NATIONAL LATIN EXAMNEWSLETTER

What a pleasure it is to announce the 2017 NLE New Latin Educators Scholarship winners! The applicants hailed from ten states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.

The committee, composed of Kristen Bortner, John Chu, Dobbie Vasquez, David Volk, Ben Watson, and Mark Keith (ex officio), found the competition incredible and fierce. Yet, each remarked how uplifting it was to read the essays and letters of recommendation. In addition to these five recipients, Amanda Miller of UMASS Boston was invited to attend the 2017 ACL Institute in Grand Rapids, MI.

The scholarships are renewable for however long the recipients are students enrolled in a bachelor’s

or master’s degree program with the intention of teaching Latin at the K-12 level. The maximum funding is four years for a bachelor’s degree and two years for a master’s degree. In addition, the NLE will cover the cost of attending one American Classical League Institute occurring from the end of their junior year in college through their third year of teaching. Recipients will be offered informal mentoring by experienced Latin teachers for the first three years of teaching.

Please join the committee in congratulating these New Latin Educators Scholarship winners!

Sue Robertson and Margaret HicksNLE New Latin Educators Scholarship Co-Chairs

Annual Report ........................................................4

Block Scheduling Results ......................................8

NLE Scores of Homeschooled Students ..............9

Dear Nelly ..............................................................14

NLE Advisory Committee Application .................15

The Hard Ones and the Easy Ones ......................17

Which Level Exam Should

My Students Take? ....................................19

INSIDE THIS VOLUME

VOL. XXXIII, No. 2 Spring 2017

NLE New Latin Educators Scholarship Winners

continued on next page

Ethan ByrdSt. Athanasius Acadamy

North Carolina

Josey ParkerChrist Covenant Upper School

North Carolina

Jessica ThompsonJ.R. Arnold High School

Florida

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Here are the dates for the 2018 National Latin Exam:

February 26 – March 2

March 5 - 9

March 12 -- 16

NLE New Latin Educators Scholarship Winnerscontinued from front page

Dominick VandenbergeHunter College C.U.N.Y.

New York

James WiluszSt. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Virginia

ATTENTION ALL FORMER NLE SCHOLARS!

The National Latin Exam Newsletter is in the process of publishing a series of articles featuring former scholarship winners who have completed their undergraduate studies. NLE and the international Latin community are interested in you and would love follow-up information about your lives and careers. Please send us at the address below a brief account about where you are and what you are doing.

nle@umw.eduor

National Latin ExamUniversity of Mary Washington

1301 College AvenueFredericksburg, VA 22401

UPDATE FROM A FORMER SCHOLARDiana Howard Tomayko, Class of 2000

I received the National Latin Exam scholarship in the year 2000 with the help of my teacher, Ed Long. This scholarship, along with several others, meant that I never went into debt to pay for school. I knew from the time I left high school that I would like to become a Latin teacher. After a BA from the University of Tennessee (2003), I began teaching in Knoxville, where I stayed for two years until I got married in 2005. I made the move to Nashville, and I’m still living there with my husband and son, where I teach at Brentwood High School. I earned an MS in World Language Education from UT in 2008. I give the NLE to all my students every year as a way for them to measure and celebrate their success. Several of my students have gone on to become Latin teachers themselves. I can’t imagine a more rewarding profession and life.

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Discitur Legendo: An NLE Latin Reader The National Latin Exam has produced an NLE Reader entitled Discitur Legendo, which contains every reading comprehension passage from 1978-2014 organized by level and chronologically. In addition to containing all passages and questions, the book’s table of contents provides detailed charts with the year, author, text, and passage title for each reading comprehension passage, making it easier for a teacher to find the passage’s original source or search for a particular author or passage. Sight reading is critical for improving reading skills. To that end, it is our hope that this book will prove to be a helpful resource for teachers and students across the country. The book is spiral bound to allow for ease of photocopying sight passages. Teachers are encouraged to adapt and add to the questions as they see fit. Students are encouraged to practice reading previously unseen passages to improve their comprehension of Latin.

Discitur Legendo is available for $25 through ACL’s TMRC (www.aclclassics.org/store; item B47).

THREE DECADES BOOK AVAILABLE

In its Three Decades volume, the National Latin Exam shares a complete history of the organization, blank certificates for teacher use, the syllabus, a full list of scholarship winners, and every exam on every level dating back to the inception of the exam. In addition, this compendium of all things NLE contains statistical analysis from 1999-2011 as well as the “Hard Ones and Easy Ones” and answer keys for each exam. In the back of the book there is a cd with pdf files of all exams from 1978 through 1998 and from 2012 through 2014.

This book is a sine qua non for any Latin teacher and an excellent resource for budding Classics students looking to improve their Latin through NLE practice. Visit the NLE website to access the order form for a $30 copy of Three Decades of The National Latin Exam today. www.nle.org

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THE EXAM BY THE NUMBERS

The 40th annual National Latin Exam was administered to 136,891 students in the three-week testing window between late February and early March 2017. 149,591 students were registered for the exam; 91.5% actually sat for the exam.

•In the United States, the exam was administered in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.•Outside of the United States, 1,610 students from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Arab Emir-ates, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, and, for the first time, Belize participated. This number represents 1.176% of the total participants. •The exam was administered in 3,195 schools, including 23 colleges and 18 elementary schools.•4,446 students took the exam in 835 home schools. This number remains the fastest growing population of participants.•The exam was administered online in 350 schools. A total of 7,965 students took the exam online.

The charts to the right indicate the states with the greatest number of students taking the 2017 exam and those states showing the greatest percentage of increase in participants.

The National Latin Exam, sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League, is a 40-question, multiple-choice test with a time limit of 45 minutes, offered to students on seven levels. On the Introduction to Latin, Latin I, Latin II, Latin III, Latin III/IV Prose, and Latin III/IV Poetry exams, there are questions on grammar, comprehension, mythol-ogy, derivatives, literature, Roman life, history, geography, oral Latin, and Latin in use in the modern world. The Latin V-VI exam contains two Latin passages as the basis for questions on gram-mar, comprehension, historical background, classical literature, and literary devices. The philosophy of the National Latin Exam is predicated on providing every Latin student the opportunity to experience a sense of personal accomplishment and success in his or her study of the Latin language and culture. This opportunity exists for all students since, in the National Latin Exam, they are not competing with their fellow students on a comparative basis, but are evaluated solely on their own performance on the exam. The basic purposes of the NLE are to promote the study of Latin and to encourage the individual student. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has voted to place the National Latin Exam on the Advisory List of National Contests and Activities for 2017-2018. This list will be distributed to all secondary schools in the United States in September of 2017.

The Top 10 States with the Greatest % Increase in Students Taking the

2016 Exam

Nevada 95.3%

New Mexico 24.8%

Maryland 23.4%

Iowa 20.0%

South Dakota 15.9%

North Dakota 11.8%

Colorado 9.7%

Michigan 6.2%

Wisconsin 6.2%

Washington 5.9%

continued on page 5

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 2017 NATIONAL LATIN EXAM

The Top 10 States for Number of Students Taking the 2017 Exam

Massachusetts 11,913

New York 11,031

Texas 10,863

Virginia 10,053

Pennsylvania 7,964

California 7,646

New Jersey 7,248

Ohio 6,364

Georgia 6,343

Connecticut 5,230

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GENERAL AWARDS

On the 2017 exams, 52,554 students (38.4%) earned awards. Students who received a score above the national average on each level were recognized. The chart below shows the average scores and the number of awards by level of exam and by category.

SPECIAL AWARDS

There were 813 perfect papers in Latin I-VI. All students performing at this level received a special, hand-lettered certificate. A congratulatory letter has been sent to the principal of each school with copies for the student, the Latin teacher, and the student’s permanent record. The twenty-one students who have three years of perfect papers, the one student who has four years of perfect papers, and the two students who have five years of perfect papers are being sent the Carter Stubbs Drake Goad Memorial Book Award in addition to the special certificate.

In the Introduction to Latin Exam, the 299 students who answered all 40 questions correctly were sent a special congratulatory letter in addition to a special certificate of merit for a perfect score.

The Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical

Dictionary Award, given to students who win four gold medals, is being sent to 507 students this year in recognition of their outstanding achievement. The 101 students who have won five gold medals, the four students who won six gold medals, and the one student who won eight gold medals will be sent special book awards. The names of the winners of perfect papers will be published in Torch U.S., the publication of the National Junior Classical League.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND MONETARY AWARDS

There were 859 seniors who won gold medals on the Latin III, Latin III-IV Prose, Latin III-IV Poetry, or the Latin V-VI Exam. These students are eligible to apply for one of the twenty-one $2000 scholarships, including one from an anonymous

Level of Exam

Total Students

Average Score

Perfect Scores

Gold Medal/Summa

Cum Laude

Silver Medal/Maxima

Cum Laude

MagnaCum Laude

CumLaude

Total Awards

Intro 21,530 29 2994,250 Ribbons and Certificates of Outstanding Achievement

5,780 Certificates of Achievement

Latin I 46,645 28 202 4,868 6,845 5,283 5,347 22,343

Latin II 33,384 30 501 4,038 3,379 3,539 3,527 14,483

Latin III 16,962 26 37 1,949 1,984 2,602 936 7,471

Prose III 3,797 26 6 409 428 580 198 1,615

Prose IV 4,896 26 18 579 631 476 522 2,208

Poetry III 1,575 23 4 184 159 236 104 683

Poetry IV 5,293 26 34 653 630 550 601 2,434

Latin V 2,401 24 7 252 265 336 276 1,129

Latin VI+ 408 26 4 46 58 53 31 188

Totals 136,891 1,112 12,978 14,379 13,655 11,542 52,554

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 2017 NLE

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donor. In addition, a $2000 scholarship, the National Latin Exam Sally R. Davis Graduate School Scholarship, will be awarded for post graduate study leading to the teaching of Latin and/or Greek at the elementary, intermediate, or high school level. These scholarship awards will be announced by NLE Scholarship Chair, Ephy Howard, at the ACL Institute at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI, in June. The scholarship recipients from 2016, 2015, and 2014 are eligible for an additional $2000 if they continue their study of Latin and/or Greek. As juniors and seniors, NLE scholarship recipients must have declared a major in Classics, Latin, or Greek. In 2016, the National Latin Exam awarded $94,500 in scholarships. Meghan Kiernan was the winner of the Sally R. Davis Graduate School Scholarship for the 2016-2017 academic year. Meghan was pursuing her MAT at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

The National Latin Exam is also proud to offer the Christine Fernald Sleeper Educational Travel Award. This award, up to $5,000, will be presented annually to a current Latin teacher who wishes to pursue an educational travel program. This award is named in honor of Christine Sleeper, one of the “founding mothers” of the NLE and a longtime member of the Writing Committee. The recipient of this year’s award is Nicole Diamente, who will be participating in a four-week trip to Rome this summer to investigate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) in connection to Latin and the Roman world. Alice Guppy is the chair of the committee that administers this award.

The National Latin Exam is also proud to offer the Jane Harriman Hall Award for Professional Development. This award, up to $5,000, will be presented annually to a current Latin teacher who wishes to pursue further study in Latin teaching and pedagogy. This award is named in honor of Jane Hall, who founded the NLE in 1977 and whose energy and commitment led to the exam which exists today. The recipient of the 2017 Jane Harriman Hall Award is Meghan Kiernan. She will participate in the Vergilian Society Latin Authors in Italy tour this summer. Marty Abbott, a former member of the Writing Committee and Executive

Director of ACTFL, is chair of the committee which administers this award.

The John Donohue Award is given to graduating college seniors who have maintained their National Latin Exam Scholarship for the entirety of their undergraduate career. This award is named in memory of a truly special member of the National Latin Exam family, John Donohue, who passed away in 2014. Our 2017 John Donohue Memorial Award recipients are Max Bedford, Princeton University; Erynn Kim, Princeton University; Frederick Muth, Yale University; and Daniel Schlather, Kenyon College.

As mentioned in the opening article, this year marked the second year for the New Latin Educators Scholarship, a $2,000 scholarship awarded to students who are pursuing a career as a Latin teacher. This year there were five winners: Ethan Byrd (NC), Josey Parker (NC), Jessica Thompson (FL), Dominick Vandenberge (NY), and James Wilusz (VA). Sue Robertson, a member of the NLE Writing Committee, and Margaret Hicks are co-chairs of the committee that administers this award.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS

In September, the National Latin Exam office sent applications for the 2017 National Latin Exam to teachers who participated in the 2016 NLE. When the applications, along with payment, were sent back to the NLE office, the staff mailed to each teacher a postcard verifying the number of applicants and informing the teacher that the exams and answer sheets would be mailed by the United Parcel Service to the exam administrator or principal by February 20, 2017. The 2017 exam required fifteen working sessions averaging three and a half hours each to complete the work associated with the exams. In addition to the general working sessions, each member of the Writing Committee spent countless hours taking care of specific tasks such as writing exam questions, answering correspondence, word processing, record keeping, publicizing the exam, ordering supplies, and writing newsletter articles.

Exam Report 2017 continued from page 5

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Clement Testing Service mailed out the exams, answer sheets, and instructions and scored the returned answer sheets. The company also mailed out the results, awards, exam answers, and a congratulatory letter to the teacher by April 20, 2017. A copy of the congratulatory letter for the principal was included in this package. In order to help teachers and students assess strengths and weaknesses, the percent correct for each question throughout the nation as well as for the individual school was included. The office of the National Latin Exam is located on the campus of the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The NLE Office Manager Janine Kuty, Administrative Assistant/Data Entry Specialist Ellen Smith, and student aide Meagan Wilkinson tended to numerous NLE matters such as registering schools for the exam, processing exam fees, answering daily phone calls and e-mails, handling bookkeeping, and mailing postcards, awards letters, and Perfect Paper Certificates.

COMMITTEES OF THE NLE

The National Latin Exam functions under the guidance and direction of four committees: the Executive Committee, the Writing Committee, the Advisory Committee, and the Scholarship Committee:

•The Executive Committee for the 2017 exam consists of Mark Keith, Co-Chair, Linda Montross, Co-Chair, Betty Merrill, Treasurer, and Patricia Lister, Member-At-Large. This committee oversees the administrative duties of the NLE and directs the work of the other committees.

•The Writing Committee consists of Mark Keith, Linda Montross, Joe Davenport, Donna Dollings, Debra Heaton, Ian Hochberg, Emily Lewis, Patricia Lister, Betty Merrill, Sue Robertson, and Lauren Rogers. Jane Hall has been honored with emerita status. The committee began writing this year’s exams in the spring of 2016. By the middle of August it began the difficult task of reviewing and editing

each exam with respect to the level of difficulty, accuracy, and content. After several revisions, the exams were sent to consultants Michael Bales, David Bloch, Sally Davis, Kathy Elifrits, Kevin Gushman, Ruth Haukeland, Elizabeth Heimbach, Richard LaFleur, David Pellegrino, David Perry, and Wallace Ragan for their in-depth critiques. Acting upon their suggestions, the Committee made further revisions. After a final reading and revision, 173,250 copies of the exams were printed.

•The members of the Advisory Committee are Caroline Kelly, Chair (North Carolina), Liane Houghtalin (Virginia), Kelly Kusch (Kentucky), Nora MacDonald (Washington), Mary Pendergraft (North Carolina), Amy Rosevear (Colorado) and Kristin Webster (New York). This committee receives comments, questions, and suggestions from teachers who give the exam. The members of this Committee represent the various geographic areas of the country, middle and high schools, colleges, and public and private schools.

•The Scholarship Committee consists of Ephy Howard, Chair, and members Sarah Bjorkman, Randall Childree, Patricia Richardson, Robert Simmons, Michael Sloan, and Sandra Woodward. This committee reviews the scholarship applications of qualified students and awards the scholarships. Linda S. Montross serves as the Scholarship Liaison.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The National Latin Exam wishes to recognize and thank all those individuals who work so diligently to make these exams a reality. The NLE continues to make a difference in the promotion and study of the Latin language in schools and homes around the world.

The NLE also wishes to thank all the teachers and students for their participation in this celebration of Latin.

Exam Report 2017 continued from page 6

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Again on the 2017 NLE application, teachers were asked to indicate if they taught on a semester block (4 by 4 schedule). Of the students taking the exam, 2,286 in 81 schools were taught on this type schedule. These students’ test scores were examined and compared with the mean scores of students on traditional schedules. The results are below.

LEVELOVERALL

TOOKAVERAGE

NON - BLOCKED SCH TOOK

AVERAGEBLOCKED SCHOOLS

TOOKAVERAGE

Intro 21,530 29 21,225 29 305 28

Latin I 46,645 28 45,846 28 799 28

Latin II 33,384 30 32,848 30 536 28

Latin III 16,962 26 16,607 26 355 25

Prose III 3,797 26 3,767 26 30 25

Prose IV 4,896 26 4,789 26 107 25

Poetry III 1,575 23 1,556 23 19 27

Poetry IV 5,293 26 5,208 26 85 23

Latin V 2,401 24 2,351 24 50 22

Latin VI 408 26 408 26 0 n/a

Totals 136,891 26 134,605 26 2,286 26

NATIONAL LATIN EXAM 2017 BLOCK SCHOOL ANALYSIS

BLOCK SCHEDULING RESULTS FOR 2017 NATIONAL LATIN EXAM

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According to the 2017 NLE applications, 4,446 students taking the exam were taught in home schools. These students’ test scores were examined and compared with the mean scores of students in traditional schools. The results are below.

NATIONAL LATIN EXAM 2017 HOME SCHOOL ANALYSIS

LEVELOVERALL

TOOKAVERAGE

NON - HOMESCH TOOK

AVERAGEHOME

SCHOOLS TOOK

AVERAGE

Intro 21,530 29 19,599 29 1,931 29

Latin I 46,645 28 45,351 28 1,294 29

Latin II 33,384 30 32,601 30 783 31

Latin III 16,962 26 16,710 26 252 30

Prose III 3,797 26 3,746 26 51 29

Prose IV 4,896 26 4,834 26 62 30

Poetry III 1,575 23 1,561 23 14 31

Poetry IV 5,293 26 5,269 26 24 31

Latin V 2,401 24 2,382 24 19 32

Latin VI 408 26 392 26 16 24

Totals 136,891 26 132,445 26 4,446 30

THE 2017 NLE SCORES OF HOME SCHOOLED STUDENTS

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THE NLE ADVISORY COMMITTEEThe NLE Advisory Committee will meet in June 2017, during the ACL Institute at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids. The members of this committee represent the various geographic areas of the country, from both public and private middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Please feel free to contact any of these members with your comments, suggestions, questions, or concerns about the National Latin Exam. Your concerns will be

discussed at the meeting in June.

Members of the NLE Advisory Committee - 2017Caroline Switzer Kelly, Chair3313 Kelly Plantation RoadCarthage, NC 28327704-779-0161CKelly@mitchellcc.edu Liane Houghtalin Trinkle Hall 240 University of Mary Washington1301 College Avenue Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540-654-1345 lhoughta@umw.edu

Kelly KuschCovington Latin School21 East EleventhCovington, KY 41011513-244-2611kelly.kusch@covingtonlatin.org

Nora MacDonald10715 Durland Avenue, NESeattle, WA 98125206-364-7846noramac7@comcast.net Mary PendergraftWake Forest UniversityDepartment of Classical LanguagesWinston-Salem, NC 27109-7343336-758-5331pender@wfu.edu

Amy RosevearCherry Creek High School9300 East Union AvenueGreenwood Village, CO 80111720-554-2490arosevear@cherrycreekschools.org

Kristin WebsterThe Marymount School of New York1026 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10028646-678-0362kwebster@marymountnyc.org

NATIONAL LATIN EXAM WRITING COMMITTEE

These are the committee members who meet throughout the year to discuss, write, fine-tune, and proof the exams. These are all seasoned Latin teachers who have experience using a wide variety of textbooks and methods.

MEMBERS OF THE WRITING COMMITTEE 2017-2018

Mark Keith, Co-Chair pallanteum@comcast.net

Linda Montross, Co-Chairamovos@aol.com

Joe Davenportjoseph.davenport@norwellschools.org

Donna Dollingsdjdollings@gmail.com

Debra Heatondebraheaton@salemk12.org

Ian Hochbergihochberg@sssas.org

Emily Lewisealewis07@gmail.com

Patricia Listerphlister@fcps.edu

Betty Merrillbmerrill10@hotmail.com

Sue Robertsonktrobertson@verizon.net

Lauren Rogerslauren.rogers@salem.edu

Jane H. Hall, Emeritajhhall@kaballero.com

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The NLE Scholarship Committee is composed of six readers: three college professors and three high school teachers plus the Chair. Only two professors and two high school teachers serve as readers each year. The applications are read several times prior to the selection of the twenty-one scholarship winners and five alternates. The first screening is done by the Chair. A second screening is then done to determine which applications will be sent to the readers. Approximately ninety applications are sent to the readers for a third reading. Each reader selects his top thirty-five applications and returns these selections to the chair. At this time, the committee members’ choices are collated, and the winners are chosen. The names of the scholars are announced at The American Classical League Institute late in June.

THE NATIONAL LATIN EXAM SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

MEMBERS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE 2017-2018

Ephy Howard, Chair, epec@troycable.net Sarah Bjorkman, sbjorkman@westfordk12.us Randall Childree, randall.childree@furman.edu Patricia Richardson, patricia.richardson@hotmail.com Robert Simmons, RSimmons@monmouthcollege.edu Michael Sloan, sloanmc@wfu.edu Sandra Woodward, swoodward@graniteschools.org

Would you like to be a member of the NLE Scholarship Committee? If so, please visit our website, www.nle.org, complete the Scholarship Committee application, and transmit it by e-mail or mail a hard copy to the NLE Office.

THE NATIONAL LATIN EXAM CONSULTANTS 2017-2018

Every fall the Consultants critique the exams and offer suggestions for improvement to the Writing Committee. Their ideas and contributions are invaluable in the process of preparing the exams for distribution to national and international Latin students.

Michael Bales mbales@tfs.ca

Sally Davis saldavis@comcast.net

Kevin Gushmankgushman@aol.com

Elizabeth HeimbachEHeimbach@aol.com

David R. Pellegrinodpelleg1@rochester.rr.com

Wallace RaganWRagan@cathedral.org

David Blochdavid.bloch@gmail.com

Kathy Elifritskelifrits@zoomtown.com

Ruth Haukelandeinaruth@aol.com

Richard A. LaFleurlafleur922@hotmail.com

David Perryhospes.primus@verizon.net

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THE NEW LATIN EDUCATORS SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

Sue Robertson, Co-Chair ktrobertson@verizon.net

Kristen Bortner kristenbortner@gmail.com

Dobbie Vasquez dobbie.vasquez@menloschool.org

Ben Watson cbwatson@ou.edu

Margaret Hicks, Co-Chair margaretdhicks@comcast.net

John Chu john.chu@nisd.net

David Volk volkd@fargo.k12.nd.us

Mark Keith, Ex-Officio pallanteum@comcast.net

Martha Abbott, Chairmabbott@actfl.org

Sally Davissaldavis@comcast.net

Ian Hochbergihochberg@sssas.org

Alice Guppy, Chairagguppy8@gmail.com

Kevin Gushmankgushman@aol.com

Ian Hochbergihochberg@sssas.org

Jane Sleepersleepyjane@juno.com

THE JANE HARRIMAN HALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

THE CHRISTINE FERNALD SLEEPER EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL AWARD SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

CHECK OUT THE NLE ON YOUTUBE!All 24 episodes of Forum Romanum have been converted and posted on the National Latin Exam YouTube Channel!

Here is the YouTube Custom URL for the NLE: https://www.youtube.com/c/NleOrgVid

The Forum Romanum Companion Book is available through the American Classical League’s Teaching Materials & Resource Center (www.aclclassics.org/store).

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NATIONAL LATIN EXAM PRACTICE APP

The National Latin Exam Practice App is a free web-based application that allows students to prepare for the National Latin Exam and test their classical knowledge year-round, on demand, in an environment they can individually customize based on their level and time availability. The web link for this link is http://quiz.nle.org Students can either type the link

in and practice on the web, or they can scan and use it on their phones

NLE OFFICE STAFFJanine Kuty, Office Manager

Ellen Smith, Administrative Assistant/Data Entry Specialist

Meagan Wilkinson, Student Aide

NLE Office News

NLE Office Welcomes New Student Aide Meagan Wilkinson joined the NLE office staff as a seasonal clerical worker in January 2017. She was hired as the new student aide for the NLE office in February 2017. Meagan is a graduate from James River High School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, where she took four years of Latin with Mrs. Donna Dollings, a member of the NLE Writing Committee. Meagan is currently a sophomore at the University of Mary Washington, where she studies Mathematics and Elementary Education. She enjoys teaching upper level elementary students and plans to do so when she graduates with her Masters in 2020. When Meagan isn’t studying, she enjoys hanging out with friends or playing with her pets. Meagan currently has eleven animals at home; a dog, two cats, a tur-tle, and seven chickens. Meagan is originally from Richmond, Virginia, where she lives with her parents and two older sisters. Meagan Wilkinson and Donna Dollings

NLE Phone Number: 1-888-378-7721nle@umw.eduwww.nle.org

Fax: 1-540-654-1567

Clement Testing Service Number:1-800-459-9847

??QUESTIONS?

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DEAR NELLY

Dear Nelly, My school mailed our National Latin Exam application and check, which included our annual dues for ACL membership. A couple of weeks later I received a refund check for the ACL membership fee. I am confused. I thought I could send both fees on the same check. ~Perplexed in Portland

Dear Perplexed, Thanks you for asking. Our office only handles the National Latin Exam. Any payments for ACL and/or NJCL membership should be sent to their office in Ohio. Please make sure that your financial office has the appropriate address information on file for both offices.

Dear Nelly, I just got an e-mail from your office to inform me that our school’s answer sheets were not mailed the same day as the exam. I was under the impression that the answer sheets were mailed back on March 17, our school’s testing date. However, when I spoke to my proctor, she said that she mailed the answer sheets back the same day that she released the exams to me. This year’s release date was March 23. What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen again? ~Chagrined in Charlottesville

Dear Chagrined, Please make sure that your proctor understands that the exams must be mailed back the same day as the exam (or the last day of the exam if different levels are given on different days). Proctors hold onto the exams themselves until the release date given on the Instructions for Examiner form (AKA Blue Sheet). Make sure that your proctor reads these instructions carefully and follows them completely.

Dear Nelly, I had planned for our students to take the exam on Friday, March 10, our last day be-fore spring break, but snow cancelled school that day. Our spring break ran March 11- March 26. I had been hoping that our students could take the exam when they returned to school on Monday, March 27, but your office informed me that this was not possible. Do you have any suggestions for how I can avoid a similar situa-tion next year? ~Snowbound in Schenectady

Dear Snowbound, We are sorry that winter weather and your school’s spring break schedule combined to make it impossible for your students to partic-ipate in this year’s exam. For schools located in areas where winter weather is a possibility, we suggest that they plan an exam date and a back-up date in case of bad weather. Look in this newsletter for the dates for the 2018 exam, and plan a date and back-up date and get them on your school calendar.

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NLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPLICATION FORM

Name

Home Address

Email Address

Phone ( )

School Name ( ) Public ( ) Private

Subjects Taught Grade Levels Taught

Educational Background

College

Advanced Degrees

Other

Teaching Experience

Number of years you have participated in the NLE

NOTA BENE: On the back of this form, state your reasons for wanting to serve on the NLE Advisory Committee.

Mail to: National Latin Exam University of Mary Washington 1301 College Avenue Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Deadline: September 15, 2017

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NLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPLICATION FORM

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These are the questions which proved to be the most challenging and the easiest on each of the levels of the 2017 National Latin Exam:

INTRODUCTION TO LATIN

Language QuestionsHard: 2. The peacock is the symbol of which goddess? A) Minerva B) Juno C) Diana D) Vesta (48% knew that B is the correct answer.)

Easy: 4. A Latin teacher asking you your name would say A) Quid est nōmen tibi? B) Suntne laetī? C) Quota hōra est? D) Ubi sunt discipulī? (95% knew that A is the correct answer.)

Other QuestionsHard: 23. “Sedēbāsne tum in hortō?” Alexander clamat. A) Why were you sitting B) Were you sitting C) And you were sitting D) You were not sitting (42% knew that B is the correct answer.)

Easy: 14. Vīlla multās statuās habet. A) many statues B) some statues C) all the statues D) other statues(96% knew that A is the correct answer.)

LATIN I

Grammar QuestionsHard: 2. Lūdōs in amphitheātro spectāre poterātis. A) You were able to watch B) You are able to watch C) You will be able to watch D) You have been able to watch(25% knew that A is the correct answer.)

Easy: 19. Multās fābulās dē deīs memoriā tenēmus. A) We hear B) We read C) We remember D) We teach (87% knew that C is the correct answer.)

Other QuestionsHard: 20. Ubi est Brundisium in chartā geōgraphicā? A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4(43% knew that C is the correct answer.)

Easy: 30. The letter was illegible, meaning that it was not able to be A) written B) sealed C) read D) seen (90% knew that C is the correct answer.)

LATIN II

Grammar QuestionsHard: 17. Nōn licet _____ currere. A) puer B) puerī C) puerō D) puerōrum (27% knew that C is the correct answer)

The HARD Ones and the EASY Ones: 2017

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18

Easy: 10. Neque Gāius neque Tiberius est vir bonus! A) Neither...nor B) Either...or C) Both...and D) Although...nevertheless (91% knew that A is the correct answer.)

Other QuestionsHard: 24. What savage mythological animal, pursued by many men, was first wounded by Atalanta? A) Calydonian Boar B) Minotaur C) Nemean Lion D) Hydra(44 % knew that A is the correct answer.)

Easy: 27. Ēheu! Your alarm did not go off and you are late for school once again. What Latin word gives us the English word which describes you? A) tardus, -a, -um B) bonus, -a, -um C) parvus, -a, -um D) lātus, -a, -um (91% knew that A is the correct answer.)

LATIN III

Grammar QuestionsHard: 4. Cīvis scīvit sē in exsilium mittī. A) is being sent B) was being sent C) had been sent D) will have been sent (28% knew that B is the correct answer.)

Easy: 3. Amor est maior ōdiō. A) Love is greater than hatred. B) Love often defeats hatred. C) Love always surpasses hatred. D) Love is more wonderful than hatred. (92% knew that A is the correct answer.)

Other QuestionsHard: 29. At which battle was Hannibal defeated by Scipio? A) Pharsalus B) Cannae C) Philippi D) Zama (26% knew that D is the correct answer.)

Easy: 26. After introducing the guest speaker to the Latin students, the teacher said, A) “Mē paenitet!” B) “Plaudite, omnēs!” C) “Exeunt omnēs!” D) “Persōna nōn grāta!” (88 % knew that B is the correct answer.)

LATIN III-IV PROSE

Grammar QuestionsHard: 14. Caesare duce, Rōmānī flūmine Rhēnō potītī sunt. A) the Rhine River B) from the Rhine River C) in the Rhine River D) toward the Rhine River (17% knew that A is the correct answer.)

Easy: 4. Reī pūblicae servandae causā, Cicerō magnam ōrātiōnem habuit. A) Because he had saved the republic B) While saving the republic C) For the sake of saving the republic D) Saved by the republic (80% knew that C is the correct answer.)

Other QuestionsHard: 20. To which Roman emperor did Pliny the Younger write letters concerning the Christians in AD 112? A) Augustus B) Claudius C) Trajan D) Marcus Aurelius (31% knew that C is the correct answer.)

The Hard Ones and the Easy Ones: 2017 continued from previous page

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Easy: 28. The clients asked the builder for elucidation regarding the architectural plans. A) special treatment B) praise C) extra help D) clarification (91.5% knew that D is the correct answer.)

LATIN III-IV POETRY

Grammar QuestionsHard: 6. Meminērunt omnia amantēs. A) remember B) should remember C) will remember D) had remembered (14.5% knew that A is the correct answer.)

Easy: 3. Epistulae tuae mihi cārae sunt! A) my dear B) dear me C) dear to me D) dear because of me (78.5% knew that C is the correct answer.)

Other QuestionsHard: 23. “Ēheu, magister! Librum meum āmīsī!” In this sentence, Ēheu expresses A) joy B) surprise C) praise D) sorrow (34% knew that D is the correct answer.)

Easy: 28. Epidaurus, Dodona, Delphi, and Cumae are sites of famous A) battles B) gladiatorial schools C) oracles D) baths (86.5% knew that C is the correct answer.)

MY STUDENTS INTRO LATIN I LATIN II LATIN IIILATIN III-IV

PROSE

LATIN III-IV

POETRYLATIN V-VI

IN THE FIRST YEAR OF A TWO YEAR LATIN I PROGRAM.

ARE IN THE SECOND YEAR OF A TWO YEAR LATIN I PROGRAM.

ARE IN A ONE YEAR LATIN I PROGRAM.

ARE IN LATIN II.

ARE IN LATIN III AND HAVE TRANSLATED PRIMARILY ADAPTED LATIN PASSAGES OR STORIES

ARE IN LATIN III AND HAVE TRANSLATED PRIMARILY AUTHENTIC LATIN LITERATURE.

ARE IN LATIN IV.

ARE IN LATIN V OR BEYOND.

WHICH LEVEL EXAM SHOULD MY STUDENTS TAKE?

If you have any questions about level, please contact the NLE office or consult the complete syllabus for each level of the exam on www.nle.org

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