1. No category

Canada’s Directions in
Settlement Language Training:
Improving Newcomer Outcomes
Anne Senior, CCLB
Yves Saint-Germain, CIC
Mourad Mardikian, MCIIT
Agenda
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•
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CCLB presentation
CIC presentation
MCIIIT presentation
Question period
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
CLB and NCLC
The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and les
niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens are
national standards for adult immigrants and
prospective immigrants for living, studying and
working in Canada.
CLB are almost 20 years old! NCLC are a little younger.
Why were they developed?
The CLB /NCLC were developed by CIC in the mid-1990s to
meet the needs of stakeholders working with adult immigran
in Canada:
To provide a common framework for second language
teachers/administrators across Canada on which to develop
classroom curricula and assessment tools.
For use across community, work and school contexts.
For use in provincial and national language training
programs.
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:
7
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.
Role of the CCLB
 CCLB/CNCLC is the national, not-for-profit
centre of expertise in support CLB and
NCLC.
 It was founded in 1998 with support from
federal and provincial governments.
 It worked with funders to revise the
standards in 2012 to meet increasing
demands for their usage in a variety of
low-and high-stakes purposes.
Increased rigor
2010-12, CLB and NCLC were revised to reflect their
increasing use in a variety of different context including high
stakes ones.
Revision process 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.
Literacy document has now been revised: CLB ESL for ALL
(Adult Literacy Learners)
Theoretical framework behind CLB/NCLC
Organizational
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.
Grammatical Knowledge
Textual Knowledge
Functional Knowledge
Socio-linguistic Knowledge
STRATEGIC
COMPETENCE
Maturation
Tools and Resources
• Tests for placement: CLBA, CLBPT, CLBLA,
CLB-PT, ELTPA, WLA, BTC
• Tests for high-stakes: Milestones, BTR
• Tests for employment: CELBAN, ECLAB
• Classroom resources: PBLA, Exit Tasks, SAM,
Guide to Implementation, Curriculum
guidelines
• Resources for employment
• Tutela.ca
Language standards and employment
CCLB
 Works with employers,
sectors, counsellors
 Uses experts to correlate
language standards with
Essential Skills or to
benchmark occupations
 Develops tools for
training, assessing, and
analyzing language levels
for workplace/ preemployment training
Result
 Higher stakes
application of the CLB/
NCLC
 Increased knowledge of
the language demands
of benchmarked
occupations
 Accountable tools that
fairly assess language
according to the needs
of the occupation
 Support for
employment and
training decisions
Any questions
[email protected]
www.language.ca
www.tutela.ca
Visit us at Booth 1928
TESOL 2015 International Convention
& English Language Expo
Canada’s Directions in
Settlement Language Training:
Improving Newcomer Outcomes
March 27, 2015
Yves Saint-Germain
Copyright [Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2015]. This work is the intellectual property of the
author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational
purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is
given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish
requires written permission from the author.
17
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
•
Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Settlement Program
Settlement Language Programming
Expected Outcomes of Language Programming
Standardization in Language Development
Formal Language Training
– National Placement and Progression Guidelines
– Curriculum Guidelines
– Portfolio Based Language Assessment
• Partners and Stakeholders
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Department of Citizenship and Immigration
• Selects foreign nationals and offers protection to refugees.
• Develops Canada’s admissibility policy, which sets the conditions
for entering and remaining in Canada.
• In collaboration with its partners, conducts the screening of
potential permanent and temporary residents to protect the
health, safety and security of Canadians.
• Helps immigrants and refugees settle and integrate into Canadian
society and the economy, and by encouraging and facilitating
Canadian citizenship.
• Reaches out to all Canadians and fosters increased intercultural
understanding and an integrated society with equal opportunity
for all, regardless of race, ethnicity and religion.
19
CIC’s Settlement Program
• Assists immigrants and refugees to overcome barriers specific to
the newcomer experience (such as a lack of official language skills
and limited knowledge of Canada) so that they can participate in
social, cultural, civic and economic life in Canada.
Needs Assessments and
Referrals
Formal reviews of client needs,
leading to referrals to settlement
and other community-based
services
Employment-Related
Services
Skills and supports to find
employment commensurate with
skills and education
Language and
Information and
Orientation
Skills Development
Information to better understand
life in Canada and make informed
settlement decisions
Supports to develop official
language skills to live and work in
Canada
Community Connections
Services to connect clients with the
broader community, public
institutions and community
organizations
Support Services
Childcare, transportation
assistance, translation and
interpretation, crisis counselling
and provisions for persons with a
disability
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Settlement Language Programming
• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) and Cours de
langue pour les immigrants au Canada (CLIC) provide training, from
literacy to advanced levels, to help newcomers develop the skills
needed to function in Canadian society and contribute to the economy.
• Programming covers aspects of living in Canada, job search skills, and
cross-cultural communication to help newcomers find work and
integrate into their communities.
– Labour market language training offers job-specific programming (mainly
at higher proficiency levels), coupled with mentoring and work
placements to speed up the transition to employment.
– Occupation-specific language training assists newcomers at intermediate
language levels who have training or experience in a specific occupation
or sector with the language and workplace cultural skills required to
communicate effectively on the job.
21
Expected Outcomes of Language Programming
• Efforts to standardize language training in Canada are guided by
expected outcomes of the Settlement Program, which includes the
following outcomes:
Immediate:
– Clients learn official language skills and other skills for adapting to
Canadian society
Intermediate:
– Clients use Canada’s official languages to function and participate in
Canadian society
Ultimate:
– Newcomer settlement and integration is supported in Canadian
society
– Newcomers contribute to the economic, social, and cultural
development needs of Canada
22
Standardization in Language Development
• Standardization and national consistency in the quality of
programming supports strong newcomer language outcomes.
• LINC and CLIC apply the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and
Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) as the
national standard for planning curricula and assessing learner
progress.
– The CLB/NCLC include a number of descriptive statements called
competencies.
– These competencies are organized in 12 Benchmark levels that describe
what a learner can do in the four skill areas (speaking, listening, reading and
writing) at increasing levels of complexity.
– The competencies provide a framework of reference for teaching and
assessing adult ESL learners in Canada.
23
Formal Language Training
• Formal language training offered as LINC and CLIC (whether inperson, online, or a blend of both) must be:
– Task based instruction;
– Preceded by a CLB or NCLC-based placement assessment;
– Follow the National Language Placement and Progression
Guidelines
– Guided by LINC, CLIC, or provincial CLB- or NCLC-based
curriculum guidelines for newcomers;
– Led by a qualified teacher; and
– Concluded with an evaluation of evidence collected
throughout the term to determine progress on the CLB or
NCLC scale (Portfolio-Based Language Assessment)
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National Language Placement and Progression Guidelines
• Introduced in 2014, the National Language Placement and
Progression Guidelines established a national consensus on the
interpretation of language proficiency levels based on the CLB and
NCLC, that is:
– Generally, the benchmarks assigned to a learner at the time of
assessment mean that the learner has achieved, and demonstrated,
the level of communicative ability associated with most or all
(traditionally, 70 to 100%) of the descriptors for the benchmarks
assigned in each of the four skills.
– A learner who has been assigned a given benchmark is said to have
completed that benchmark for the given language skill.
• The guidelines are intended for language assessors, instructors,
and coordinators in CIC-funded language training programs
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Curriculum Guidelines
• Intended to guide instructors in developing lesson plans tailored
to the settlement needs and interests of learners in a manner
that:
– is consistent with the CLB and NCLC frameworks;
– is task-based and learner-centred; and
– supports the objective of the Settlement Program, which is to provide
language instruction that facilitates social, cultural and economic
integration into Canada.
• Organized into twelve themes relevant for newcomer settlement
–
–
–
–
–
At Home in Our Community and the World
Banking and Finance
Canada
Canadian Culture
Canadian Law
– Commercial Services and Business
–
–
–
–
–
–
Community and Government Services
Education
Employment
Family and Relationships
Health and Safety
Travel and Transportation
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Portfolio Based Language Assessment
• Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA) is a standardized
approach to teaching and assessment where teachers and
students collaborate
– on setting language learning goals,
– on compiling evidence of acquired language skills in a variety
of contexts over time, and
– on analyzing and reflecting on progress.
• Introduced April 2014
• National roll-out over three years
27
Partners and Stakeholders
• Partnerships with provinces and territories
– Federal-Provincial-Territorial Language Forum
– Multilateral initiatives
– Bilateral projects
• Stakeholder engagement
– National Settlement Council
– Newcomer Language Advisory Body
– National and regional conferences
28
Areas of focus going forward
• Language training and skills development services that help newcomers
attain the English and French proficiency they need to function and
participate in all aspects of Canadian society, including:
– Language placement assessments and referrals to training based on the national
language framework (i.e. CLB and NCLC)
– Language training and resources targeted at supporting newcomers to engage in
basic social interactions and acquire Canadian citizenship
– Language training and resources targeted at labour market entry and pursuing
education
– Newcomers with special needs (e.g. literacy, hearing or visual impairments) have
access to learning opportunities and resources that can accommodate these needs
– Newcomers destined to official language minority communities have access to the
appropriate English and French language services and supports they need for full
integration
– Consideration for better integrating and promoting e-learning
29
Contact us
Yves Saint-Germain
Director, Language Policy, Francophone Minority
Communities and Performance Measurement
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
E-mail: [email protected]
For more information on CIC’s language programming, please visit:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/live/language.asp
CIC’s video on Language Training for Canada is intended to raise newcomer
awareness on the importance of official language skills for settlement in Canada
Please visit us in the Exhibit Hall at Booth # 1739
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Settlement Program Logic Model – As of April 1, 2013
Service Delivery
Direct Services
Program
Components
Needs Assessment &
Referrals
Information & Orientation
Language Training
Employment Related
Services
Indirect Services
Community Connections
Support Services offered across the Program to enable access to direct services: childcare, transportation, translation, interpretation, crisis counselling, and provisions for
disabilities
Target
Groups
Communities &
Groups
[Employers]
Newcomers (eligible clients)
Outputs
 Formal needs
assessments (including
follow-ups or
reassessments)
 Information products
 Referrals to appropriate
settlement services
 Individual & family
consultations or
counselling
 Settlement plans based
on assessed needs and
objectives
Immediate Outcomes
Intermediate Outcomes
Ultimate Outcomes
Departmental
Strategic
Outcome
(SO3)
Program
Development
&
Management
 Orientation sessions &
workshops (domestic and
overseas)
 Basic skills development
& training
 Language assessments
 Language training
placements
 Skills development &
training
 Work placements
 Formal language
training classes
 Employment networking
 Informal language
training sessions
 Employment counselling
 Client-Mentor matches
 Literacy classes
 Services connecting
newcomers to public
institutions and their
communities
 Cross-cultural
interactions and related
activities
 Community activities

Clients receive appropriate information and services to address settlement needs

Clients attain awareness of community and other resources to deal with settlement issues

Clients gain knowledge of life in Canada, including laws, rights, and responsibilities

Clients learn official language skills and other skills for adapting to Canadian society

Clients acquire knowledge, skills, and connections related to the Canadian work environment

Clients have connections to communities and public institutions

Clients make informed decisions about life in Canada, enjoy rights and act on their responsibilities in Canadian
society

Clients use official languages to function and participate in Canadian society

Clients participate in local labour markets, broader communities and social networks


Newcomers contribute to the economic, social and cultural development needs of Canada (PAA)
Newcomer settlement and integration is supported in Canadian society
 Newcomers and citizens participate in fostering an integrated society (PAA)
Service
Providers/
Funding
Recipients
 Capacity
development
and planning
activities for
nationally
consistent
service
 Initiatives for
delivery
professionals
and partners  Competency
development
outside of
and training
settlement
activities
sector

Best practice
 Initiatives for
activities &
accessing
pilots for
foreignservice
trained
delivery
workforce
innovation
 Community
partnerships
for local
planning &
coordination
Partners & stakeholders are
engaged in settlement and
implement strategies to address
newcomers needs
Provision of settlement services is
consistent, innovative and
coordinated
Settlement and non-settlement
services are responsive to the needs
of newcomers and communities
• Governance
 Policy research
 National &
regional plans
 Program design,
implementation
strategies and
related tools
 Program
monitoring and
performance
measurement
frameworks
 Functional
guidance,
support and
training
Program
development,
management and
governance effectively
support consistent and
responsive program
delivery
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Government-Funded Language Programs
The Ontario View
Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International
Trade
March 2016
TESOL Conference
Outline
• Setting the Ontario Context
• Program Applications of the Canadian Language Benchmarks
• Ontario’s Language Training Vision
33
Immigration in Ontario: 2013 Trends and Facts
Immigration in Ontario: Continuous Decline
•
As with elsewhere in Canada, Ontario’s actual share of PR landings continued to decline in 2013 – ON
received 40.0% (103,402) of total PR landings to Canada (the highest in the country).
•
Ontario’s Immigration Strategy centres on attracting highly skilled workers and supporting diverse
communities and growing a globally-connected economy.
•
Regions such as Peel and York saw increased PR landings compared with 2012: by 0.7%, and 1.3%
respectively.
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Immigration
in Ontario:
ProfilesDecline
Immigration
in Ontario:
Continuous
•
In 2013, among Ontario’s 103,402
permanent residents:
– 47,670 were Economic Immigrants
– 39,121 were in the Family Class
– 12,650 were Refugees
– 3,961 were from the "Other" class
•
Among the 18,699 principal applicants
arriving through the Economic Class, there
were:
The Top 10 countries of birth of Ontario’s Permanent
Residents in 2013 were:
Principal Applicants in Ontario
Number
Country of Birth
Number
Skilled workers
11,438
2,688
India
15,762
15,046
7,755
7,450
5,990
3,258
3,235
2,697
1,931
1,819
Live-in caregivers
People's Republic of China
Pakistan
Canadian Experience Class
2,522
Philippines
Iran
Provincial/territorial nominees
Investors
Entrepreneurs
Self-employed
Total
1,385
580
53
33
18,699
United States of America
Iraq
Bangladesh
Egypt
Jamaica
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ImmigrationininOntario:
Ontario:Continuous
Education Levels
Immigration
Decline
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•
•
Most immigrants to Ontario (approximately 62%) in the past 3 years have completed at least
secondary school.
Over 45% of these immigrants have some post-secondary education.
2013 saw the highest number of Master’s degree holders (10,573) and Doctorate holders
(1,614).
36
Distribution of CLBs by Language Skill
(Cumulative Comparison – Toronto Region – previous 6 months)
20%
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
0 1 2 3
•
4 5 6 7 8
9 10
0 1 2
3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10
0 1
2 3 4 5 6
Assessment data reported from Toronto YMCA CLARS Centres
7 8 9 10
0
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
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MCIIT’s
Adult Non-Credit
Language
Training
Program
Immigration
in Ontario:
Continuous
Decline
•
The Adult Non-Credit Language Training program is part of the Adult Continuing Education
programs offered by Ontario District School Boards, and is designed to help immigrants
improve their language skills in English or French.
•
The program serves 66,000 unique learners annually (total enrolment of about 130,000
per year), in over 350 locations, with full-time / part-time courses offered, ranging from 30
hours in length to 1,200 hours in length.
•
The course categories range from Literacy ESL /FSL courses, to Stage I and Stage II CLB level
courses (CLB 1 to 8) offered as integrated courses or skill-based courses. There are limited
courses covering Stage III (CLB 9) available in some regions.
•
A variety of customized courses are also offered, often based on identified local needs. As
well, Specialized Language Training courses preparing learners FOR the workplace or for
employees IN the workplace are also available in select regions.
•
Comprised of 2 main components:
 English as a Second Language (ESL)
 French as a Second Language (FSL)
•
FSL is a growing segment of language training program, with school boards delivering
Adult Non-Credit FSL doubling from 3 to 7 from 2006/2007 to 2012/13. Today, there are
over 3,000 individual FSL participants, representing a total enrolment of over 5,000.
38
Canadian Language Benchmarks - Program Applications
STEP 1: What is my language proficiency level – in the Canadian Language Benchmarks?
•
•
•
•
Get a language assessment from a local CLARS Centre;
Receive my results in Listening / Speaking / Reading / Writing (with an explanation);
Select from a range of courses identified based on assessment and program eligibility;
Receive a referral to the desired course and attend class!
Coordinated Language Assessment and Referral System
(CLARS):
•
•
•
A joint initiative with the federal government, creating
assessment centres across Ontario.
Provides a single-point of access and a consistent approach to
language assessment and referral for adult immigrants
accessing both federal and provincial, English and French
language training programs.
Any existing learners who have a valid assessment (assessed
<1 year ago or currently enrolled in language training) can be
registered into courses as long as they meet the eligibility
criteria established with the introduction of the CLARS
protocols.
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Canadian Language Benchmarks - Program Applications
STEP 2: How are courses identified – in the Canadian Language Benchmarks?
•
•
•
All language training courses offered in Ontario (federally or provincially funded) are
identified in a jointly used data management system called HARTs
All courses have CLB skill levels assigned (min/max) in L/S/R/W
Language training providers are responsible for updating their course being offered
Learners select from the courses identified in HARTs
HARTs course template:
•
40
Canadian Language Benchmarks - Program
Immigration in Ontario: Continuous Decline
Applications
STEP 3: New resource to develop new courses – in the Canadian Language Benchmarks
•
•
•
The provincial ESL/FSL program will be rolling out its new Ontario Curriculum Guidelines
supported by an online portal – called Quartz – to provide instructors with a state- of-the-art
tool to design and develop their courses, including their lesson plans
All courses will have assigned CLB/NCLC skill levels (min/max) in L/S/R/W
Quartz will be linked to existing resources available online to support course content
41
Canadian Language Benchmarks - Program Applications
Immigration in Ontario: Continuous Decline
STEP 4: Assessing learners in courses – in the Canadian Language Benchmarks
•
•
•
•
There are a range of assessment tools available to instructors to conduct ongoing
assessment of their learners
All tools are aligned to the Canadian Language Benchmarks
Nationally and in Ontario, a new approach to conducting assessments in class and
recording the progress of learners is being rolled out – called PBLA
All learners’ achieved results in their CLB are recorded in HARTs
Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA):
•
MCIIT is working in cooperation with the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) to
coordinate the introduction of PBLA in ESL and FSL programs across the province in a phased
manner (PBLA is also being introduced in LINC/CLIC programs in the same timeframe)
•
PBLA uses a portfolio of a learner’s language samples to contribute to on-going learner language
assessment and final evaluation
•
It is designed to help learners demonstrate the language proficiency they have gained through
their participation in language classes and support them in transitioning to either a higher level of
language training, another training program, or the labour market
•
Beginning in Sept. 2015, all 37 school boards delivering the Adult Non-Credit Language Training
42
Program in Ontario will have started their PBLA training and implementation
Ontario’s Vision for Adult Language Training
I am an adult who wants to
learn English or French as a
Second Language.
Language
Training
Classes
Accessible
Language Training
• Adult Non-Credit
Language Training
• Bridge Training
• LINC
• ELT
• OSLT
Where am I
going next?
• Post-secondary
• Accreditation
• Work
• Community
Coordinated Language
Assessment and Referral
43
THANK YOU!
For additional comments or questions,
please contact Mourad Mardikian
through: [email protected] or 416.327.4331
44