Enrollment Guidelines

The following placement guidelines are excerpted from the 2012 Manual for Contest Administrators.

I.    Introduction

 The following Eligibility Rules include the criteria necessary to place most students in Le Grand Concours.  There are always exceptions and borderline cases which the teacher and contest administrator must decide on the basis of good judgment, fairness, and consistency.  The level at which the Contest Administrator registers a student is irrevocable.  Therefore, in case of doubt, be sure to contact the National Chairman for Eligibility before registering the student (see p. 10).

No student shall take the same level of Concours more than once.  In particular, where a high school obliges all entering ninth graders to take French 1, this rule applies and the student, who has already taken Concours at level 1, will have the choice of taking level 2 or abstaining for a year.  If it is discovered that a student has been registered at the same level two years in a row (without having received prior written permission—see D and E below), or that a student has entered the Concours at two different levels or divisions for the same competition, that student’s registration shall be nullified.  Teachers and Contest Administrators will keep registration records in order to prevent such repeat registrations and to simplify record keeping from year to year.  Exceptions: (1) Level 5: see below II. E; (2) FLES students may take the same level more than once. 

II.    Level Placement

A.    FLES Level:  Grades one through six.  However, students beginning a two-year course sequence leading to French high school level 1 credit or the equivalent at the end of their second course will take Concours level 01, as below.

B.    Level 01:  Students who began French in the fall of the current school year and who are not receiving high school level credit or equivalent for their French course.  01A = up to 1 previous year of French at school (FLES or any other French program); Level 01B = more than 1 previous year of French at school (FLES or any other French program).  A student may enter Concours at level 01A/01B once only.  See Grades 7 & * at a Glance, below.

C.   Levels 1-5: Students shall take Concours at the level which corresponds to the high school credit level assigned to the French course he or she is currently taking.  Thus, for example, students at any school level who have begun French in the fall and who will receive high school credit or equivalent for French I at the end of the academic year will be placed in Concours level 1.

D.   Levels 01 - 4:  Contestants will be permitted to take the Concours at the same level two years in a row provided they submit evidence to the Contest Administrator, through their teacher, that they are repeating the same French course.

E.    Level 5:  Since this examination changes substantially each year and is quite demanding at this level, students may repeat level 5.

F.    Incorrect Placement:  It is the responsibility of the student to enter the correct information on his or her answer sheet which leads to correct placement by Level and Division.  The participating teacher is to verify the accuracy of placement and to refer it to the Contest or Center Administrator who may elect to verify.  The ensuing level and division shall be the ultimate determination in arriving at a National rank.  If, subsequent to the Contest, an error in placement is determined, the original National rank shall remain valid.  The local chapter may re-compute rank for local statistical purposes.

 For French programs on special calendars, or scheduling, or students in intensive programs that do not correspond to regular semester programs, check to see if the students can be entered in Division D or E.  If the student does not match these categories, contact the National Chairman of Eligibility

Grades 7 and 8 at a Glance
Only those who (1) are NOT receiving high school level credit or equivalent for their French course and (2)who have had no more than one year of FLES or any equivalent French Program  =Level 01A
Only those who (1) are NOT receiving high school level credit or equivalent for their French course and (2) who have had more than one year of FLES or any equivalent French program =Level 01B
ONLY those who (1) ARE taking French 1 for high school or equivalent level credit and who (2) have taken up to one year of FLES or any equivalent French Program =Level 1A
ONLY those who (1)ARE taking French 1 for high school or equivalent level credit and who (2) have had more than one year of FLES or any equivalent French Program =Level 1B

           NOTE: Students receiving level 1 French credit or the equivalent or entering French 2 after their present course must enter the Concours at level 1.

Example 1: in a middle school, where French is offered for the first time and French 1 is split over 7th and 8th grades.  The 7th graders will take level 01A and the 8th graders will take level 1A.  These students will enter French 2 in high school and will continue with the 2A Contest

Example 2: in a private school where French is offered through all grades.  6th grade students will take the FLES Contest, 7th grade students will take level 1B, and the 8th grade students level 2B.  These students will enter French 3 in high school and will continue with the 3A Contest.

There are many other possible scenarios.  Please contact George Diller for specific placement guidance to ensure that the students are placed at the proper levels

III.    Division Categories: 

Students may be entered at Divisions A, B, C, D, or E as determined by the Contest Administrator.

 A.    Divisions A and B for levels 01, 1 and 2:  These two divisions at the first three levels permit fairer ranking of students of differing French backgrounds.  Division B is not offered after level 2 since the Concours is more challenging at the higher levels and early French experience will not give students any measurable advantage over students who do not have any previous exposure.

1.    Division A is for the student who has not lived with French-speaking parents, who has not attended a French school and who has not lived in a French-speaking community.

2.    Division B is for:

a.    students who, after their sixth birthday, attended a school where French was the language of instruction for a total of more than one semester but fewer than four semesters (two years); or, (2) students who, after their sixth birthday, have lived in a French-speaking community for a total of more than one year but fewer than three years. (Three years or more = Division C.)

b.    Students with one French-speaking parent.

c.    Students taking, in addition to their regular French course, one course or more conducted predominantly in French.

d.    Students who have spent two or more successive summers in a French-speaking area.

e.    Ninth grade students entering the Concours for the first time and who (1) have had one year or more of FLES or any equivalent French program, or who (2) have previously had one semester or more of instruction in French above the sixth-grade level.

 3.   Once registered in a division, the student remains in that division through Level 2.

 B.    Division C.  For students whose background is more extensive than those in levels 01B – 2B and 3A-5A.  A few examples would be:

 C.   Divisions D & E.  Because of the availability of alternate school schedules such as block or trimester, there may be many variations in exposure to French.  In each case, we ask the Contest Administrator to make a decision based, generally, on the guidelines below.  En Principe, Division D refers to students who when they take the Concours are still enrolled in French; E is designed for students “in-between” French courses.  However, if the student has a more extensive French background and meets the criteria for Division C, the student must be enrolled in Division C, regardless of school schedule and current enrollment.

1.    Division D is for students who began their study of French at a given level (01 - 5) at the beginning of the fall semester but, at Contest time, are studying at the next level.  If, however, the student will complete the next level by the end of the current academic year, he/she will take Concours at that level, but not in division D.

Example 1: A student is enrolled in French 2 in September, 2011.  Because the school is on block scheduling, the course will be completed by December or January.  At Contest time, normally in March, the student will be enrolled in French 3, which will not be completed until the fall 2012 semester has ended.  This student shall be enrolled at level 2D.

Rationale: The student has completed French 2, but has not had enough experience in French 3 to achieve a good result. Students in Division D must earn a score equal to or better than students in Division A to earn the same rank.

Example 2: A non-native speaking student begins French 3 in January 2012, and will complete French 3 at the end of the current semester.  This student shall be enrolled at Level 3A.

Rationale: The student on this type of schedule will have had a similar amount of instruction time compared to a student with a traditional school schedule at Contest time.

2.    Division E is for students who 1) began their study of French at a given level (01-5) at the beginning of the fall semester but, at Contest time, are not enrolled in French; or 2) who began their French course only in the second semester of the academic year. 

 

Example: A student is enrolled in French 2 in September, 2011.  Because the school is on block scheduling, the course will be completed by December or January.  At Contest time, the student is not enrolled in any course in French.  This student shall be enrolled at level 2E. 

Rationale: The student has completed French 2, but at the time of the Concours has not studied French for 2-3 months.

 D.   Ranking Winners.  Concours participants, regardless of division (A-E), take an identical exam at their level.  However, the results of their performance are ranked separately.  Award rank in Divisions B, C, and D is restricted to those students who score higher respectively than Division A contestants at the same rank.  For example: top score in level 1A is 80 (rank 1); if the top score in level 1B is 79, so the 1B rank would be 2, even though it’s the highest score in the level/division.

 

E.    Students with Learning Disabilities.  No later than two weeks before the registration deadline the student’s teacher shall submit a document or documents that provide sufficient evidence for the Contest Administrator to judge the case. Such documents may include an IEP (“Individualized Education Plan”) or a “504 Plan” or other similar documents. The Contest Administrator will then determine whether to allow special accommodations to permit the student to perform equally with other students in Concours. Such accommodations may include, but are not limited to, longer test-taking time, brailled or large-print materials, sound scripts and alternate testing locations.