SL Requirement

Faculty regulations require that the student must be able to read and write in a second language. This is the oft-called "SL Element." Sometimes, however, a student will arrive at Knox with something other than English as their home language. Such students may feel as though the SL Element should be waived/ignored/etc. To help you determine if their request is reasonable, and what to do if you feel it is, we have this guideline.

To qualify for a SL substitution course, the student should have attended a high school whose language of instruction was that language. If the advisee did not study in their (non-English) language in high school (grades 9–12), then they do not qualify for an SL substitution course… unless they pass an Oral Proficiency Interview test. This proficiency test is through a third-party (Language Testing International) and costs the student around $165. The “Oral Proficiency Interview” measures the ability to speak in a language. It is a live, unscripted, 15–30-minute phone conversation with a Certified ACTFL Tester.

Here is the website that gives more information.

https://www.languagetesting.com/lti/product/selectTest/lang_id/7233/client_id/228

Note that there is no longer such a thing as a language “waiver.” We have not given waivers for the second language since 2019 when the faculty changed the regulations.

Again, ultimately, all decisions regarding substitutions must be made through the office of the Associate Dean of the College, Mary Crawford (mcrawfor@knox.edu).