FLEX Application


Recruitment for the 2012-2013 program year has ended. Recruitment for the 2013-2014 program year will begin in the fall of 2012.

Please register at  http://www.americancouncils.am/register-to-learn-more-about-flex/ to be informed of the details.


Who is Eligible to Apply to the Program and Who is NOT Eligible?


Steps in Recruitment


Recruitment Schedule


Regions Where Recruitment is Carried Out


Selection Process

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Who is Eligible to Apply to the Program and Who is NOT Eligible?

 

The competition for the FLEX scholarship is merit-based and open at no cost to ALL applicants who meet the following requirements.

 

In order to apply for FLEX program in September 2011, eligible applicants for the 2012-2013 program year must:

 

  • Be students in the 9th, 10th, 11th grades (not in the graduating class) be born between  March 15, 1994 and July 15, 1997 AND
  • Be currently enrolled in a secondary school in the 9th, 10th, 11th grades
  • Have an academic standing of “good” or better
  • Have previously studied English and demonstrated English Language ability at the time of registration
  • Meet U.S. visa eligibility requirements
  • Be a citizen of Armenia and be able to receive a passport in Armenia


The age/grade eligibility requirements for students with disabilities are the following:

  • Students must be born between March 15, 1994 and July 15, 1997
  • They must be studying in 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades

*Students who change their grade level to an ineligible grade before their departure to the United States will be disqualified.

 

Students are ineligible to apply if:

  • They do not meet the above criteria
  • They have stayed in the U.S. for three (3) months or more during the past five (5) years
  • Their family has applied, is applying, or has made plans to emigrate to the United States.

Steps in Recruitment


Round 1: Pre-Test


Students meeting the age and grade criteria are invited to take a 16-question, multiple-choice.

English test. The major purpose of the pre-test is to eliminate students with only a very limited knowledge of English. There are ten versions of the pre-test to discourage cheating.

 

Round 2: Pre-TOEFL/SLEP and Essay Test


Eligible students deciding to continue with the application process are invited to take the Pre- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the Secondary Level English Proficiency (SLEP) test. Students are also asked to write three in-class essays (in English) in response to specific questions. Questions are designed to elicit factors that indicate the student’s maturity and suitability for international exchange. Essay questions focus on actual situations that students may confront, rather than abstract situations that may be more difficult to address.

There are five sets of essay questions so students cannot share essay questions with their friends who may take the test at another test site in the future or at another session. All testing is proctored by program staff and alumni.

 

After all tests and essays are completed, they are sent to the Moscow data hub to be assessed and graded. First the Round 2 English tests are graded, and then the essays of students with adequate language proficiency are evaluated. Field screening committees at the data hub are specially trained to assess essays on the basis of ten factors considered critical for exchange experience success. Processing information and conducting the preliminary evaluation in a centralized location, rather than in the field, is important for the integrity of the competition and relieves the pressure often placed on the program staff by parents, local ministries, or others to include candidates who might not be qualified.

 

Round 3: Applications and Interviews


Students with the best assessments pass to the next level of the competition. They are asked to submit complete applications and are interviewed. Less than 15% of the original applicant pool is invited to complete applications. One U.S. and one Eurasian employee return to the test site to conduct 20-minute interviews with students who have been invited to complete applications. Interviews take place in both English and the student’s native language to enable interviewers to assess English language skills as well as to give students the best opportunity to present themselves.

 

In addition to the one-on-one interview, all applicants participate in group interviews (referred to as “games”). These are conducted in Russian or the local language and led by Eurasian staff members while U.S. staff observes. Four to seven students take part in each “game.” These provide an opportunity to observe the students in a less formal setting and to see how they interact with their peers. On the day of the interview, staff explains the application form in detail so students will understand how to complete it. Students have two weeks to complete the application and return it to an American Councils office. Applications are checked in the field offices for completeness and forwarded to the Moscow data hub. In Moscow, computer data files are updated for each student, and the original Pre-TOEFL or SLEP answer sheet and essay questions are attached to the application form. The complete application and computer data files are then forwarded to the American Councils headquarters office in Washington, DC for further processing and selection.

 

Recruitment Schedule


Registration of the FLEX Program Year 2012 -13 applicants will take place in:

 

City

Marz

Registration Site

Day, time

Hrazdan

Kotayk

# 13 school, Kentron

Sept. 13,  9:00

Ijevan

Tavush

# 4 school, (Galik College), Nalbandyan str 1

Sept. 13, 9:30

Martuni

Gegharkunik

# 2 school, Narekatsi str 7

Sept. 14,  9:30

Vanadzor

Lori

# 2 school, Heratsi str 17

Sept. 14,  9:00

Yeghegnadzor

Vayots Dzor

Youth Center in Culture House, Momiki str 1

Sept. 19,  9:00

Sisian

Syunik

# 3 school, Myasnikyan str

Sept. 19, 17:30

Talin

Aragatsotn

Talin High School, Gorki str 13

Sept. 19,  9:00

Gyumri

Shirak

# 20 school, Thatcher str 1

Sept. 20,  9:00

Goris

Syunik

Branch of Nat Institute of Education, Gusan Ashoti str 32

Sept. 20, 13:30

Kapan

Syunik

# 1 school, , Lernagortsneri str 16

Sept. 22,  9:00

Yerevan and close regions

Yerevan and close regions

Yerevan State Linguistic University aft V. Brusov, # 108, Tumanyan str 42

Sept. 22,  9:30

For students with disabilities*

Yerevan and all marzes

Yerevan and all marzes

“Unison” NGO, Demirchyan 36, Yerevan, Armenia

Sept. 16,  10:30

All the applicants MUST submit the following for registration:

  • Birth certificate or passport (original)
  • 1 photo /size 3×4/
  • pen

 

 

Regions Where Recruitment is Carried Out


Recruitment for the 2012-2013 program year will take place in:

 

  • Yerevan (applicants from nearby regions are tested in Yerevan)
  • Shirak – Gyumri
  • Aragatsotn – Talin
  • Lori – Vanadzor
  • Tavush – Ijevan
  • Syunik – Sisian, Goris, Kapan
  • Kotayk – Hrazdan
  • Gegharkunik – Martuni
  • Vayots Dzor – Yeghegnadzor

 

Selection Process


American Councils organizes and trains approximately 150 volunteer evaluators- professionals in education and international relations in the United States who meet daily for about three months to carefully review the applications and attached data. They select program finalists and alternates.

 

Selection is based on merit as evidenced in a comprehensive application; teacher reference; and demonstrated preparedness for a year-long exchange experience. Students are also required to provide medical evaluations and be certified as medically fit to participate in the program. The selection process is completed in spring and all applicants receive notification of their status by mid-April. English-language proficiency is important but it is not the sole element in selection. Names of all finalists are randomly distributed to placement organizations by mainframe computer.