National Italian Exam
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Exam Overview

  • Overview and Structure of the Exam
  • Topics and Skills
  • Overview of the Exam Structure and Tasks
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Overview and Structure of the Exam

  • Levels: the exam is delivered electronically through Lingco and presents 6 levels (Novice, Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  • Sections: to facilitate exam administration, each level is divided in an interpretive listening/viewing and an interpretive reading section that can be administered at different times.
  • Questions: each level is comprised of 50 selected-response items (except for Novice level which is comprised of 40 items), 25 for the interpretive listening/viewing section and 25 for the interpretive reading section.
  • Time: students have 40 minutes to complete each of the section (for a total of 80 mins if both sections are taken together). 
  • Content: the questions include a variety of authentic short audio /video segments and written texts followed by questions that elicit skills appropriate to each level of performance (ranging from recognition, main idea, text purpose and audience, to supporting details).
  • Administration: teachers can decide to administer the exam in one or in two separate sessions, according to their needs.

For more information on the typologies of the questions, the lexical domains and samples of performance, consult the specifications under Topics and Skills.
Topics and Skills

AATI sought to develop a test that reflects the ACTFL Performance Guidelines in terms of topics and tasks, and that uses the Proficiency Guidelines as the basis for both item development and rating scale. When taking the NIE students performance is evaluated against descriptors that define a set of language content and contexts, while their language abilities are determined according to the assessment criteria in the proficiency guidelines.
The test was developed in consultation with Italian language teachers from across North America and uses a variety of student performances to assess their progress toward proficiency. Alignment with the ACTFL Performance Descriptors and the thematic content of each level was initially established by analyzing the responses to a national survey among K-12 teachers of Italian and subsequently, adjusted empirically through a piloting stage. Information about type of performance elicited, sub-skills, vocabulary domains, and type of texts for each level of the exam is available for download below. The NIE is modeled following the AAPPL and STAMP exams, used to certify the Seal of Biliteracy.


NIE 2023- Topics and Skills by Level
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Exam Levels
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Exam Categories
Overview of the Exam Structure and Tasks
40 mins x  section /  80 mins x 2 session
Exam Section
Number of Questions
Task Type
What do students have do to?
Time
Reading Interpretation
25
(20 for Novice)

Multiple Choice
Matching


  • Identify, recognize words
  • Understand the gist
  • Identify information
  • Understand main idea
  • Understand the context
  • Recognize purpose of the text or function of text
  • Understand some supporting facts / details and the relationship between them (such as cause and effect, problem and solution, comparison and contrast, etc.)
  • Making basic inferences from information given in the text
40 mins
Listening and Viewing Interpretation
25
(20 for Novice)

Multiple Choice
Matching
Ordering
  • Identify,  recognize words
  • Understand the gist
  • Identify information
  • Understand main idea/ topic
  • Understand the context
  • Recognize basic purpose or function of message / text
  • Understand some basic details/ supporting facts
40 mins
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The Italian National Exam is an official AATI Contest
American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI)
  • Home
  • Registration and Administration
    • Registration
    • Administration
    • Payment
  • Exam Overview
    • Exam Levels
    • Exam Categories and Students' Language Background
    • Preparing Students
    • NIE Professional Item Writing Opportunity
  • Awards
    • Awards
    • Printable Certificates
    • Results >
      • Winners 2022
      • Winners 2021
      • Winners 2020
      • Winners 2019
      • Winners 2018
  • Contact us
    • About us