only time when we will be emailing test results. Please do not reply to this communication.
Retaking the SLP If you failed any component of the SLP test and want to retake it, please register with Berlitz by clicking on the following link: Click here to register to take the SLP test.
Any dispute of results must be addressed to the ELA Hotline at 720-423-8155.
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Exam (s) for Clerical (DAEOP), Paraprofessional and Special Service Provider candidates
Upon receiving an offer of employment that requires you to act in a bilingual (Spanish/English) capacity as a paraprofessional or as a secretary, the Department of Human Resources, principal or hiring manager you are working with, will submit an online request authorizing that you register and successfully pass the district’s Spanish Language Proficiency (SLP) exam.
An SLP Exam Specialist from the Department of English Language Acquisition administers the during normal business hours.
1. Test components for paraprofessional candidates
Oral: A Spanish conversation with the examiner. The candidate’s responses are evaluated in four areas: communication, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency skills. The grading is based on a rubric. A minimum of a 3 (60%), on a scale of 1 to 5, is required to pass this section.•Reading proficiency: The candidate is to read aloud the Spanish selection used for the Reading Comprehension section of the test, with appropriate fluency and expression, as of modeling to students. A minimum of a 3 (60%), on a scale of 1 to 5, is required to pass this section.
Reading Comprehension: The candidate is to read aloud a Spanish literature selection, and then summarize the selection in a Spanish essay showing his/her appropriate understanding of the reading.
Writing/Grammar: The candidate must write two Spanish essays; one of them is the summary of the reading selection, and the second one about a given topic related with the school setting. This section will be evaluated on communicative, vocabulary, vocabulary, grammar, and organization skills. The grading is based on a rubric. A minimum of a 3 (60%), on a scale of 1 to 5, is required to pass this section.
Paraprofessionals testing and qualifications
ELA-S paraprofessionals are held to a higher standard beyond NCLB requirements, and in order to better meet the needs of DPS students and schools, the following requirement will apply:
ELA-S paraprofessionals must take the four-section Paraprofessional Spanish Language Proficiency (SLP) exam. The sections are Oral Proficiency, Reading, Writing and Grammar. They must pass the Oral Proficiency section and either the Reading or Writing section.
2. Test components for clerical (secretarial) candidates
Oral: The candidate must talk about five hypothetical school situations that may exist between a school clerk and people requiring his/her assistance. The candidate’s responses are evaluated in four areas: communication, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency skills. The grading is based on a rubric. A minimum of a 3 (60%), on a scale of 1 to 5, is required to pass this section.• Reading proficiency: The candidate is to read aloud a Spanish selection related with the school setting. The candidate must read with appropriate fluency and expression. A minimum of a 3 (60%), on a scale of 1 to 5, is required to pass this section.
Writing/Grammar: The candidate must write an essay of 200 to 250 words in Spanish, about a given topic related with school situations. This section will be evaluated on communicative, vocabulary, vocabulary, grammar, and organization skills. The grading is based on a rubric. A minimum of a 3 (60%), on a scale of 1 to 5, is required to pass this section
Click here to register to take the SLP test.