AATG
Testing and Award Program
Northern Illinois Chapter
Guidelines
WELCOME
Welcome to this exciting testing and awards program! The National AATG Exam is sponsored by the National AATG, and the Northern Illinois Chapter has developed a corresponding Awards Program that is considered to be among the major activities in our Chapter.
QUICK LINKS
For your information, here are some quick links to very basic information about the exam:
• What is the exam? Who takes it? When is it administered? Find out all about the exam at the National AATG Testing Information Site.
• Where do I order it? Order the exam at the National AATG Order Site.
• How do I find out more information on the AATG? Check out the National AATG Site!
• Back to events in our Chapter? View the site for the Northern Illinois Chapter!
PARTICIPATION IS AN OPPORTUNITY
We would like to strongly and enthusiastically encourage all teachers of German at Levels II, III, and IV to participate in the National AATG Testing Program during the year 2005/2006. We hope that you will find the following information relevant to your involvement with the teaching of German and helpful as you decide whether and how to incorporate the exam into your curriculum. (Download Letter to Teachers: AATG Testing Letter 2005-2006 - document format; AATG Testing Letter 2005-2006 - pdf format)
Each year, the AATG administers this standardized National Test in December and January to approximately 25,000 students nationwide. In conjunction with the National Testing Program, the National Office also coordinates an awards program which is organized by local AATG chapters. We find that participation in this program in Northern Illinois is an extraordinary way to give students opportunities to:
• win a a 4-week trip to Germany
• win a 2-week stay at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota
• win interesting and engaging book awards at our Awards Ceremony on the first Sunday in May
• compare achievement with other German students in the U.S.
• prepare for the A.P. exams
In an
increasingly globally
oriented environment, these opportunities contribute significantly to helping
capable and talented students acquire skills that will enable them to adapt
in an international setting . Our goal is to encourage and promote
the acquisition
of foreign language skills among American students. Many of those
students who
have had the opportunity to participate in the programs, have responded with
immense enthusiasm to their experiences and have continued to
pursue paths that
draw on their knowledge of German and the German or European cultures.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS PARTICIPATION
We are happy to report that the Northern Illinois Chapter of the AATG and its teachers have been very active in using the Testing and Awards Program to honor and reward students for their outstanding achievement on the AATG test. In 2004/2005, 1343 students from 44 high schools took the national AATG test in Northern Illinois, out of 25,679 nationally. 616 students took the test at level II, 402 at level III, and 325 at level IV. 86 students scored above 90 % on level II, 40 on level III, and 35 on level IV. Four students won study trips to Germany and three students were selected to take part in a two week program at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota with expenses for these awards provided by John Doeringer of the Steuben Society, the Swiss Benevolent Society, the Chicago Brauhaus, and the German-American Education Fund, specifically the DANK School Northern Suburbs.
These numbers are impressive, but we hope that we can inspire even more teachers to take part in the program. Not only is the testing beneficial to students, but, the more students, who tke the test, the more awards are likely to be made available to us from the National Office in Cherry Hill. For example, the AATG National Office noticed the high level of participation in our chapter and, due to the high number of students taking the AATG tests, our chapter has received 2 trip prizes in previous two years.
ELIGIBILITY
Students are eligible to compete for a study trip award sponsored by the National AATG, if they score above 90% on the test, are not native speakers, will be 16 years old in December of the end of the respective academic year, have not spent more than two consecutive weeks in a German-speaking country since the age of six (including GAPP trips), and are citizens or permanent residents of the USA. The National AATG has offered, in the past, for the Northern Illinois Chapter, between one and three study trip awards for students who are not graduating seniors (Award I), and one more limited award for seniors (Award II). In conjunction with this testing program, the National Office also coordinates an awards program organized by local AATG chapters. The Northern Illinois Chapter and its teachers have been very active in using the Testing and Awards Program to honor and reward students for their outstanding achievement on the national test and to promote the continued study of German.
GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Northern Illinois Chapter will use the regulations regarding student eligibility established by the National AATG Office.
GUIDELINES FOR THE YEAR 2005/2006
Award I (Non-Senior Trip Award)
All sophomores and juniors, i.e., students who are not graduating seniors on levels 2, 3, and 4, who meet the requirements of the National AATG will be eligible for Award I (Non-Senior Trip Award).
Award II (Senior Trip Award)
All seniors on levels
2, 3, and 4, who meet the requirements of the National AATG will be eligible
for Award II (Senior Trip Award).
PLEASE NOTE:
*Each teacher (i.e. each school) in Northern Illinois may nominate one student per award (one non-senior for Award I and one senior for Award II). If there are several German teachers at one school, the teachers need to nominate one student for each award who will represent the school.
CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGE STIPENDS
Students who apply for the study trips and who are invited to interview are automatically considered as candidates for the Concordia Language Village Stipends. If they are not nominated or chosen as candidates for the study trips, they may be offered the opportunity to take part in a two-week Concordia Language Village Stipend as an alternative.
Should there be the possibility for additional stipends to Concordia Language Villages, information regarding a separate application for students who have scored above the 90th percentile on the AATG National Examination will be forwarded to the teachers involved in the testing process.
EVALUATION PROCESS
BOOK AWARDS FOR PRIZE WINNERS
Finally, every year, 90 students (the top 30 from each level who scored above the 90th percentile) are invited to attend the annual Awards Ceremony with their parents and teachers, where they are honored with book awards for their outstanding achievement.
STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONY
A special Students Awards Ceremony is organized for prize winners, book award winners, and students who have been invited to interviews. It usually takes place on the first Sunday in May between 2 pm and 4 pm. During the coming year, it will take place on May 7, 2006, between 2 pm and 4 pm. In recent years there have been up to 4 prize trip winners and 5 scholarships to Concordia German Language Villages in Minnesota.
DEADLINES 2005-2006
The testing period is December 12, 2005 to January 18, 2006. Please consult the National AATG website in mid-September for information concerning deadlines for posting requests for materials for December and January test dates at the National AATG Web Site.
As always, test information and order forms will be sent by the Cherry Hill office in early fall. Participating teachers will be notified of subsequent deadlines. Please note that students eligible for the interview must complete the packet on time and fulfill all of the eligibility requirements listed on the 2005/2006 Application Form. Participation in the interview process is also required in order to remain eligible.
For further information on the testing process in Northern Illinois, please consult the National AATG Web Site. If you have any questions about Testing and Awards, please contact Ingrid Zeller at 847.491.8290 or izeller@northwestern.edu.
ORDERING THE TEST
As always, test information and order forms will be sent by Cherry Hill late in the fall. If you have not received detailed information regarding the exams as well an order form from the national AATG office, please feel free to consult the AATG web sites and to download the order forms.
The testing period is between December 12, 2005 and January 18, 2006
The deadline for ordering exams for December is October 28, 2005
The FINAL deadline for ordering exams for January is November 11, 2005
TAKE ACTION! PARTICIPATE AND CREATE A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES!!!!
As Testing & Awards Chairperson, I would like to encourage ALL HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUCTORS in the Northern Illinois Chapter to participate in the National Testing Program. Not only are students given the chance to win a trip to Germany, a stipend to the Concordia Language Villages, or an appealing book prize, but the tests are also excellent preparation for the A.P. German exam and an opportunity to recognize academic excellence at your particular high school. We have attractive prizes at each level for students invited to the Awards Tea. For the coming year, we would like to continue to seek outside funding for additional Concordia Language Village stipends from other organizations and the business community. If we can show 100% participation in the program, it will be easier to convince donors to contribute and it will be more likely that we may continue to receive additional prizes and study trips from the National AATG Office in Cherry Hill, NJ. Please help us continue our 49-year record of support for deserving students of the German language! If you are not yet involved in AATG testing, or the Testing and Awards Program, please contact me at 847.491.8290 or at izeller@northwestern.edu to receive more information on the testing process and how it can strengthen a German program at your school. Thank you for all your help, support, commitment, and enthusiasm during this past year
Ingrid Zeller
Testing & Awards Chairperson; Northern Illinois Chapter, AATG
Department of German, Northwestern University
Kresge Hall 2-530
1880 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208-2203
Telephone: 847.491.8290
E-mail: izeller@northwestern.edu