A Division of AATSP

National Office:

In order to allow students with like-exposure to compete with each other, NSE has defined three categories as follows:

¨  Regular Students whose only contact with Spanish is in the classroom.

¨  Outside Experience Students who have had specific experiences with Spanish beyond the classroom. The student has participated in a FLES (elementary program) of between 3 and 6 years. The student is a heritage speaker who has had exposure to Spanish but limited practice in his/her home environment. The student has been enrolled in a Spanish immersion program for the prior 3 years or more. The student's principal language is (1) another romance language (French, Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian) or (2) a language derived from a romance language (Catalan, Galician, Sicilian, etc.)

¨  Bilingual Students who come from homes where Spanish is the predominant language. The student has grown up in a home where Spanish is spoken. The student is bilingual to some degree in both English and Spanish.

The following language experiences may place a student in either the outside experience category or the bilingual category.  Teachers will advise students as to which category is appropriate. ü   A student has lived (after age 6) in a Spanish speaking country for more than one year. ü   A student has studied in a Spanish speaking country for more than 4 months. ü   A student whose principal language of communication at home is Spanish or Spanish/English. ü   A student whose principal language of communication outside the home is Spanish or Spanish/English.

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