CCLB Report
I recently attended the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) AGM and board meeting in Ottawa. I’m pleased to report on some highlights that I hope will be of interest to ATESL members. The Centre has just appointed a new executive director, François Bélisle, therefore this coming year will most likely be another year of transition for the organization as a whole. However it is unlikely that this transition will affect the quality and quantity of activity at the Centre in the development of resources and in the training of assessors and practitioners.
In this report I will highlight two key areas that I feel will be of interest to the ATESL membership, namely, the national consultation on the CLB 2000 and some new materials developed by CCLB and widely available to the public.
National Consultation on the CLB 2000 and NCLC 2006
The national consultation on the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 (CLB 2000) got underway in September 2008. In its first year the national consultation has taken a scan of organizations, programs, groups and individuals who use the CLB/NCLC. So far 12 forums have been held in 12 cities across Canada with a total of 382 participants. In addition on-line surveys targeting practitioners and learners were conducted. It is interesting to note that 31% of the respondents on the learner survey were from Alberta. Overall approximately 1300 people have been consulted across the country. The next steps in the consultation process are the analysis of feedback and preparation for a national forum of key stakeholders to be held in mid October and additional on-line discussions as required with the intention of identifying clear directions of recommended changes by winter 2010 and public announcements on changes by March 2010.
What’s new in Resources from CCLB?
1.The CLB Online Self-Assessment for Reading and Listening is available in English and French. The tool gives you a general indication, not an exact benchmark level, of language proficiency in each of the two skills. Instructors may find this to be a useful activity to introduce to learners either as an independent or classroom activity. You can access the tool at Online Self Assessment, or go to www.clb-osa.ca
2.The CLB 5-10 Exit Assessment Tasks is a resource that provides standardized tools to assess the learning outcomes of adult ESL learners in CLB levels 5 to 10. Practitioners will be able to use the Exit Tasks to supplement curriculum-based assessments to provide accurate reports of learning outcomes. Three trainers in Alberta are experienced in delivering workshops on using the Exit Tasks. Over the past year, 133 teachers in Alberta were trained to use the resource. Participants who attended the training found this to be a very useful tool.
3.Language for Work: CLB and Essential Skills is a series of guidebooks to support the effective use of Essential Skills. All materials are available in English and French. There are three guidebooks in the series and each targets a different audience: Job Analysts, Trainers and Counselors, and ESL/FSL Instructors. The new resources are available at www.itsessential.ca. Workshops and training on these resources will be available in the coming year.
4.Workplace Language Assessment (WLA) is designed for placement of learners into bridge to employment programs where the national standard (CLB 7 – 10) is used to help determine eligibility. This tool will be piloted in Alberta this fall.
Information on all of these resources and much more can be found on the CCLB website www.language.ca. I encourage you to explore the wealth of materials for classroom use and beyond that is available through CCLB. Also, look for a number of informative workshops by CCLB staff and developers at the upcoming TESL Canada conference in Banff. Some of those workshops will focus on the introduction and effective use of new resources.
I’d like to thank ATESL for the opportunity to serve on the CCLB board as it has been an excellent learning opportunity for me. I’d also like to thank the Government of Alberta (GOA) for providing such strong and continued support to the CCLB. GOA funding of the Centre goes toward providing training opportunities for instructors in the province as well as towards the development and distribution of resources. I wish all of you an enjoyable summer.
Anna De Luca, ATESL Representative on CCLB board