| This is a descriptive case study that examines the approach of the Middlebury College Language Schools to standards-based learning and assessment. The study's intent was to discover the extent to which the Middlebury case reflected, extended, or contradicted current standards-based theory and practice within the foreign language teaching profession. In so doing, it aimed to add to the literature on standards and assessment in foreign language education, and more broadly, in higher education.; The study focused on three of Middlebury's eight language schools. It also gathered data from the Dean's office of the Language Schools as a single administrative entity. Data were drawn from questionnaires, interviews, archival data, and participant observation. Qualitative data analysis focused initially on five key research questions, regarding (a) definitions of "proficiency," (b) approaches to student placement, (c) desired student learning outcomes, (d) forms of assessment, and (e) uses of assessment for program improvement.; The results did not show a consistent set of approaches to the five initial questions. Key differences emerged in the areas of desired student learning outcomes, assessment foci, and the role of external assessment versus self-reported student experience. The study found that these differences were counterbalanced by two contextual standards that played a critical role in all of the Language Schools at Middlebury: immersion and student commitment. These two standards reflected an approach that was shared across schools and administrative levels of the institution, in sharp contrast to the significant differences found in the rest of the analysis.; The results pointed to a central role for contextual standards in the Middlebury approach to learning and assessment. They also revealed a sharp contrast been performance-based external assessment and student self-reporting of individual experience.; The study concluded with a set of recommendations for further study. |
