Dear Parents:
Recently, some of you have asked about SAT II Chinese Subject Test. We would like to share some information with you.
The SAT Subject Tests
Subject Tests (formerly called SAT II: Currently called Subject Tests) measure the students’ knowledge and skills in particular subject areas and their ability to apply that knowledge.
The SAT Subject Tests are the only national admissions tests that give the high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of content in specific subjects, such as English, history, mathematics, science, and various foreign languages. Chinese is one of the foreign languages being tested.
Many colleges or universities use the result of the Subject Tests for their admissions, for the placement of the courses, and for advising students about course selections. Some colleges or universities specify the Subject Tests they require for admissions or for the placement; others allow applicants to choose specific subject tests to take. These tests give the students and colleges or universities a very reliable measure of preparedness of the students for the college-level work in particular subjects. Used in combination with other background information (the high school grade average point record, SAT scores, teacher recommendations, etc.), the Subject Tests provide a reliable measure of the students’ academic achievement, which is a good predictor of future college-level performance in specific subject areas and majors.
The SAT Subject Tests offer the students an additional opportunity to show the colleges or universities they want to apply for what the students know and what the students can do on campus.
Subject Tests fall into five general subject areas:
English
Literature
History
U.S. History (formerly American History and Social Studies)
World History
Mathematics
Mathematics Level 1 (formerly Mathematics IC)
Mathematics Level 2 (formerly Mathematics IIC)
Science
Biology E/M
Chemistry
Physics
Languages
Chinese with Listening
French
French with Listening
German
German with Listening
Spanish
Spanish with Listening
Modern Hebrew
Italian
Latin
Japanese with Listening
Korean with Listening
All Subject Tests are one-hour, multiple-choice tests. However, some of these tests have unique formats:
The Chinese with Listening Subject Test evaluates the students’ ability to understand spoken and written Chinese.
Anticipated Skills
Knowledge of spoken and written Mandarin Chinese in the context of contemporary Chinese culture.
Recommended Preparation
Study of Chinese as a second or foreign language for two to four years in high school, or the equivalent.
For seniors studying Chinese: If Chinese is a strong subject for you, be sure it is one of the SAT Subject Tests you will take in time for your colleges or universities to see your score. If you are only taking it for the placement purpose, and not as part of your application for admissions, wait until you are as far along in your course as possible. If you want to take the Chinese with Listening Test, remember that it is only given in November (don’t forget to bring an acceptable CD player with the earphones) and final register date will be in September.
Star Chinese School will offer a tutorship class for those students who are interested in taking the SAT II Chinese Subject Test. The class depends on the number of students who wish to enroll. The schedule of the class will be on Saturday afternoons from September to October.
For registration or question, please contact the instructor of Star Chinese School, Haiying Xu via e-mail: haiyingxu88@yahoo.com or call: (616) 304-0692.
亲爱的家长:
鉴于最近一些家长询问有关SAT II中文专题考试的有关情况,现向大家说明如下:
SAT专科考试
专题考试(全称为SAT II专题考试)是测试学生对某一特定学科所掌握知识的广度和深度。
SAT II专题考试是国家给予高中生用来证明他们所掌握的特定的专题知识的唯一全国性考试机会。这种考试有英语、历史、数学、科学、和外语等五大类。外语科目约有十种,中文是其中的一门。考生可根据各自的能力专长,任选其中的科目参加考试,向所申请的大学展示自己的才智。
许多大学都参考专题考试的成绩来录取和帮助新生入学后选课和设定专业课程。一些大学指定必考的专题考试。另一些大学允许申请者自己选择。这些考试成绩使得校方和学生在入学时设定和选修课程都具有了可靠的依据。再结合其他的背景资料(高中的平均成绩、SAT成绩和老师的推荐信等),这些考试也为学校在预测学生在未来大学学习成绩,提供了可靠的依据。
专题考试有以下五个专业方面:
英语
文学
历史
美国历史(原来的美国历史和社会研究)
世界历史
数学
数学-1(原来的数学 IC)
数学-2(原来的数学 IIC)
科学
生物学E/M
化学
物理学
语言学
中文并听力
法文
法文并听力
德文
德文并听力
西班牙文
西班牙文并听力
现代希伯来文
意大利文
拉丁文
日文并听力
韩文并听力
所有的专题考试时间为一小时。考试方式都是选择题。有些考试也会有其他不同的方式。在外语考试中,有些只考认读能力;有些既有书面阅读,又包括听力测试;还有些语种两者兼具并可以任选。中文考试只提供认读和听力兼有的完整形式。目的是测试学生已具有的中文水平。
对于已在中文学校学习或具有中文家庭背景的学生来说,参加SAT II中文专题考试或许是一个驾轻就熟并获得考试高分的捷径。使这些学生多了一个机会来向所申请的大学展示其外语水平。即使有些大学并不需要中文考试成绩,但有些学生还是去考,目的就是为了测试自己的中文水平和证明比其他考生技高一筹的能力。
请记住,SAT II中文专题考试每年只在的十一月份进行。报名截止日期在九月份。因SAT II中文专题考试有听力部分,所以要求考试时,参考的学生需自带放音设备。具体详情可查询www.collegeboard.com
为了支持和鼓励社区华人学生的中文学习,若报名学生人数达到要求,星星中文学校将开设SAT II中文专题考试辅导班,为有意参加SAT II中文专题考试的高中生提供帮助。辅导班上课时间初步定于九至十月,每周六的下午上课。
报名事宜,请联系星星中文学校老师徐海英, 电话:(616)304-0692
E-Mail: haiyingxu88@yahoo.com
Kevin Wang
Star Chinese School