National Latin Exam

[Shelly in VA]

Question on the National Latin Exam - where do you have a child start? Dd (freshman) is currently in Third Form Latin, but she hasn't taken the NLE before. I actually dropped the ball and entirely forgot about it, after promising her she could take it, and I'm not 100% certain I can still register her for the online test, but the site makes it look like I can, with a late fee; so irritated with myself! Anyway, after taking some practice exams, she feels like either Latin I or Latin II would be the "right" level, but looking at the Memoria Press guidelines it almost seems that you should start with Latin I, then follow it up in future years with increasingly challenging exams. Am I understanding that correctly? Is Latin I even the right level, or should she take the Introductory Latin exam? Or should she take both Latin I and Latin II? 

 

Help :confused1: , and thank you so much!! 

[rlestina]

You should take the Latin exam that goes with the level she is studying.  You don't need to start with Intro to Latin.  Actually, I think they would probably frown on a student who is currently taking say Latin III, but has never taken the NLE, taking the Intro Latin NLE - because they would be sure to ace it, which is not fair to the other students, and because it would not reflect their correct Latin level.

 

Per their policy, Introduction to Latin is for students taking only the first year of a 2 year Latin 1 program (the slower ramp up being common for middle schools I believe).  Latin I is for students currently taking a 1 year Latin I program, or in year 2 of a 2 year Latin I program.  Latin II is for Latin II students, etc.

 

From what I understand finishing up Fourth Form is essentially finishing Latin 1, the 2+ year version.  So probably your best bet is the Latin I NLE.

 

I know Lukeion students start with the Latin I exam, and never take the Intro to Latin exam at all.

[Shelly in VA]

Thank you! A chart on the Memoria Press site listed Level 1 or 2 for students currently taking Third Form Latin, which is what initially made me think that Latin I was the appropriate level. Also the fact that dd tried past exams from the site and didn't know all of the grammar from the Latin II exam, combined with the complete lack of preparation for the exam (again, my fault!) which will put her at a disadvantage on the "Culture and Civilization" sections. Actually, I'm thinking we may need to skip it this year and actually prep for it next year...

 

Thank you so much for the input!!

[yvonne]

I'd ask MP or her Latin teacher directly. They'll have a better sense of how their Forms line up with the NLE and what has worked for their students in the past.

 

You could also look at the NLE syllabus, which lists specifics about what is covered at each level, and see what content she's covered. I took a quick look and some of the topics listed for Third Form are tested on the NLE Latin 3 exam, so, since she feels comfortable with the Latin 2 exam, that may be the way to go.

 

If she's doing well on the practice Latin 2 exams, I would definitely not have her take the Latin 1 exam just to start at the beginning. If she's capable of doing well on the Level 2 exam, it seems like taking the Latin 1 exam would understate her true ability and the work she's done in Latin!

Edited February 29, 2016 by yvonne