Registration
hmshamsi@americancouncils.org
NEWL is a proctored online exam designed to evaluate the language proficiency of high school students studying Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian. NEWL Scores function as an instrument for students to assess their preparedness for college placement and/or their ability to accrue college credits.
REGISTRATION
The 2024 NEWL Registration window will open on February 1 and will close on April 3, 2024. The application submission process will commence in January 2024. It is imperative that all exam fees are paid by the deadline of April 3 to secure eligibility for the 2024 exam cycle. All U.S.-based exams will begin at 9:00 AM local time. If you are an international center, contact us at NEWL@americancouncils.org for exam start times.
DATES & FEES
|
2024 EXAMS |
ARABIC |
KOREAN |
PORTUGUESE |
RUSSIAN |
FEES |
|
Practice |
March 4 - 8 |
March 4 - 8 |
March 4 - 8 |
March 4 - 8 |
$35 |
|
Main |
April 22 |
April 23 |
April 24 |
April 25 |
$98 Domestic[1] |
|
Late Testing |
April 26 & 27 |
April 26 & 27 |
April 26 & 27 |
April 26 & 27 |
$45 + Main Exam |
|
[1] The fee for examinees requiring overseas administration is $141. |
|||||
LAB SETUP WEEK (April 8 - 12, 2024)
Students can choose to take the examination on either school-provided computers or their own computers. All computers, whether provided by the school or owned by students, must be configured during the lab setup week between April 8-12, 2024.
OTHER FEES
Reduced Fee Request Form for qualified students is available.
EXAM ACCOMMODATIONS
Eligible examinees may request exam accommodations for the NEWL by submitting the Accommodations Request Form. The school must verify the request and the need for accommodations. The Registrant must submit the Accommodation Eligibility request form to American Councils, not the examinee (or the parent). All forms must be submitted together with the application.
ADMINISTRATION
NEWL is administered to high school students on school premises e.g., in a computer lab or in a classroom. If your high school is unable to facilitate the examination, it is mandatory that you locate a neighboring high school or institution to fulfill this administrative responsibility.
The exam site must provide 2-3 admin personnel:
Registrant:
- Submit the NEWL application during the open registration window
- Register admin personnel and examinees
- Pay for the exam or invoice the examinee through the system
Proctor:
- Setup the examination room
- Admit examinees
- Read the exam administration script
- Communicate with American Councils technical support through chat
Technical point of contact:
- Assist with basic computer preparation
- Troubleshooting technical issues
- Setup a dedicated, private, and secure testing space for at least 4.5 hours on the day of the exam
Within each school, there are two possible modes of NEWL assessment—classroom-based and computer lab-based. American Councils recommends administering NEWL exams in a traditional computer lab. However, if no lab is available in your school, it is possible to administer the exam in a secure classroom, on student laptops or Chromebooks. Registrants will receive detailed instructions about NEWL administration based upon which type of mode is employed. See the table below for key differences:
|
CLASSROOM-BASED MODE |
LAB-BASED MODE |
|
Students provide a personal or school-issued computer (laptop or Chromebook) |
School provides desktop computers and seating for the administration in a computer lab |
|
Students provide speaker/ headphones/ microphone set |
School provides speaker/headphones/microphone set |
|
Students run the required diagnostics to ensure that their computers meet the requirements for the exam |
School-appointed proctors or lab techs to ensure that their computers meet the requirements |
|
Students use an access code to log themselves into the exam. |
The proctor logs all of the students into the exam before admitting them to the lab. |
All testing sites must be secured and registered before the registration deadline date (April 3, 2024). American Councils will review all applications to ensure exam requirements are met. Failure to adhere to these guidelines and deadlines may result in disqualification.
Any independent examinee whose school is not able to administer the NEWL exam in a secure and proctored environment may seek out a neighboring school that is offering NEWL or look for commercial testing centers in their area. We recommend that examinees contact their school’s AP Coordinator to inquire about conducting an exam administration.
PAYMENT
NEWL handles payment through PayPal primarily. Once the examinee is registered online, the registrant can pay the fee or forward the invoice link to the examinee. This option does not require having a PayPal account.
This charge will appear on your credit card statement as a payment to PAYPAL * AC TESTING. When making a payment via PayPal, please notify the finance department in your school of any credit card charges in advance, so they do not dispute the charge. Resolving disputes takes a significant amount of time for both parties, so notifying finance staff in advance will avoid complications. Payment status will show next to each examinee's name. PayPal approves payments in real-time and payment status updates upon successful transaction completion.
Language on NEWL Exams
Appropriate conduct and language are expected of all examinees participating in NEWL. Any use of inappropriate language on any section of the exam will invalidate the entire exam and no score report will be issued. Inappropriate language includes offensive language or topics in either the speaking or writing section of the exam.
Refund Policy
If the examinee pays for a school-based main exam but does not take it, a refund can be requested. Please note that there will be a $15 unused exam fee. To receive a refund for the exam, the registrant must submit a Refund Request Form to American Councils no later than May 1, 2024. No portion of the fee is refundable if the examinee has taken any sections of the exam.
Testing Center Rebate Form
Exam administration rebates are available at $9 per examinee for testing sites hosting external students. The testing site must reach out to American Councils no later than April 3, 2024, to determine eligibility for the rebate, and fill out the required forms.
Posting About NEWL on School Websites
In cases where information about NEWL is shared, e.g. on the school website, proper credit and direct links to both American Councils and the NEWL websites must be referenced. Note that it would be a violation of copyright law to copy the information and make it available on any other website without written authorization from American Councils.
Contact Info
hmshamsi@americancouncils.org