Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Why should I give the AATG examination?
2.  Who should take the AATG examination?
3. When can the examination be administered?
4.  Why can’t the examination be administered later in the year?
5. How do I place an order for the examination?
6.  How much does it cost?
7.  Who pays for the exam?
8.  Who administers the examination?
9.  How long is the examination?
10.  What is tested?
11.  What if the exam does not reflect the communicative strategies I emphasize in my classroom?
12.  Which level should my students take?
13.  My student has special needs (ADA); how is this handled?
14. May these students take the examination: Those from German-speaking homes; those who have spent more than two consecutive weeks since the age of six in a country where German is spoken; foreign students?
15.  This examination is approved by the NASSP.  What does this mean?
16.  Who develops the examinations?
17.  Is there information on the reliability and validity of this examination?

1.  Why should I give the AATG examination? The exams, now in the 52nd year, are a diagnostic tool and can be used to create excitement and a sense of accomplishment inherent in participation. They also provide a means of comparing your students to others in all regions of the country.  The results are among the criteria used in selecting the recipients of chapter awards as well as the national AATG/PAD study trip awards.

2.  Who should take the AATG examination? All students in all of your classes, except level one! Our statistician analyzed results and found no significant difference in scores when all students in a class take the exam, or only part of the class participates. This should eliminate the concern many of you might have about the lack of fairness when we aggregate data for classes where only the “best” students take the examination with classes where everyone participates.

3. When can the examination be administered?  Between December 6, 2011 and January 20, 2012. Schedule the exam as early as possible, so that in case of school closings, student illness, midterm exams, weather conditions, etc., you can still meet the deadline.

4.  Why can’t the examination be administered later in the year?  Because the examination is also used to determine the recipients of the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst-supported study trips, we must send the names of the prizewinners to the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst in early spring.

5. How do I place an order for the examination?

• AATG member sponsorship: Teachers must be current members of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) at the time the order for the National German Examination is placed.  AATG members may sponsor ONLY their own students who are enrolled in courses they teach during the exam period (December - January). They may NOT sponsor any other students including former students or students of colleagues.

• Non-member sponsorship: Those who are not current AATG members must either: a) join AATG, or b) have an outside non-member sponsor who will pay a non-member sponsorship fee of $50 to render students eligible to take the NGE.

Non-member sponsors may include clubs, civic organizations, schools, corporations, individuals, etc. Each sponsor must submit the $50 non-member sponsorship fee, which allows that sponsor to order up to 50 tests. In addition to the $50 non-member sponsorship fee, the sponsor must pay for the examinations ordered ($5 per examination, plus shipping/handling charges). Students sponsored by a non-member will be eligible for the awards given by the national office.  NOTE: Non-members may choose to pay regular AATG membership dues at the time the order is placed in order to avoid the non-member sponsorship fee.  AATG’s membership expires at the end of each calendar year. If the order for the National German Examination is placed on or after October 1, membership will begin when the order is received and continue through the end of the following calendar year.

• Certain exceptions to the non-member sponsorship fee will be made for students at Saturday schools and for those who are home-schooled.  For Saturday schools, at least one teacher or the principal must be an AATG member, and that person may order for all teachers at the school, or the non-member sponsorship will apply.  For home-schoolers, AATG membership and the non-member sponsorship fee will be waived.

6.  How much does it cost?  For students of AATG members: $5.00 per student, and you keep the examinations and CD (with all three levels), plus shipping / handling per order of $5.00 for up to 35 exams ($10 for larger orders). Extra CDs are available for $5.00 each. Non-member sponsors must add $50 to the costs of the exams for the non-member sponsor fee.  See order form on page three, or on the AATG Web site.

7.  Who pays for the exam?  This varies among school funds, German club funds and the students themselves.

8.  Who administers the examination?  Your school's testing or guidance personnel or an administrator.  Knowledge of German is not necessary.  No teacher of German may administer the exam!  Examinations are shipped to the test administrator, not to the teacher of German.

9.  How long is the examination?  1 hour and 5 minutes.  For scheduling purposes, students may complete the top part of the answer sheets ahead of time (name, etc.). The listening comprehension section may be administered separately from the remaining portion, as long as the examinations are kept secure by the test administrator.

10.  What is tested?  Levels 2, 3, 4 with listening comprehension: brief interchanges and longer dialogues; situational questions testing reading and conversational skills; applied structure or grammar and idioms in context; comprehension of connected passages of approximately 200 words each; comprehension of some authentic materials. Grammar specifications can be found at: http://www.aatg.org/nge-grammar. The NGE Commission covers the standard vocabulary for self, family, daily life, school, chores, travel, hobbies, coupled with various and many cognates to help students. Topics covered in the listening and reading sections of the National German Examination have been as varied as how to tell the age of car tires, spiders in the world of today, traffic accidents, police stories, a cow in a swimming pool, a cat in an airline cockpit, and a dog in a clothes dryer. The NGE Commission looks for authentic and interesting stories and makes sure that they contain vocabulary within reach of the students.  No one method, textbook, or approach is given preference.

11.  What if the exam does not reflect the communicative strategies I emphasize in my classroom?  A national pencil and paper exam, unfortunately, does not lend itself to assessing all aspects of student performance.  You may want to add speaking and writing components of your own to gain a more complete picture of student progress, especially if you are using the examination as a high-stakes evaluation instrument.

12.  Which level should my students take?  A general rule is that students should take the examination for the level at which they are studying at the time of administration. The design takes into account that students are tested halfway through the year: the level 2 exam is designed for students at 1 ½ years; the level 3 exam for students at 2 ½ years; the level 4 exam for students at 3 ½ years.  If students are in level five or higher: order the level four exams, which will be scored in a separate category with other students in the fifth or sixth year of German study. If your school is on a block schedule: order the level they completed when they last studied German.

13.  My student has special needs (ADA); how is this handled?  Students who receive accommodations under the ADA guidelines on standardized examinations may receive the same accommodations on the AATG National German Examination.

14. May these students take the examination: Those from German-speaking homes; those who have spent more than two consecutive weeks since the age of six in a country where German is spoken; foreign students?  Yes, but they are in a special category and are ineligible for study trips.

15.  This examination is approved by the NASSP.  What does this mean? Once again, the National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed the AATG National German Examination on the Advisory List of National Contests and Activities for 2011-2012. Therefore, school principals usually support the administration of the examination during the school day by a guidance counselor or administrator. In order to gain NASSP approval, AATG sends this announcement to over 8,000 secondary school teachers of German in the USA, regardless of AATG membership.

16.  Who develops the examinations? The AATG National German Examination Commission writes, reviews, and selects exam items, using its members’ professional judgment to make sure that the vocabulary, idioms, topics, and questions are appropriate and interesting for each level. New examinations are developed each year. The 2011 commission members: Eckhard Kuhn-Osius, Chair (Hunter College, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY 10065); Susan Adams (Concord Academy, Concord, MA); Jack Denny (retired from Leyden High School District 212, Franklin Park, IL); Uwe Goodall-Heising (Hanover High School, NH) and Jennifer Redmann (Franklin & Marshall College, PA). To find out more about the work of the Commission, or if you are interested in serving on the Commission, please contact the Chair.

17.  Is there information on the reliability and validity of this examination?  Yes! The Interpretive Data Booklet for last year’s examination is available on AATG’s website at:  http://www.aatg.org/files/Interpretive-Data-2011.pdf.