2019 Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language Award Ceremony
The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston held the 2019 Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) Award Ceremony on May 24. Ginny Liang, the assistant principal of International Leadership of Texas Westpark, a free public charter school for kindergarten to 8th grade, was invited to the ceremony at which the top examinees at each level were presented with an award certificate and a prize.
The TOCFL has six proficiency levels divided into three proficiency bands. This year 64 students with diverse backgrounds and from many high schools and Chinese language schools in the Greater Houston Area participated in tests covering all six proficiency levels.
All the examinees who passed the TOCFL test they sat for received a Chinese Proficiency Certificate, and thirteen outstanding examinees were selected to also receive an award at the award ceremony. Among them, Chen Ho-Pei, a student at the Chinese School of the Chinese Community Center, scored full marks.
Michael Davis, a Cinco Ranch High School student who sat the TOCFL test for the first time, won the third place at Level 1. He said “It was a very good experience and makes me feel very confident about the future, and how I can improve my level as I go on to the journey of learning Chinese. This experience will help me very much in my attitude towards learning Chinese.”
The Education Division has administered the TOCFL test of listening and reading proficiency in the southern area of the United States since 2009. TOCFL is designed for people who want to evaluate their Chinese proficiency and it is very helpful for those who plan to study, work, or do business in Chinese-speaking countries. Having a TOCFL certificate will also be taken into consideration when people apply for admission to academic programs at a college or university in Taiwan or for a Ministry of Education funded Taiwan Scholarship to undertake a degree program there.
PHOTO: Sophie Chou, the director of the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston (5th left) and Ginny Liang (6th left), the assistant principal of International Leadership of Texas Westpark, with some of the award recipients and their family members.