This address evaluates standardized language test results of students at the College of William and Mary in terms of their class grades and continuity of enrollment in language programs. Implications of the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) and the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) test scores reflecting actual linguistic proficiency and secondary school training are examined extensively. Reasons for studying foreign languages are discussed with emphasis on recent trends in enrollment, particularly the dropout rate at the college level, throughout the country. Tables of comparative test scores and correlative final grade averages are included. (RL)