FLEX program
Frequently asked questions (FAQs):

 

Q: What is the difference between your program and those similar ones? What is the purpose of the FLEX program?

A: The FLEX program is funded by the U.S. Congress and administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) division. The program has five main goals:

Q: What is the ECA and what role does American Councils have with FLEX?

A: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Youth Programs Division is the division of the U.S. Department of State that monitors and oversees the FLEX Program. Local representatives of the State Department work with local offices of American Councils for International Education. American Councils maintains a network of 20 FLEX “hub” offices throughout Eurasia and handles all of the activities involving recruitment and screening, selection of finalists, communication with finalists and their documentation, pre-departure orientation, participant travel, and maintenance of information management and data processing systems. American Councils serves as a liaison with the students’ families and home/school authorities while they are in the United States. The organization also tracks and coordinates alumni activities. There is an active alumni association based at each program hub and the Department of State receives monthly reports of their activities.

Q: What students are eligible to participate in FLEX?

Q: What is the testing, evaluation, and selection process?

A: There are four rounds to the FLEX testing, evaluation, and selection process:

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 multiple versions of the pre-test to discourage cheating.  Approximately 30 percent of students score well enough to move on to Round 2.

Round 2: Pre-TOEFL/SLEP and Essay Testing

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. Essay questions focus on actual situations that students may confront. There are multiple 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. 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 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, more Essays, and Interviews

Students with the best assessments pass to the next level of the competition. They are asked to submit complete applications, given additional essays to write, and are interviewed. Typically less than 15 percent of the original applicant pool is invited to Round 3. One U.S. and one Kyrgyzstan American Councils 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.

Before the student interview, American Councils staff members meet with students and their parents to explain 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.

Round 4: Selection

American Councils organizes and trains approximately 150 independent evaluators who meet daily for about three months to carefully review the applications and attached data, evaluating each application and scoring it upon its own merit. Finalists and alternates are determined by the independent evaluators who then notify American Councils of the results.

 

FLEX Students from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan depart for the U.S.

Q: Can I see some samples of your test?

A: American Councils does not allow students or family members to see versions of their tests. Security of testing materials is a priority in order to ensure fairness to all students taking the tests. Each testing site is given different versions of tests and essays to discourage cheating. All tests are updated each year.

Q: Who checks and evaluates the tests?

A: All tests and essays are sent to the Moscow data hub to be assessed and graded. Field screening committees at the data hub are specially trained to assess essays on the basis of factors considered critical for exchange experience success. Processing information and conducting the preliminary evaluation in Moscow, rather than in Kyrgyzstan, is important for the integrity of the competition and relieves the pressure often placed on local program staff by parents, local ministries, or others to include candidates who might not be qualified.

Q: Besides the level of English, what else is taken into consideration? Do you pay attention to the nationality of a participant, his/her parents’ work place and position?

A: The selection is based on numerous factors, including the student’s English ability, personality, social skills, academic achievement, and leadership potential.  Only students who are residents of Kyrgyzstan and who meet the eligibility requirements are able to participate. Parents’ place of work, title or position, or economic status has no affect on finalist status. Finalists and alternates are determined by independent evaluators in Washington, DC.

Q: Can disabled students take part in the competition?

A: Yes. We are able to provide to provide the FLEX exam to both visually and hearing impaired students. Disabled students are encouraged to participate in the exams. Age eligibility for visually and hearing impaired students is 15 March 1993 and 15 July 1996. Disabled students will be graded and evaluated according to the same criteria as any other students taking the exam.

Q: Can finalists choose a host family and state? What is the role of placement organizations?

A: No. Non-government organizations (NGOs) are awarded grants to place students in host families and schools and are referred to as “placement organizations.” Names of all finalists are randomly distributed to placement organizations by mainframe computer.

Placement organizations play a critical role in the functioning and success of the FLEX program because they deal with the program at the grassroots level. Public and private non-profit organizations submit proposals that describe how they will recruit and select host families for their FLEX students how they will find host schools. In addition to identifying schools and screening, selecting, and orienting families, organizations will be responsible for: orienting students at the local level; providing support services for students while they are in the U.S.; arranging enhancement activities and leadership opportunities that reinforce program goals; monitoring students during their stay in the U.S.; providing re-entry training; and assessing student’s performance and progress.

Q: Can a finalist choose the grade s/he wants to study at? Will s/he receive a diploma from his/her high school?

A: No. The student’s school and placement organization determines the student’s grade in the U.S. based upon their application, academic transcripts, and other factors. Each school has its own policies regarding exchange students. The school officials will determine which grade level students will be assigned. Even if you are in grade 12 in the U.S., the FLEX program cannot guarantee that you will receive an American high school diploma. Neither the placement organization nor American Councils can influence the school’s decision. Students and their natural parents must accept the school’s decision.

Q: Can a participant stay in the U.S. after completing the program in order to go to a university? Can a participant get a job and work in the U.S.?

A: No. The FLEX program is a U.S. State Department-funded program and students will receive a J-1 U.S. visa to participate on program. J-1 visas stipulate that the recipient MUST return to their home country upon completion of the program and fulfill a two-year residency requirement before being allowed to visit the U.S. again, either for immigrant or temporary worker status. The FLEX program explicitly aims for students to return to Kyrgyzstan to help contribute to the improvement of their home country, amongst its other goals.
The J-1 U.S. visa also strictly instructs that FLEX students are NOT permitted to work in the U.S. The FLEX program is a cultural program, not a work-study program. Its participants are encouraged to experience living in an American host family and study at an American school – to experience the culture and values of a typical American teenager.

Q: Will FLEX students have enough money to cover their personal expenses? What is the stipend for? What is the incidentals allowance for?

A: The FLEX scholarship provides students with a monthly allowance of $125 USD per month. The monthly allowance is the student’s spending money, designated to cover expenses incurred outside of the host family’s home.  FLEX participants are mailed a check directly from their placement organizations every month. Prior to leaving for the U.S., participants are instructed and encouraged to maintain a strict budget in order not to exceed their monthly allowance.  FLEX participants may use their allowance to pay for entertainment, activities, or personal items, just as typical American high school students do.
The FLEX scholarship also provides students with a $300 reimbursement for school-related items. Students will shop with their host families for items necessary for school (for example, sports uniforms, musical instrument rental fees, or a school yearbook). This money WILL NOT be given directly to the student or host family upon arrival in the U.S. The student and host family must decide together how to best use this money, then to submit the receipts to the placement organization for reimbursement after purchasing the items.

Q: What if a participant gets sick?

A: Before a student arrives in the U.S., the FLEX program must receive written permission from natural parents to obtain emergency medical attention if needed. Students will receive complete medical attention in case of an accident or emergency. Each insurance provider has specific policies and restrictions governing the types of expenses they will reimburse. FLEX program organizations, their representatives and host families are not responsible for any medical bills, not covered by insurance, incurred by the student. The Program also is not responsible for any negative results because of medical treatment.

Q: Can a participant visit the relatives who live in the U.S.?

A: Such visits are strongly discouraged during the student’s year in the U.S., especially during the initial adjustment period. Such visits interrupt the continuity of the relationship with the host family and may diminish the exchange experience for the student and host family. Policies regarding family visits vary by placement organizations.

Q: If a student violates the rules of the host family, his/her placement organization or is not successful at school, what measures will be taken?

A: Every year students are dismissed from the FLEX program and return to their home country without successfully completing their FLEX experience. Reasons have included violations of FLEX and/or Placement Organization policies such as poor grades or repeated failure to complete school assignments; physical inability to adjust to family or school; violence at school or in the host family; not following host family rules; and other unacceptable behavior. Other dismissible actions include shoplifting or other violations to U.S. law; the use of alcohol or tobacco; disrespectful behavior toward host family members, teachers, or classmates; inappropriate use of the Internet and computers; driving a motorized vehicle; unauthorized student travel; or employment.

Q: What should I do to become the finalist of your program?

A: You should study! Participation in the FLEX program is free and open to any student meeting the eligibility requirements.
If you would like to pay for participation, we encourage you to instead apply for one of the many paid study abroad programs available provided elsewhere, but not by American Councils or the U.S. State Department.

Q: I wasn’t selected as a finalist? Why?

A: In addition to the successful completion of multiple essays, English exams, and the application, finalist selection is based on numerous factors including the student’s overall English ability, personality, social skills, academic achievement, and leadership potential.  Other factors may include:

In Kyrgyzstan, only one out in 70 students of the initial test-takers is ultimately selected as a finalist. However, every year approximately 65 students in Kyrgyzstan receive the FLEX scholarship. Since 1993, over 900 students from Kyrgyzstan have lived and studied in the U.S. on the FLEX program.