ACL/NJCL NATIONAL LATIN EXAM RESULTS 2010

 Breakdown of Awards | Grading of Exam | Exam Process | State Statistics

IIn 2010 more than 150,000 students applied to take the thirty-third National Latin Exam. Participation in the Exam has increased each year since its inception in 1977, when approximately 6,000 students enrolled. Students from all fifty states participated this year, as did students from 13 foreign countries, including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. This year for the first time, students from Singapore also took the NLE. In addition, students in one U.S. territory, the U.S. Virgin Islands, participated this year.

During the second week in March, over 138,000 students in 2,743 schools took the National Latin Exam in their own schools, and the exam was administered in 21 colleges and 11 elementary schools. Also participating were 1,694 students from 335 home schools. This year 945 more students took the exam than in 2009. The breakdown of awards for each exam (the number correct out of forty) is shown below, above each category.

 Breakdown of Awards

Grading of Exam

***In the Introduction to Latin Exam, which was taken by 17,655 students, 7,362 students won awards. As the average number correct on this Exam was 34, students who scored 35-36 correct out of forty received Certificates of Achievement, and scores of 37-40 received Certificates of Outstanding Achievement and purple ribbons. The 795 students who answered all 40 questions correctly were sent a special congratulatory letter from the NLE Committee.

 There were 942 seniors who won gold medals on the Latin III, III-IV Prose, III-IV Poetry, or the Latin V-VI Exam. These students are eligible for one of the twenty-one $1000 scholarships, including one from an anonymous donor. In addition, a $2000 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 and those for the National Greek Exam will be announced by NLE Scholarship Chair, Ephy Howard, at the ACL Institute at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, in June. The National Latin Exam Scholarship Committee, formed in 1983, consists of Ephy Howard, Chair, and members Conrad Barrett, Judith de Luce, Gaylan DuBose, Edith Foster, Sue Gillen and Sandra Woodward. Linda S. Montross serves as the Scholarship Liaison. The scholarship recipients from 2009, 2008, and 2007, are eligible for an additional $1000 if they continue their study of Latin and/or Greek. In 2009, the National Latin Exam awarded $44,000 in scholarships.

The Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical Dictionary Award, given to students who win four gold medals, is being sent to 474 students this year in recognition of their outstanding achievement. The 83 students who have won five gold medals will be sent special book awards. The 2010 PERFECT PAPER and GOLD MEDAL winners will be published in Torch U.S., the publication of the National Junior Classical League.

Exam Process

IIn August, the National Latin Exam office sent the application for the 2010 National Latin Exam to teachers who participated in the 2009 NLE. Upon receipt of the application and payment, a postcard was sent from the NLE office to the teacher, 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, 2010.

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, 2010. A copy of the congratulatory letter for the principal was included in this package. The national percent correct for each question is included as well as the percent correct on each question for the individual school. Both percentages are being provided in order to help teachers and students assess strengths and weaknesses.

The 2010 PERFECT PAPER and GOLD MEDAL winners will be published in Torch U.S., the publication of the National Junior Classical League.

State Statistics

The chart given below indicates the states with the greatest number of students taking the 2010 exam and those showing the greatest increase in percentage of those participating.

Click below for the full report showing the breakdown by state of the number of applicants, number who took the exam, the ranking of states who took the exam the last five years, the states ranked by the change in percentage of users, and states ranked by number of exams taken.

The 2010 NLE Breakdown of Results by States.

The states with the greatest number of students taking the 2010 Exams:			The states with the greatest % increase in number of students taking the 2010 Exams:
Massachusetts	12,267		Montana	75%
New York	11,579		Alaska	63%
Virginia	10,258		South Dakota	62%
New Jersey	9,000		New Hampshire	56%
Texas	8,711		Washington	28%
Pennsylvania	8,480		Kentucky	26%
Ohio	7,807		Minnesota	23%
California	7,219		Michigan	20%
Connecticut	6,113		Arizona	19%
Georgia	5,229		Hawaii	16%