Language Standards in Action: The Case of One Framework and Its Impact on Adult ESL

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Language Standards in Action The Case of One
Framework and Its Impact on Adult ESL

• Marianne Kayed,
• Ottawa Catholic School Board
• Anne Senior,
• Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks
• 24 March 2015 TESOL Adult Pre-Conference Day,
• Toronto, Ontario

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Outline of Topics

1. Framework vs. Standards
2. Evolution of the CLB
3. Structure and Examples of CLB Usage in Language
   Training
4. CLB and Other Uses
5. Supporting TESL Educators
6. Questions

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Getting to Know You and Us

• Who is familiar with standards/frameworks for
  ESL/EFL?
• Which ones?
• Who works with adults?
• Who works with adult immigrants?
• About us

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Standard or a framework

• A standard something used as a measure, norm,
  or model in comparative evaluations
• A framework a basic structure underlying a
  system, concept, or text

http//oxforddictionaries.com/definition
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Why are National Standards important?
By articulating standards for language
proficiency, all stakeholders can now speak a
common language and make informed decisions
regarding settlement, training and employment
opportunities. CLB 2000 A Guide to
Implementation, page 9
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Theoretical Requirements of Models

• Communicative Competence Mastery of Code and
  Usage Standards (Hymes)
• Most frameworks feature
• grammatical, sociolinguistic and strategic
  components in Canale and Swain (1979 1980), to
  which the discourse component is added in Canale
  (1983)
• linguistic, discourse, referential and
  socio-cultural components in Moirand (1982)
• grammatical, textual, pragmatic (illocutionary
  and sociolinguistic) and strategic components in
  Bachman (Bachman, 1990)
• grammatical, textual, functional, sociolinguistic
  and strategic components in Bachman and Palmer
  (1996, 2010)

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Symphony of Components

• Language competence and strategic competence
  (Bachman, 1996, 2010) are meta-cognitive
  components which assure performance management

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What are the Canadian Language Benchmarks?

• The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are a set
  of national standards for adult immigrants and
  prospective immigrants for living and working in
  Canada. 
• CLB are learner-centred, competency-based,
  task-based, and stress community, study and
  work-related communication tasks.
• Fair, valid, reliable, transparent

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Pre-CLB

• Prior to 1986, only heads of households were
  eligible for free language training from the
  federal government
• 1986 - Settlement Language Program (Citizenship
  Immigration Canada - CIC)
• Lacked consistency
• Difficult to evaluate effectiveness from a
  governments standpoint

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Seeds of a Standard

• In a 1990 TESL Conference in Canada, a
  recommendation was made to the government to
  create a national standard
• Between 1992 and 1996, a National Working Group
  oversaw a pan-Canadian consultation with
  TESL/ESL/EFL field
• 1996 Canadian Language Benchmarks (Working
  Document) to allow for input from
  practitioners/users
• CIC committed to maintain integrity relevance
  identify gaps enhance accessibility

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Standard for the Millenium

• 1999 National consultation process with
  practitioners
• 2000 Version released
• Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 ESL for
  Adults (aka CLB 2000)
• Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 ESL for
  Literacy Learners

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English and French

• Canada has two official languages English and
  French
• Challenges to French being used/taught in
  minority settings outside of Quebec is realized
  in policy
• Creation of Niveaux de compétence linguistique
  canadiens 2006
• Quebec has its own set of language standards,
  evolved from the CLB 2000

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The First Decade CLB 2000

• Increase in usage, scope and implementation
• National Consultation 2008
• Revision of CLB 2000/NCLC 2006 began in 2009
• Validation of CLB and NCLC (including the
  Theoretical Framework) in 2010
• Release of revised CLB/NCLC in 2012
• CLB/NCLC included in changes to federal
  immigration legislation (2014) and citizenship
  requirements

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Adult Language Training in Canada

• Government-funded programs
• Federal program (Language Instruction for
  Newcomers to Canada aka LINC (1992))
• Provincial programs (e.g. Ontario, Quebec)
• Tuition-based programs

• Colleges
• Universities
• School Boards
• Settlement agencies and Community organizations
• Some private training providers

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Users of CLB/NCLC - Map from consultation
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CLB structure

• Progression is based on 3 factors
• Progressively more demanding communication tasks
• Progressively more demanding contexts
• Progressively higher expectations of
  effectiveness and quality of communicative
  competence
• Describe competency in four skill areas

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Theoretical framework behind CLB/NCLC

• Reflects models of language ability promoted by
  Bachman (1990), Bachman Palmer (1996, 2010) and
  Celce-Murcia et al. (1995). For more information,
  refer to the Introduction section (pp. VI, VII)
  of the CLB/NCLC Common Theoretical Framework.

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LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE Organizational Knowledge Grammatical Knowledge
LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE Organizational Knowledge Textual Knowledge STRATEGIC COMPETENCE
LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE STRATEGIC COMPETENCE
LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE Pragmatic Knowledge Functional Knowledge STRATEGIC COMPETENCE
LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE Pragmatic Knowledge Socio-linguistic Knowledge
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Communicative competence

• CLB describe language in terms of communicative
  competence
• Communicative competence enables language users
  to express themselves in spoken and written
  texts, to interact with other speakers and
  writers, and to negotiate with others in a range
  of specified situations and social settings.
• Learning a language involves developing both
  communicative performance and communicative
  knowledge.
• Communicative competence takes into account
  socio-linguistic competence, pragmatic
  competence, and grammatical competence, etc.
• Essential to the notion of communicative
  competence are
• the important role played by the context of
  discourse.
• the concept that language takes places in a
  setting and occurs for a purpose.
• that language speakers should be evaluated on
  their ability to use language to accomplish a
  set of tasks, under specifically defined
  performance and situational conditions.

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Increased Rigour

• As a result of a National Consultation in 2012,
  CLB and NCLC were revised and renewed to reflect
  their increasing use in a variety of different
  contexts including high-stakes ones.
• The new versions are the result of a well
  planned revision process which included the
  development of a common theoretical framework
  based on a communicative competency model.
• The final stage of the revision/renewal process
  was a comprehensive validation process.

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Validation of CLB/NCLC

• Draft of a common theoretical framework based on
  accurate revision of existing CLB and NCLC
  theoretical frameworks
• Validation of by independent experts of
• the theoretical framework
• the CLB/NCLC content against the framework
• Concurrent validity study against
• CEFR
• ACTFL Guidelines
• Échelle québécoise
• Validation of CLB/NCLC content against authentic
  production samples and tasks
• Final revisions of the CLB/NCLC

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Why Use CLB/NCLC?

• A practical, fair means to determine language
  proficiency in terms of common human situations
  and behaviour where language is used
• Describe what a person is capable of
  accomplishing or demonstrating through language
• Include a variety of components that describe
  adult communication.
• Levels indicate completion of a CLB or NCLC
  level.
• 12 levels from basic to advanced

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Maturation
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Language Assessments
Assessment Purpose CLB Levels
Canadian Language Benchmarks Placement Test (CLBPT) Placement into CLB-based programs CLB 1-8
Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment (CLBA) Placement into CLB-Based programs Exit testing CLB 1-8
Enhanced Language Training Proficiency Assessment (ELTPA) Placement into bridging programs CLB 8-10
Workplace Language Assessment Placement into bridging programs CLB 8-10
Canadian Language Benchmarks Literacy Assessment (CLB-LA) Placement into ESL literacy programs CLB Literacy
Literacy Placement Tool Placement into ESL/FSL literacy CLB Literacy
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Who does the Assessments?

• CLARS (Common Language Assessment and Referral
  System) joint initiative between federal
  government and province of Ontario
• Third party assessment
• One in each community
• Online learning management system (HARTS/I-CARE)
• Single point of entry for adult ESL/FSL immigrant
  and newcomer learners

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Specialized Assessments

• Occupation-specific assessments
• CELBAN (Canadian English Language Benchmarks
  Assessment for Nurses)
• ECLAB/BELIC (Engineers Canada Language Assessment
  Battery)
• High Stakes
• Milestones Test (for CIC)

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Benchmarking Competency Exams

• Competency Exams (initial research)
• Medical Council of Canadas Evaluation Exam
• Medical Council of Canadas Qualifying Exams I
  and II
• Medical Council of Canadas NAC (National
  Assessment Collaboration)

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Immigration to Canada

• CLB/NCLC 7 is required for entry into Canada on a
  Points system for several immigration categories
  (e.g. Express Entry, FSW, CEC, FSTW, PNP) for
  principal applicant and spouse (pre-arrival)
• FSTW requires a CLB/NCLC 4 or 5

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Language Training Programs

• LINC (Funder CIC)
• Provincially funded in Ontario (Funder MCIIT)
• Programs differ by type of immigrant served e.g.
  Ontario permits naturalized citizens to
  participate
• Program supports / resources/professional
  development
• Curriculum guidelines
• Portfolios Based Language Assessment (PBLA)
• Lesson Plans
• Can Do Statements
• Training

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CLB Supports for ESL practitioners

• Pre-service TESL Certification requirements (e.g.
  TESL Ontario)
• In-Service CLB/NCLC Professional Development
  offered
• Conferences (provincial, federal)
• in-house PD (mandatory)
• regional events
• TESL association affiliate events
• Online (CLB Boot Camp Modules)
• Much of the training offered through Centre for
  Canadian Language Benchmarks

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Professional development/training

• For assessors and practitioners in person and
  on-line
• Revised CLB and Support Kit Training 
• PBLA
• Integrating Assessment into the ESL Classroom  
• Summative Assessment Manual (SAM) for CLB 1-4
• CLB 5-10 Exit Task Training 
• Can Do Statements
• Placement tests
• Tutela.ca

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Other Uses

• Since 2002, the CLB has been used to identify
  language requirements for non-regulated and
  regulated occupations / professions.
• Benchmarking results in a CLB/NCLC level but also
  an inventory of language competencies in four
  skill areas.
• Regulatory bodies to identify safe language
  levels for professional practice standards.
• Immigrants to know what language skills they need
  to have in order to meet professional
  competencies.
• ESP practitioners can develop curriculum and
  provide appropriate language instruction related
  to their target goal if it is employment.

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CLB Levels for Nurses
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• Initial benchmarking study (2002) five
  provinces, multiple stakeholders funders
• Recognized as 1 of 2 assessments for English
  proficiency of IENs CELBAN and IELTS
• Two versions
• CELBAN
• CELBAN Institutional version for training programs

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Nursing language tasks
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CLB/NCLC Levels for OT/PT

• CLB/NCLC for Occupational Therapists and
  Physiotherapists for the Canadian Alliance of
  Physiotherapy Regulators, the Colleges of
  Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy of Ontario
  

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What did we learn?
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Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists

• 20 sites observations for each profession in
  English and 7 in French (total 54 sites)
• Variety of practice care settings (hospitals,
  rehabilitation, private clinics, school boards,
  etc.) plus various sub-specialties
• Competencies in CLB/NCLC matched to the CAASPR
  adaptation of the CanMEDS framework of
  competencies.

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CLB/NCLC Levels for Engineers
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Test Model ECLAB/BELIC (CIC-FCR)
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CLB/NCLC and Citizenship

• It is legislated that Citizenship applicants must
  demonstrate completion of a CLB/NCLC 4 in
  Speaking and Listening.
• School Boards are permitted to provide
  certificates attesting to the oral proficiency of
  a learner. This is tracked in the online system
  and based on evidence-based practice.

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CLB Core Documents

• CLB and NCLC
• Literacy benchmarks
• CLB Support Document
• CLB and NCLC Theoretical Framework

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Tools for ESL Practitioners

• Guide to implementation
• Curriculum Guidelines
• Lesson plans
• Can Do statements
• CLB Boot Camp (revised 2014/15)
• PBLA Foundations module
• Various resources on the CCLB website,
  www.language.ca (e.g. Lesson plans) and
  publications

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Academic Placement
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Questions or comments

• CCLB contact
• Ron Lavoie rlavoie_at_language.ca
• www.language.ca
• Ottawa Catholic School Board contact
• Marianne Kayed
• Email marianne.kayed_at_ocsb.ca