Foreign Language Waiver Petition Guidelines

Students with disabilities that significantly impact foreign language acquisition may petition for a foreign language waiver. Per ORC guidelines, all students should complete the language requirement or be approved for a waiver before the end of their 7th quarter.

Students who are granted waivers tend to have auditory and/or orthographic processing, learning, and/or related disorders. To be considered for a waiver, students need to apply and submit documentation to Student Accessibility Services regarding their language learning aptitude. Key measures to assess language learning aptitude, especially for students with learning disorders, are described below. This level of assessment is generally not required for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, who will want to refer to our documentation guidelines for hearing loss. Alternatively, our documentation guidelines regarding auditory processing disorders may be more relevant to students with these conditions than the tests listed below.

Effective documentation should include objective measures of listening, speaking, reading/spelling, and writing as well as the cognitive processes that underlie them. If you are being evaluated and plan to apply for a foreign language waiver at Dartmouth, please share this page with potential evaluators in advance of scheduling, and verify that they have access to and are familiar administering the types of tests below. This list is provided to highlight examples of tests that are likely to be appropriate as part of an evaluation; however, not all tests are required to be adminstered: 

• Memory
  • WAIS-IV: Digit Span, Letter-Number Sequencing, WMI
  • WJ IV: Story Recall, Understanding Directions, Sentence Repetition
  • PASAT: Auditory memory/attention + processing speed + cognitive load (calculation)
  • CVLT-3: verbal memory
  • WRAML-2 (Story Memory Recall, Verbal Learning Recall, Sentence Memory)
• Phonological Processing
  • CTOPP-2: Clusters -> Phonological Awareness; Phonological Memory; Rapid Naming, Segmenting Nonwords and Blending Nonwords
  • WJ IV: Spelling of Sounds, Sound Awareness, Sound Blending, Visual Auditory Learning
• Expressive / Receptive Language
  • TOAL-4: spoken and written language subtests
  • WJ IV: Oral Comprehension, Oral Vocabulary
  • WIAT-4 (Oral Expression, Listening Comprehension)
  • PPVT-5
  • COWAT
  • CELF-5 Formulated Sentences, Recalling Sentences, Word Structure
• Language Learning Ability
  • MLAT
  • TLC-E (level 2)
  • WJ IV Visual-Auditory Learning
• Reading (in addition to above-mentioned batteries, GORT-5 and TOWRE-2 may be appropriate)
  • pseudoword decoding
  • single-word reading
  • reading in context
  • comprehension
• Writing
  • handwriting (VMI-6 VMI, Visual Perception, and Motor Coordination subtests; and informal observations of grip, letter/word formation)
  • spelling
  • grammar/syntax
  • written formulation (TOWL-4)

Often challenges learning one's native language and foreign languages are linked (Scott & Manglitz, 1997), and students who experience difficulties acquiring a foreign language may have been delayed in learning to speak and/or engaged in speech therapy. Moreover, students may have had challenges learning reading, spelling, and grammar. Please include these details in the your personal statement for the petition form provided by SAS, as well as details of your history pertaining to listening, speaking, reading, and writing acquisition in any languages (including your native language). Please also reference any academic services, accommodations, or language waivers received prior to Dartmouth.