Chapter Report on the National German Exam Spring 2024

Report from Testing Chair

Central PA-AATG Spring Meeting

April 13, 2024

This year, 359 students from 15 Central PA schools participated in the National German Exam Levels 2-4. Level 1 results have not yet been reported.

These numbers represent a continued move upward in the number of students taking the NGE in our region with two more participating schools than last year. 22 students scored in the 90th percentile or above at their level and of those 11 were eligible for an AATG award; 3 students applied for the National German Exam (NGE) scholarship.

The schools with the highest medal counts were Ephrata High School (27), Chambersburg Area School District (15), and Northampton Area High School (15).[1] Ephrata had the highest number of gold medals this year: 6. The top scores in each level were: Elliott Matthews of State College Area High School (Level 4), Brian Sulcove of Chambersburg Area High School (Level 3), and Pham Presley of Hempfield High School (Level 2).

This year’s interview committee consisted of Henning Wrage of Gettysburg College, Jodi Alderfer of Schuylkill Valley School District, and the Testing Chair. We interviewed the 3 candidates on Saturday, Feb. 24 via Zoom. Each student was interviewed for 20-25 minutes; we spoke in German for approximately 15-20 minutes and 5 minutes in English.

Zoom continues to provide students with some flexibility, and neither students nor testing committees must travel for the interview. This year, students held their conversations in quiet spaces, typically in what seemed to be private homes or similar.

Although small, we had an excellent applicant pool. Many thanks to the teachers for encouraging students to apply, for writing letters of recommendation, and for facilitating the submission of applications. The turnaround from test results to application deadline is quick, I realize, so I am even more grateful for your support of these excellent students.

Students did a great job of handling the stressful interview situation. The committee was struck by how these students are motivated to pursue language and cultural learning beyond the classroom, one through sport, one through literature, and another through texting German contacts.

The number of chapter nominations for the 2024 NGE scholarship was determined by the number of students who took the exam in the chapter. We were given three nominations and forwarded the applications of Brian Sulcove (Chambersburg), Leah Hubler (Chambersburg), and Hannah Brubaker (Manheim). All three have accepted the award and will be traveling to Germany this summer.

As a reminder, the application process requires all those who are nominated to take the AVANT-Stamp 4S Language Proficiency test. Students must have a proctor for the online exam. The results of the test, taken online, qualify the student for the Global Seal of Biliteracy and provides the student with official documentation of their proficiency in German. The test is required by AATG’s partner in Germany, the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst.

For those who wish to view the chapter results in the context of all participants, there is an honor roll database at AATG online. You can search for our chapter, see national results, and compare our chapter to others.

The number of students taking the NGE is still on the rise in the wake of COVID. I hope this continues and thank the many participating teachers for their hard work and energy supporting students of German.

If members have any comments, questions, or concerns about the NGE and the NGE scholarship application, please do not hesitate to contact the Testing Chair:

Sarah McGaughey

Central PA AATG Testing Chair

Associate Professor of German

Dickinson College

mcgaughs@dickinson.edu

[1] Manheim Central High School also had high numbers of medals – 11.

Chapter Report on the National German Exam Spring 2023

Report from Testing Chair

Central PA-AATG Spring Meeting

April 22, 2023

This year, 277 students from 13 Central PA schools participated in the National German Exam Levels 2-4. Level 1 results have not yet been reported.

These numbers represent a slow move upward in the number of students taking the NGE in our region, but the number of participating schools has not changed. 23 students scored in the 90th percentile or above at their level and of those 22 were eligible for an AATG award; 7 students applied for the National German Exam (NGE) scholarship.

The schools with the highest medal counts were Ephrata High School (24), Manheim Central High School (13), and Hempfield High School (10). Hempfield had the highest number of gold medals this year: 6. The top scores in each level were: Hannah Brubaker of Manheim High School, Amelia Frick of Hempfield High School, and Devan Tophoney of Northampton Area High School.

This year’s interview committee again consisted of Henning Wrage of Gettysburg College, Kathy Schock of Carlisle Area School District, and the Testing Chair. We interviewed the 7 candidates on two Saturdays, Feb. 25 and March 4 via Zoom. Each student was interviewed for 20-25 minutes; we spoke in German for approximately 15-20 minutes and 5 minutes in English.

Zoom continues to allow students with some flexibility; students do not have to travel long distances for the interview. That said, this year we had some unusual conversations with students across diverse locations from the halls of their high school to a car and even as far away as New York state.

As is often the case with this chapter, we had an excellent applicant pool. Students did a good job of handling the stressful interview situation. Many thanks to the teachers for encouraging students to apply, for writing letters of recommendation, and for facilitating the submission of applications. We were struck by the number of these students who pursued language learning beyond the classroom, most often with DuoLingo.

The number of chapter nominations for the 2023 NGE scholarship was determined by the number of students who took the exam in the chapter. We were given three nominations and forwarded the applications of Riley Frey (Ephrata), Kalyssa McAdams (Manheim Central), and Ava Morgan (Ephrata). All three were national finalists; Kalyssa McAdams has accepted the Study Award.

As a reminder, the application process requires all those who are nominated to take the AVANT-Stamp 4S Language Proficiency test. Students must have a proctor for the online exam. The results of the test, taken online, qualify the student for the Global Seal of Biliteracy and provides the student with official documentation of their proficiency in German. The test is required by AATG’s partner in Germany the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst.

For those who wish to view the chapter results in the context of all participants, there is an honor roll database at AATG online. You can search for our chapter, see national results, and compare our chapter to others.

The number of students taking the NGE is still on the rise in the wake of COVID. I hope this continues and thank the many participating teachers for their hard work and energy supporting students of German.

If members have any comments, questions, or concerns about the NGE and the NGE scholarship application, please do not hesitate to contact the Testing Chair:

Sarah McGaughey

Central PA AATG Testing Chair

Associate Professor of German

Dickinson College

mcgaughs@dickinson.edu

Frühlingstagung 22. April, 2023

Central PA AATG 2023 Spring Meeting

"Zusammen vorwärts!"

With Guest Presenters Mary Boldt and Christopher Gwin

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Hybrid Meeting Format: in-person at York College

OR online via Zoom

(please see the registration link below for registration options)

Den ganzen Tag wird nur Deutsch gesprochen.

When: Saturday, April 22, 2022

         Coffee and Conversation:  9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

         Central PA AATG Business Meeting:  9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

         Mary Boldt, “Interkulturalität im Curriculum: zwei Beispiele”: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

The Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum movement (CLAC) provides opportunities connecting languages and cultures with students and colleagues across the disciplines.  In this presentation, we will show how activities from two different German courses connected students from other fields of study with aspects of German language and culture.

         Discussion: 11:00-11:30 a.m.

         Lunch:  11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Christopher Gwin, “SPARK for German”:  12:30 – 2:00

SPARK labs encourage the growth of German programs by making the language fun and accessible to young learners. This session will answer questions on how to set up a new SPARK lab for interested schools as well as craft lessons to engage young learners in German in a way that “sparks” their passion and interest.

         Executive Committee:  2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Where:  York College, Humanities Building Room 143 (see attached map)

          OR online via Zoom (link given day before to Zoom attendees)

Why:

Our sessions will:

1)    help participants connect with each other over the prevalent topics of interculturality and increasing student engagement

2) encourage and support the use of intercultural material at multiple levels of education

3)    support the development of lessons for the German classroom that take into account common concerns of local German teachers (lower enrollment rates, representation of student groups currently underrepresented in the German classroom, and adaption of materials to current world topics).

Registration: 

Registration is available via the following link:   https://forms.gle/bBujXMNnKFAAFNym8   

Cost and Payment:

$10 – students, buddies, and online participants        $15 – members      $20 – non-members

NEW! Has it been some time since you’ve been to a meeting, or is this your first with us? Register for our buddy-rate at a discounted $10.

PayPal Link:  https://sites.google.com/site/aatgcentralpa/register  

If you pay by check, please mail it to:

Stephanie Henrich

Hempfield High School

200 Stanley Avenue

Landisville, PA  17538

**Act 48 credit will be granted to those who are PSMLA members and complete the survey given at the end of the meeting, which will be emailed to those participants wanting Act 48 credit.**  (approval pending)

Chapter Results from the National German Exam Spring 2022

Report from Testing Chair 

Central PA-AATG 

Spring Meeting April 9, 2022 

This year, 229 students from 13 Central PA schools participated in the National German Exam Levels 2-4. While we are closer to pre-pandemic numbers in terms of participating schools, we have not yet reached pre-pandemic number of participants, which were above 400 in 2020 and often above 500 in the last ten years. 17 students scored in the 90th percentile or above and were eligible for the study trip award; 8 of those students applied for the newly conceived National German Exam (NGE) scholarship. The number of applicants for the NGE scholarship doubled those who applied for the 2021 AATG-Waldsee Study Award. 

The schools with the highest medal counts were Ephrata High School (29), Hempfield High School (23), and Manheim Central High School (13).1 Hempfield had the highest number of gold medals: 7. 

The interview committee, which consisted of Henning Wrage of Gettysburg College, Kathy Schock of Carlisle Area School District, and the Testing Chair, interviewed the 8 candidates on Saturday, March 5 via Zoom. Each student was interviewed for 20- 25 minutes; we spoke in German for approximately 15-20 minutes and 5 minutes in English. This is the second year of interviewing via Zoom, and I believe it offers more flexibility – both for the candidates and for the composition of the interview committee. 

The number of chapter nominations for the 2022 NGE scholarship was determined by the number of students who took the exam in the chapter. We were given one nomination, and our nominee was Devan Tophoney of Northampton Area High School. Devan’s German teacher is Theresa Wenck. Devan impressed the committee with both a strong communicative competency as well as a highly advanced understanding of grammatical nuance and an extensive vocabulary. Devan advanced to the final national selection round and has received and accepted the NGE Scholarship. 

The new NGE scholarship application process does not require students to submit a transcript; it relies on self-selection of teachers and students to determine their overall academic excellence. It also requires all those who are nominated to take the AVANT-Stamp 4S Language Proficiency test. Students must have a proctor for the online exam. The results of the test, taken online, qualify the student for the Global Seal of Biliteracy and provides the student with official documentation of their proficiency in German. 

For those who wish to view the chapter results in the context of all participants, there is an honor roll database at AATG. You can search for our chapter, see national results, and compare our chapter to others. 

As is often the case with this chapter, we had an excellent applicant pool. Students did a good job of handling the stressful interview situation. Many thanks to the teachers for encouraging students to apply, for writing letters of recommendation, and for facilitating the submission of applications. 

I hope that as the pandemic recedes, and global travel plans are less apt to be disrupted due to shifts in infection rates or variants, that the number of students in our chapter who take the NGE continues to rise. I also hope that the new application process, which eliminates the stressful element of getting an official transcript quickly, encourages more students to apply for the NGE scholarship. 

If members have any comments, questions, or concerns about the NGE and the NGE scholarship application, please do not hesitate to contact the Testing Chair: 

Sarah McGaughey 

Central PA AATG Testing Chair

Associate Professor of German Dickinson College 

mcgaughs@dickinson.edu

**Note that Ephrata and Hempfield have students taking all three levels of the NGE, while Manheim students take levels 2 and 3 only.