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
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
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
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
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
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)
Symphony of Components
• Language
competence and
strategic competence
(Bachman, 1996,
2010) are metacognitive components
which assure
performance
management
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
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
government’s standpoint
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
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
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
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
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
Users of CLB/NCLC - Map from
consultation
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:
16
Theoretical framework behind CLB/NCLC
Organizational
Knowledge
Grammatical Knowledge
Pragmatic
Knowledge
LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE
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.
Functional Knowledge
Textual Knowledge
Socio-linguistic Knowledge
STRATEGIC
COMPETENCE
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.
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.
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:
–
–
•
Concurrent validity study against:
–
–
–
•
•
the theoretical framework
the CLB/NCLC content against the framework
CEFR
ACTFL Guidelines
Échelle québécoise
Validation of CLB/NCLC content against authentic
production samples and tasks
Final revisions of the CLB/NCLC
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
Maturation
Benchmarking
Occupations
TESL
Resources
Language
Training
Teaching
Resources
Immigration
into Canada
Assessment
Citizenship
Requirement
CLB/NCLC
Standard
Academic
placement
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
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
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)
Benchmarking Competency Exams
Competency Exams (initial research):
– Medical Council of Canada’s Evaluation Exam
– Medical Council of Canada’s Qualifying
Exams I and II
– Medical Council of Canada’s NAC (National
Assessment Collaboration)
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
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
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
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
30
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.
CLB Levels for Nurses
Note: The CLB skills are
recognized and were
used to inform the
development of CELBAN
Funded only to develop
English version.
32
• 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
Nursing language tasks
Language Tasks
Apologizes
1%
Small Talk
6%
Responds to Questions
Suggests
6%
Phone Comforts
6%
3%
4%
Clarifies
1%
Offers Help
2%
Asks for Help
2%
Gives
Instruction
9%
Discusses
5%
Asks for Information
22%
Explains
20%
Informs
7%
Describes
6%
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
35
What did we learn?
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.
CLB/NCLC Levels for Engineers
Note: CLB/NCLC 8 for
entry to practice
Benchmarked in one
province
38
Test Model: ECLAB/BELIC (CIC-FCR)
Core Engineering Language Test
Language Skill Tests
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing
Discipline-specific Content
Mechanical
Electrical
Civil
Chemical
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.
CLB Core Documents
•
•
•
•
CLB and NCLC
Literacy benchmarks
CLB Support Document
CLB and NCLC Theoretical Framework
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
Academic Placement
Questions or comments:
CCLB contact:
Ron Lavoie rlavoie@language.ca
www.language.ca
Ottawa Catholic School Board
contact:
Marianne Kayed
Email: marianne.kayed@ocsb.ca