The requirement asks students to show they can use a language in everyday situations. Students have a choice about how and when they learn. Under a seat-time requirement, students complete a fixed set of courses. The CLA Bulletin encourages new students to be prepared to enter at the second-year level or higher. Departments across CLA work together on this because language knowledge is part of a liberal arts education and this transcends departmental curriculum.
Proficiency is a process.
Each student has the same responsibility in this process and every course section works toward the same goal. Final exams are achievement tests. Students show that they have learned the course materials. The instructor assigns a grade based on the final. A proficiency test is designed so that the student shows what she or he can do based on general knowledge.