Language is the key

Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks

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The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) is a not-for-profit organization

driven primarily by its desire to develop, promote, and maintain excellent language proficiency

standards and support research to those ends. Its clients include government agencies, service

providers, educational organizations and institutions that serve second language learners, labour

unions and private sector employers. Its directors include language training specialists and

researchers, representatives of language training and assessment service providers and government.

MandateTo develop, promote and conduct research in support of the Canadian Language Benchmarks,and to encourage the alignment of curriculum and program structure with the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks.

Standards GoalTo promote excellence in the teaching and learning of English and French by adults acrossCanada by establishing and supporting language proficiency standards that affect programdelivery and policy development in the areas of education, labour market access and immigrantintegration across the country.

Objectives

1 To develop and promote the Canadian Language Benchmarks.2 To establish a certification system for CCLB recognized tests, assessors and testers,

CLB experts and materials.3 To establish and maintain standards to govern a comprehensive national CLB

assessment system.4 To promote the alignment of existing second language curricula, assessment tools

and program structures with the CLB.5 To promote the development of new curricula, assessment tools, tests and program

structures with the CLB.6 To conduct, apply and promote research in support of the above Objectives.

Organizational Development GoalTo develop efficient, effective, inclusive organizational structures, supports and processes to carryout the CCLB mandate

Objectives

1 To establish clear and appropriate roles and responsibilities for Executive Council, Board ofDirectors and CCLB staff.

2 To develop and implement clear measures of accountability and performance of the ExecutiveCouncil, Board of Directors and CCLB staff.

3 To operate in a fiscally viable manner4 To establish clear lines of communication between stakeholders, CCLB staff, Executive Council

and Board of Directors.5 To represent stakeholders.6 To ensure regional input is provided.7 To provide services and products in a timely manner.8 To review mandate, goals, objectives and bylaws, and undertake strategic planning on an

ongoing basis.9 To engage in forward planning on a continuing basis.

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Report from the Chair 4

Report from the Executive Director 5

Reports from the provinces

Alberta 6 – 9

Atlantic 9 – 10

British Columbia 10

Manitoba 11 – 12

Nova Scotia 12

Ontario 13

Saskatchewan 13 – 14

Projects Summary 15 – 17

LINC Assessment Centres 18 – 19

Rapport du MRCI 20

Financial statements 21 – 22

Board of Directors and Staff 23

Table of Contents

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February 2001 saw the completionof the External Review of the Centrefor Canadian Language Benchmarks.The Board of Directors immediatelybegan acting on some of therecommendations in the report.They made an important andvaluable decision with the hiring ofPauline McNaughton as ExecutiveDirector. Pauline has brought awealth of expertise, not only in thefield of ESL, but also in time/projectmanagement skills, which over theyear these capabilities and othershave been so evident. I would like tothank Pauline and her staff for theirhard work and dedication to theCentre and its mandate and goals.

A key goal of the Board is toprovide excellent communicationand related information on the CLBto our stakeholders. This year, boththe website and newsletter got amuch-needed revamping. Some ofthe improvements are seen in theirnew layouts and relevant and currentarticles. In addition, both tools havebecome much more interactive.

As more and more material isbeing developed to support the

Canadian Language Benchmarks2000, the Centre established theBusiness Unit to provide an efficientway to facilitate getting thesedocuments out to our stakeholders.

The Centre continues to beresponsive to an ever-growingnumber of requests aroundlanguage-related projects with whichthe CLB standards can beassociated. Through the guidance ofour Board of Directors, and thefacilitation of Pauline and staff, anumber of projects have beenundertaken. Phase I- Benchmarkingthe Nursing Profession; Alignment ofthe Ontario College Exemplars tothe CLB; Streamlined Placement Testrevised and launched; CLB Learnermaterial development; andsponsorship of the LearnerConference at TESL Canada, tomention a few.

The Executive Board met in earlyFebruary, 2002 and revisited theoperational plan of the last fewyears. We then delved into strategicplanning and eventually finalized theCCLB operational plan for the next3 years. Some of the new initiativesfor the next few years are CLBrelated Professional Developmentsupports for Teachers, a CLB Impact

Study, and Outreach to Employers.The Board is very pleased with thedirection the Centre is taking.

At this time, I would like to saythank you to all the members on theBoard and their sponsoringorganizations for the continuedcommitment, dedication andinvolvement with the CCLB, boththrough their Board involvementand in their home jurisdictions. ThisBoard works totally as a partnership.Federal/Provincial governments,non-profit organizations, and ESLexperts come together to shareknowledge and expertise for thebenefit of all ESL learners inCanada.

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Report From the Chair

“The Centre continues to be responsive toan ever-growing number of requests aroundlanguage-related projects with which the CLB standards can be associated.”

Looking back over 2001-2002 thereare many accomplishments for whichthe Board and staff can be very proud– and a number, both large and small,which have been very gratifying to meas I complete my first year asExecutive Director.

This has been a year for checkingthe pulse of the organization – itsstrength, health, and most of all itspreparedness to take on the future.The Strategic Plan for 2000-2002 wasupdated for 2002-2005 and theAnnual Operations Plan for 2001 –2002 – completed almost in entiretywith a few items extending into 2002-2003.

Highlights from 2001-2002The Board and staff of the CCLB havesignalled to stakeholders our renewedvitality and purpose as anorganization, through two altogethernewly-designed and structuredcommunication media – the website,available at www.language.ca withregularly updated and easy to findinformation; and the quarterlynewsletter, Inside Language. Mostnotable perhaps is our concertedeffort to develop information andresources specifically for learners – adirection that we will continue toprioritize in the months ahead.

Strategic Planning for 2002-2005was conducted in February 2002 bythe Executive Council, reaffirming ourmandate, goals and objectives,

identifying current challenges indeveloping and supporting CLB as thenational standard, and a clear actionplan for how to address these areas.

CLB 2000 publication series is nowcomplete:> CLB 2000: English as a second

language for adults publishedSeptember 2000

> CLB 2000: ESL for Literacy Learnerspublished June 2001

> CLB 2000: A Guide to Implemen-tation published June 2001

> CLB 2000: Theoretical Frameworkpublished April 2002

> CLB 2000: Additional Sample TaskIdeas published April 2002

CLB Learner Materials now available:> Learner Brochure in English,

Arabic, Chinese and Spanish> CLB lesson plans for teachers

Projects:> Benchmarking the Nursing Project

– Feasibility Study completed andPhase 1 work well-underway toconduct an in-depth languageanalysis of the Nursing professionin CLB terms. The final report forPhase 1 is expected in June 2002

> Field testing and subsequentrevisions to the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks PlacementTest are now complete, and planswell-underway for the launch andimplementation in Spring/Summer2002

> Aligning the Ontario CollegeWriting Exemplars to the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks projectprovided an exciting opportunity tocontribute to an initiative of theOntario Colleges of Applied Artsand Technology to provide thebasis for a common language andunderstanding of levels of writingskill for all applicants to OntarioCollege programs

Operationally, many changes havetaken place at the Centre. Mostrecently the Centre moved fromSuite 803 to Suite 703 – which,although requested by our landlordat the end of our lease, resulted inan all expense paid move to largerpremises at a reduced lease rate persquare foot.

In June 2001 the business centrebegan operating with the sale of AGuide to Implementation, companiondocument to the CLB 2000, andpreparations for the addition of thenew Canadian Language BenchmarkPlacement Test. A lot of businessplanning and analysis has takenplace as the Centre prepares to addadditional products and services inorder to generate revenue to furtherthe CCLB mandate, goals andobjectives.

Ensuring proper staffing is inplace as the Centre undergoes manychanges and takes on new projects isalways a challenge. We have added anew office manager – DiahannGorman, who had been filling in ona maternity leave, and projectmanager – Marianne Kayed to ourcore staff. We have contracted theservices of Pat Meek, CLB expert andtrained assessor as a consultant tooversee the revisions andimplementation of the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks PlacementTest, and Andrea Strachan as a CLBexpert researcher to work with theOntario Colleges on the OntarioCollege Writing Exemplars project.We have also been pleased tocontract the services of a graphicdesign company Art & Facts DesignInc. of Toronto, to design the newwebsite, newsletter and otherpromotional materials, and haveadded a dedicated CCLB editor toensure quality and consistency in allour materials – Leonard Judge.

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Report From the Executive Director

Northern Alberta Initiatives

1. LINC Curriculum:CLB Core Syllabus

G.P. Smith Consulting Inc. ofEdmonton has completed Phase II of aproject titled LINC curriculum: CLBCore Syllabus. The goal of the projectwas to develop four CLB-basedsyllabus units to form the common(shared) core of the LINC curriculum,in collaboration with, and for the useof, the LINC providers in theEdmonton, Northern Alberta andNorthwest Territories Region. In aseries of individual programworkshops and consultations LINCteachers in the Region have chosenthe following units to form the sharedCLB syllabus: Food and Nutrition;House and Neighbourhood; Healthand Safety; and Employment.

Forty LINC teachers from all LINCprograms in the Region directlycontributed to the development of thesyllabus by taking part in either theCLB syllabus development workshop(Edmonton, December 1, 2001), theCLB syllabus field-testing workshop(Edmonton, February 23, 2002), or inboth. A document titled LINCcurriculum: CLB Core Syllabus has beencompleted in ready-for-pilot draft formand distributed among nineteen LINCteachers in the Region for piloting inthe coming spring / summer LINCsessions.

For information contact:Grazyna SmithG.P. Smith Consulting Inc.E-mail: grazyna@telusplanet.netTelephone: 780-474-2201

2. Using the CLBA for Skills forWork Programs

The Language Assessment, Referraland Counselling Centre (LARCC) ofCatholic Social Services in Edmontoncomprises two programs: TheLanguage/Vocational Assessment andCounselling Program (LVA) funded byAlberta Learning; and the LanguageInstruction for Newcomers to Canada(LINC) Assessment and ReferralProgram funded by Citizenship andImmigration Canada. The twoprograms work in close partnershipoffering the following services to adultimmigrants and refugees:comprehensive evaluation of learners’educational and occupationalbackground, learning needs and goals;assessment of first language skills andadministration of the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks Assessment(CLBA); educational and careerplanning; referrals to LINC, ESLcourses and other educationaloptions; and follow-up of clients whoreceived services.

LARCC staff also administers theCLBA for specific purposes such asdetermining language skills levels aspart of the eligibility criteria foremployment training programs. Forthe last two years, the LVA Program, inpartnership with the EdmontonMennonite Centre for Newcomers, hasbeen administering the CLBA toprospective students of the "Workingin Canada" comprehensive Skills forWork programs to determine languageproficiency levels appropriate to theprogram’s basic requirements.

For information contact: Ana Maria FantinoCatholic Social Services E-mail: AnaMaria.Fantino@catholicsocialservices.ab.caTelephone: 780-424-3545

3. NorQuest College ‘CLB’ allESL Curriculum

NorQuest College in EdmontonAlberta serves 400 full-time studentsyear-round in our LINC and IntensiveESL programs.

A couple of years ago the Collegeinitiated a long-term program toimplement the learning outcomeeducational model into all of theprograms; from employmentpreparation, careers & occupations,academic upgrading, to languagetraining. Learning outcomes focuseducators and curriculum developerson planning and describing courseobjectives in terms of what learnerscan do when they’ve completed thecourse. Of course, this sounds a lotlike the focus of the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks, so thelanguage training division embarkedon a three-year plan to review, andreshape the LINC and IntensiveEnglish curricula guided by the CLB.

The partnering of learning-outcome based education and theCLB kept our writers and staff firmlygrounded in articulating curriculumthat puts the learner front and center.We also found that in keeping to thecourse indicated by thesephilosophies, it was imperative to workvery closely with instructors and toinvolve them in setting priorities,critiquing, and responding to theirprofessional development needs.

For information contact: Karen Barnes, NorQuest CollegeE-mail: karen.barnes@norquest.ab.caTelephone: 780-427-9061

or

Mary Lyn DuncalfeE-mail: marylyn.duncalfe@norquest.ab.caTelephone: 780-427-9061

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Southern Alberta Initiatives

4. Pebbles in the Sand: ESLLiteracy for Women

Pebbles in the Sand aims to meet theliteracy and empowerment needs ofbarriered immigrant women. Based ona successful pilot project run in 1999,the Calgary Immigrant Women’sAssociation (CIWA) has continued toaddress the emerging needs ofbarriered, non-literate women throughthe continued development of Pebblesin the Sand. For our 2001 – 2002year of programing, Alberta Learningchose to support our need to developthe information in the "CanadianLanguage Benchmarks 2000: ESL forLiteracy Learners" document, in apractical way to better assess the ESLLiteracy Learners, such as those inPebbles in the Sand and beyond.

We have been able to develop a setof draft tools from this project, whichhave been tested, analyzed, re-testedand bound. As a program we findthem to be an excellent addition toresources in providing a picture of ourparticipants competencies in reading,writing and numeracy. As they aredeveloped from the document itself,they provide a more specific look atliteracy learners’ competencies andare better able to indicate where thelearner is in completing thecompetencies in a given Benchmark.

There is a need for formal tools onLiteracy Benchmarks for serviceproviders in order to provide somesemblance of relationship to theCanadian Language LiteracyBenchmarks Assessment, which isused in assessment centers acrossCanada. Until now, we have reportedback only in "regular" ESL for AdultsBenchmarks from Pre-Benchmarkonwards. Creating tools, even internal

tools, allows for much clearerinformation to be given on behalf ofparticipants as they look to exit aprogram. It also gives the Pre-Benchmark to Benchmark 5 a literacyframework. With the definitions of ESLLiteracy learners to the actualdescription of sample tasks, we havefound the Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: ESL for LiteracyLearners document to be a critical toolin accountable assessment for serviceproviders.

For information contact: Desiree LopezCalgary Immigrant Women’sAssociation E-mail: pebbciwa@cadvision.com orlincciwa@cadvision.comTelephone: 403-263-4414

5. Benchmarking Adult Rates of Second Language Acquisition& Integration: How Long andHow Fast?

The primary purpose of this study isto investigate and identify the variousrates at which second language adultsacquire their English languageproficiency. The study will also tracechanges in learners’ perceptionsabout social integration as theirEnglish language proficiencyincreases over time and instruction.

The project is in its first of twoyears of funding, supported by AlbertaLearning and Citizenship &Immigration Canada. To date, 500learners have participated in theproject, from a variety of languagetraining programs (LINC/ESL,Academic Bridging, and Pre-Employment ESL programs) inCalgary.

Certified assessors and theCanadian Language BenchmarksAssessment tool are used to track the

various rates of acquisition fordifferent learner profiles acrossBenchmarks 1-8.

The results of this study will providethe first substantial data on the ratesof acquisition and integration amongimmigrant adult language learners andwill be beneficial to funders,administrators, teachers and learners.

For information contact: David L.E. WattUniversity of CalgaryE-mail: dwatt@ucalgary.ca Telephone: 403-220-7353

or

Deidre LakeCanadian Language ResearchE-mail: deidrelake@shaw.caTelephone: 403-537-8803

6. Content-Based ESL LiteracyInstruction and ResearchProject (Phase Two)

Program Overview:From September 2001-May 2002, BowValley College, funded by AlbertaLearning, undertook Phase Two of theContent-Based ESL LiteracyInstruction and Research Project.Phase Two of this project wascomprised of two components:

Component One: Small Group Content-Based LiteracyInstructionThis project concentrated on buildinglearners' reading, writing andnumeracy skills by providing content-based literacy instruction through afocus on training in the areas ofeconomic literacy, employmentliteracy and personal managementliteracy. Learners convened in smallgroup classes three times a week for atwenty-four week period. The programoffered six hours of instruction per

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week, for a total of 144 hours.Learners were grouped according totheir literacy and language abilities soinstruction could be tailored to theirlanguage needs. Phase Two of thisproject also continued the researchundertaken in Phase One, evaluatingthe effectiveness of a content-basedapproach to ESL literacy.

Component Two:Development of Learning ResourcesThe information gained through theresearch and instruction in Phase Oneof the project has been used todevelop resources for ESL literacyinstruction. These resources integratethe development of English literacyskills with the development ofeconomic literacy, employmentliteracy and personal managementskills. With the introduction of thedocument entitled, Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: ESL for LiteracyLearners, the materials developed inPhase One of the project were revisedto adhere to the new literacybenchmarks. Revisions were made tothe program course guide, the pre-testand post- test, and the competencychecklists. Hence, the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks 2000: ESL forLiteracy Learners formed the frameworkof the second phase of the Content-based Literacy Instruction Program,giving the program structure,direction and criteria for evaluation.

Project Outcomes:The following are the outcomes forPhase ll:

> A revised program course guidethat adheres to Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: ESL for LiteracyLearners in reading, writing andnumeracy and in the content areasof economic, employment andpersonal management skills

> A research report outlining the

effectiveness of small groupinstruction in content areas. Theresearch report offers conclusionsand recommendations based onprogram outcomes

> A package of literacy resourcematerials that incorporates a focuson economic literacy, employmentliteracy and personal managementskills

For information contact: Diane ArmstrongBow Valley CollegeE-mail: darmstrong@bowvalleycollege.caTelephone: 403-297-4963

7. Canadian LanguageBenchmarks for Access to SAIT

Canadian Language Benchmarks forAccess conducted an examination ofthe English language proficiency andexperience of ESL learners who weresuccessful in SAIT career programs. Aqualified CLB assessor conductedassessment of a group of 23 successfullearners, using the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks Assessmenttool and compared them with thescores of second language applicantsto SAIT. The typical minimum CLBprofile of successful learners includeda Benchmark 8 in Listening/Speakingand Reading and a Benchmark 7 inWriting. A key finding of the study wasthe importance of recognizing theachievement of ESL learners whobecome successful in mainstream postsecondary education.

For information contact: Dr. Laura Anderson HoE-mail: Laura.anderson.ho@sait.ab.caTelephone: 403-284-8798

8.Workplace English LanguageProficiency Assessment (WELPA)

The “Workplace English LanguageProficiency Assessment” (WELPA) isintended to give an informalassessment of Canadian LanguageBenchmark proficiencies ofindividuals in an employment context.It is designed to provide languageproficiency information for employeeswho are in an English in theWorkplace course. This informationcan provide the instructor with usefulinformation for designing the contentof the course. The assessment also canbe used as part of a workplace needsassessment to determinecommunication factors present.The 60-page package providesassessment in three areas:listening/speaking, reading andwriting. The CLB range of theassessments is from Benchmarks 1 to8. There are two forms each of theReading Test and the Writing Test: L(low) and H (high).

For information contact: Christine Mitra, Bow Valley CollegeE-mail: cmitra@bowvalleycollege.caTelephone: 403-297-4092

Province Wide Initiatives

9. CLB Inservice workshops

Professional development workshopswere offered to ESL providers in theprovince through the projectCanadian Language Benchmarks – AnAlberta Strategy. Many ESL programsin Alberta are actively using the CLBas a basis for curriculum development,program planning and studentreporting. Workshop topics varied

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depending on the area of interestchosen by the provider. A number ofthe workshops addressed questionsrelated to the CLB and formativeassessment in the areas of speaking,writing and reading. Other in-servicesessions explored the development ofteaching units using the CLB. Theworkshops focused on practicalapplication of the CLB in the ESLclassroom. Resources, processes andtools from Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: A Guide toImplementation were introduced in anumber of the sessions.

For information contact: Tara HolmesTara Holmes & Associates, Inc.E-mail: taraholmes@shaw.caTelephone: 403-247-8998

10. Support for CanadianLanguage Benchmarks

The Government of Alberta, throughAlberta Learning, provided fundingfor operations and research initiativesof the Centre for Canadian LanguageBenchmarks throughout 2001/02. Aswell, Alberta Learning, in cooperationwith Citizenship and ImmigrationCanada – Alberta Region, co-fundsthe provision of language assessmentand referral services in Edmonton andCalgary, Alberta that includes theapplication of the Canadian LanguageBenchmarks Assessment withimmigrants.

Centre for Canadian LanguageBenchmarks, Board of Directors, TaraHolmes, representing the AlbertaTeachers for English as a Second

Language (ATESL), served on theBoard and the Executive Council ofthe Centre. Carolyn Dieleman,representing the Alberta Government,and Krystyna Biel of the ImmigrantLanguage and Vocational Assessment-Referral Centre (a service of theCalgary Immigrant Aid Society),served on the CCLB Board ofDirectors in 2001/2002.

Alberta Report

The four Atlantic Provinces – NovaScotia, New Brunswick,Newfoundland, and Prince EdwardIsland – have been facing some of thesame challenges as the otherprovinces in that they, too, are tryingto maintain and improve serviceseven as funding is being cut.However, lists of people waiting to getinto LINC classes seem like anenviable problem to us who arealways clamoring to CIC for moreclients. We have the facilities in placein each province to do the languagetraining. We have the dedicatedsettlement staff and trained teachers.Students usually do not have to wait.Yet the difficulty of attractingimmigrants to our region and then

keeping them here is a perennialproblem in eastern Canada.

Perhaps the most notable thingthat has happened in the area in thepast year was the forced cancellationof our regional conference that hadbeen scheduled for September 19-22,2001. Because of the September 11thtragedy in New York, several speakerscancelled. Others did not relish flyingin the melee that followed thedisaster. This conference alwaysprovides teachers in the area theopportunity to get together face-to-face, to discuss our issues and to getsome in-servicing. Indeed,Benchmark in-servicing had beenscheduled into that conference. Dueto staff turnover, and because of some

of the new CLB materials that havebeen released over the past year orso, teachers have repeatedlyexpressed the need for more in-servicing on the Benchmarks. Thisconference has been rescheduled forSeptember 2002, so undoubtedlysome of these concerns will beaddressed at that time.

In Newfoundland in recent yearsthe need for ESL Literacy hasexpanded dramatically. Teachers werevery happy to get the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks 2000: ESL forLiteracy Learners book. It has beenvery helpful in planning curriculum.As long as most of the immigrants toNF were from the former Soviet Bloccountries, Cuba, and China,

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instructors found that they wereteaching already educated people,English skills. Now that thedemographics have changed they findthat they are getting a lot of adultimmigrants, mostly, but notexclusively, women, who have neverbeen to school or who have had verylittle schooling in their first language.These students require a low student-teacher ratio and quite specializedteaching. Because they are alsodistracted by all the other problems

that immigrants have to cope with,they often make progress quite slowly.Getting these clients to a basic levelof literacy so that they can accessregular LINC training or othertraining is sometimes quite adaunting task. The other threeAtlantic provinces have always hadESL literacy students and they havenoticed no such increase.

In the months to come we arelooking forward to being able toaccess some of the work that the

Professional Development Committeeof the CCLB is developing with regardto workshops and teacher trainingmaterials. We are also looking forwardto our regional settlement conferencethis coming September.

The TESL representative on theCCLB Board for Atlantic Canada isLorraine Angelopoulos of St. John’s,Newfoundland. Gerry Mills of Halifax,Nova Scotia also serves on the Boardas the representative for theCanadian Council of Refugees.

Atlantic Report

The Canadian Language Benchmarksare on a slow and steady coursetowards being accepted as thecommon descriptor, within theEnglish as an Additional Language(EAL) instructor community, of theEnglish language proficiency for theirEAL learners.

The ESL Articulation Committee,representing the ESL departments atB.C. Community Colleges, completedits work ‘benchmarking’ the colleges’ESL course offerings. In 2000/2001,it benchmarked their English forAccess and English for AcademicPurposes programing. In 2001/2002,it produced a Guide presenting thiswork.

Vancouver Community College, the

largest ESL provider in the province,just published a curriculum guide forBenchmarks 3 – 5 and is working onexit reading and writing tests for thesesame benchmark levels.

English Language Services forAdults (ELSA) providers (B.C.’sequivalent to LINC) in the North ofthe province participated in thenational piloting of the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks Placement Test(CLBPT), with Wes Schroeder fromVancouver providing co-ordinatingand instructional supports.

The stakeholders in the provinceare also very much involved in CCLB’sbenchmarking of the nursingprofession project. The RegisteredNurses Association of British

Columbia, the College of LicensedPractical Nurses of British Columbiaand the Settlement andMulticulturalism Branch of theGovernment of British Columbia areall providing guidance, and hold seatson the Nursing Benchmark ProjectNational Advisory Committee.

Rob Boldt, representing theGovernment of British Columbia,served on the Board and theExecutive Council. Alison Norman ofVancouver Community College,represented BC TEAL on the Board,and William McMichael ofUniversity of British Columbia,Language and Literacy EducationDepartment, represented TESLCanada on the Board.

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“The Canadian Language Benchmarks are on aslow and steady course towards being acceptedas the common descriptor...”

Manitoba’s Adult Language TrainingBranch continues to support theimplementation of the CLB and theCLBA in Manitoba. Ourrepresentatives on the CCLB boardare Margaret Pidlaski and DianeKoreen.

The CALM Committee (originallythe Committee for Assessment ofLanguage in Manitoba and nowknown as the Committee for AdultLanguage Training in Manitoba) iscomposed of representatives from theprincipal government-funded AdultESL centres in Winnipeg. Thecommittee continues to meet and toseek ways to collaborate in offeringseamless and uniform ESL assessmentand training to newcomers. CALMprovides two PD sessions per year tothe teaching staff at these programs.This year, the PD offered by thecommittee has focused on studentfeedback, assessment and records. Tosmooth the student’s progressthrough the various programs andcentres, a uniform reporting systemhas been developed.

Resource Development

Manitoba Labour and Immigrationfunded and developed the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks 2000: ESL forLiteracy Learners, a companiondocument to the Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000. The resource wasdeveloped by a team of teachers fromthe Winnipeg School Division #1:Kathy Angst, Brenda Beer, Sue Martin,Wendy Rebeck, Nicole Sibilleau andteam leader, Linda Johansson. Lindawas nominated for the LieutenantGovernor’s Award for Literacy inrecognition of all her ground-breaking work in ESL literacy.

Joanne Pettis and Margaret Pidlaskicollaborated with Tara Holmes andGail Kingwell on the Canadian

Language Benchmarks 2000: A Guide toImplementation.

Other ALT Branch publicationsinclude: Stage 1 resource ESL forHealthy Eating, by Gail Foote Leylek;and Themes and Activities for EffectiveCommunication, a Stage 2 resource byElizabeth Slivinski.

Assessment and Referral

Since the establishment of the ALTBranch Assessment and Referral Centrein l999, the staff has expanded. Thecentre keeps closely in touch withgovernment-sponsored programsaround the city in order to provide up-to-date information to the newcomerswho are assessed here. The coordinator,Judy Johnson, offers informationsessions to community service groupsand serves in an advisory capacity on anumber of projects.

Benchmarking of Professionsand College Programs

Red River College continues tobenchmark college programs. To-date,more than 26 programs and courseshave been benchmarked. Mostrecently, International Business,Sterile Processing Technician, and GasTurbine Engine Program have beenbenchmarked. In addition, ESLstudents in the Health Care Aide andInternational Business Programs arebeing tracked in order to verify andadjust the benchmark levels that havebeen identified for these programs.Manitoba Labour and Immigration,Adult Language Training Branch hasprovided the funding support for theCollege Benchmarking Projects. (LucyEpp)

The profession of OccupationalTherapist and the occupation ofMotor Vehicle Mechanic will have

been language benchmarked by RedRiver College by June 30, 2002 withfunding support by ManitobaImmigration and Labour, SettlementBranch. (Chris McGinnis and LucyEpp)

At present Red River College isbenchmarking the nursing occupationacross Canada. This phase of theproject is to be completed by the endof May. This project is being fundedby the Centre for Canadian LanguageBenchmarks. (Lucy Epp and MaryStawychny)

Professional Development

At the February TESL Conference inWinnipeg, the keynote speaker, JudyGilbert, writer of Clear Speech, andinternationally-respectedpronunciation expert, made frequentreferences to the CLB and its positiveinfluence.

New Initiatives

Adult Language Training has beenforging links with the Adult LearningCentres. The Centres are finding thatmany of the adult learners who accesstheir programs are English languagelearners and that some of their needsare distinct from those of themainstream adult learner. We will behelping some of the Centres to screentheir students in order to better-advisethem on their choices. Angela Chotkaand Kathleen Clarke are developing amanual of school skills for adultlearners who have never attendedschool in Canada but who want to gethigh school standing. Many are stillstruggling with ESL and do notunderstand the expectations of theCanadian school system.

Three ESL Skills programs arebeing offered evenings and weekendsto professionals and working

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immigrants who are anxious toimprove specific aspects of theirEnglish. These popular programsinclude Advanced Pronunciation andAccent Refinement, Writing forProfessionals, and Understanding Fast

Canadian Speech. The courses are aninitiative of Workplace LanguageTraining in partnership with business,labour, immigrant serving agenciesand the Department of Education,Training and Youth. Seats in these

classes will be purchased bybusinesses employing immigrants withspecific language-training needs.Government-purchased seats will alsobe available for immigrants attemptingto re-enter their professions of choice.

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Nova Scotia Report

In November 2000, the Nova ScotiaDepartment of Educationannounced the creation of the NovaScotia School for Adult Learning.The School for Adult Learning is anadministrative body within the AdultEducation Division. The School ispart of a new adult learninginitiative aimed at creating a morecoordinated system for adultsseeking to upgrade their literacy andnumeracy skills and/or completetheir high school or secondaryeducation.

Funding for this initiative isprovided by the Department ofEducation, the Department ofCommunity Services and HumanResources Development Canada.

The School is working inpartnership with existing programdelivery organizations such asSchool Boards, Nova ScotiaCommunity College, Collège del’Acadie and community-basedorganizations.

One of the responsibilities of theSchool for Adult Learning is theadministration of the Nova ScotiaHigh School Graduation Diplomafor Adults. This new Department ofEducation credential is designed tomeet the needs of adults who do nothave a recognized high school

diploma and who wish to acquire acredential that will allow themaccess to further education andtraining and employment. The newdiploma is available in both Englishand French.

The High School GraduationDiploma for Adults has beendeveloped in response to identifiedneeds. It is partly a result of labourmarket demands. Occupations thatrequire high educational levels areincreasing. Workers are nowexpected to have increasinglysophisticated literacy and numeracyskills and to prove that they haveachieved these skills. Most employersexpect that new employees have ahigh school diploma.

Adult learners and practitionersin the field of adult learning in NovaScotia have expressed their need fora high school graduation credentialthat is accessible, affordable, andrecognized. As approximately 30% ofNova Scotians, 25 and older, in theyear 2000 did not have a highschool diploma ( Statistics Canada,Labour Force Survey), the need foran adult credential is significant.

Adults in Nova Scotia need aflexible credential that offersincreased options for adult learners,taking into account their life

experiences and previous learning.The High School GraduationDiploma for Adults accepts creditsfrom a variety of educationalprograms and provides opportunitiesfor the recognition of the informallearning of adults through priorlearning assessment. Adult learnerswill now have increased flexibilityand the opportunity to includecredits and/or courses from both theAdult Learning Program (ALP) andthe Public School Program (PSP)towards the completion of their highschool diploma.

In this implementation year(2001-2002), over 3040 NovaScotians have enrolled in the variouslevels of upgrading operating underthe School for Adult Learning.

Discussions are currentlyunderway with several partnersoperating within the School forAdult Learning to develop strategiesto address some of the critical ESLneeds that have recently beenidentified by the immigrant-servingorganizations and programs.

Jean F. SmythManager, Adult Education DivisionNova Scotia Department ofEducation

Having Co-Chaired the initial groupthat was involved in the developmentof the Canadian LanguageBenchmarks, it was both gratifyingand exciting to have the opportunityto participate as a Board member forthe Centre for Canadian LanguageBenchmarks. During this year, Ontariohas continued to work towardsimplementation and revision ofcurricula in accordance with thenewly-revised edition of the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks document. Inaddition, the LINC 4/5 curriculum inOntario is in the process of beingrevisited in order to reflect thechanges in the revised edition of theCLB.

The appointment of PaulineMcNaughton, as Executive Director,was met by the field with great

enthusiasm. The Centre has been veryactive in providing workshops at localPD days as well as participating inTESL Conferences. Ontario iscertainly pleased to have someone ofPauline’s attributes and knowledgeheading this Centre.

The province of Ontario continuesto provide support to the Centre forCanadian Language Benchmarksthrough the Ministry of Colleges,Training and Universities, not just foron-going administrative needs butalso through project-based funding.Over the last year, project funding hasbeen provided to support initiativessuch as:

> Phase 1: Benchmarking the Nursing Profession

> Development of Learner

Outreach Materials> Aligning the Ontario College

Writing Exemplars to the CLB

To find out more about these projects see Project Summaries onpages 15 – 17.

My appointment to the CCLBBoard was as an interim measure,effective in May. after the TESLOntario Annual General MeetingOntario will be represented on theBoard by Susan Holmes, who is the in-coming President.

Peggy Frederikse, representing theOntario Government, served as boardmember and Chair of the Board.

Shailja VermaPresident, TESL Ontario

Ontario Report

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F R O M T H E P R O V I N C E S

Saskatchewan Report

In Saskatchewan, SCENES(Saskatchewan Council for Educatorsof Non-English Speakers) engagedevery available ESL teacher,administrator, learner and volunteerto assist in the planning andpromotion of the TESL Canada 2002conference, ‘Catching the Dream’, inRegina from May 16-18. Nearly 300people registered for the conference.Other events planned in associationwith the conference included: theCCLB Board of Directors Meeting(May 12 - 14) and the Ninth NationalESL Learners’ Conference (May 16 - 18).To recognize these events,Saskatchewan's Minister for Learning,the Honorable Jim Melenchuk,designated the week of May 12 - 18 tobe ‘English as a Second LanguageWeek’ in Saskatchewan. The City of

Regina issued a similar proclamation.The Saskatchewan Conference

Planning Committee for the NinthNational ESL Learners' Conference,under the leadership of conferenceco-chairs, Mandan Kamyab (formerlearner) and Harlan Weidenhammer(teacher-facilitator), both fromSaskatoon, worked with Saskatchewanlearners to plan the nationalconference. Funding was secured fromTESL Canada, the CCLB andCitizenship and Immigration Canada(CIC). Nearly 50 learners attended,with nine coming from out ofprovince. Key note speakers included:Artur Gudowski, Instructor at SIAST(Saskatchewan Institute for AppliedScience and Technology) and formerChair of the first National WorkingGroup on Language Benchmarks, and

Marj Nainaar, Executive Director forthe Prince Albert MulticulturalCouncil. Ms Nainaar is a strongadvocate for newcomers and has beenrecognized provincially and nationallyfor her work in advancingmulticultural and settlementinitiatives.

The Government of Saskatchewanannounced the reorganization ofseveral government departments inMarch. Effective April 1, 2002,Saskatchewan Education andSaskatchewan Post-SecondaryEducation and Skills Training wereamalgamated with Provincial Librariesand the Kids First Initiative to form anew department, SaskatchewanLearning. This new department willfocus on all education activities, fromearly childhood through to late

adulthood. Initiatives already begununder previous departmentmandates will continue under thenew department's mandate. Forexample, Saskatchewan Learning willcontinue to support thedevelopment of a Provincial LiteracyStrategy for Saskatchewan.Saskatchewan Learning has twolearners on the Provincial LiteracySteering Committee, one of whom isQinglai Zhang, a former ESL learnerand volunteer with Regina OpenDoor Society and a strong advocatefor ESL learners in Saskatchewan.Provincial literacy consultations lastfall showed that a significantnumber of learners in the province'sadult literacy system were ESLlearners who had completed LINC(Language Instruction forNewcomers to Canada) but neededto further develop their literacy

skills. Under consideration fordevelopment within the ProvincialLiteracy Strategy are actions tosupport ESL instruction. Thestrategy will build on otherprovincial strategies. For example,the province's Immigration Branchat Governmental and AboriginalAffairs is in the process ofcompleting communityconsultations that will help to definethe development of a provincialsettlement retention strategy fornewcomers.

In Saskatchewan, all adult ESLprograms funded by CIC use theCanadian Language Benchmarks(CLB). While Saskatchewan Learninghas not formally adopted theCanadian Language Benchmarks, thedepartment will be reviewing howthe CCLB's ESL Literacy Benchmarkscan be incorporated into

development of curriculumstandards and benchmarks forSaskatchewan's Basic Education andAdult Literacy programs. The otherimportant event taking place inSaskatchewan is the AboriginalLiteracy Gathering in Fort San fromMay 14 - 16. Participants at this"gathering" will be looking at secondlanguage/literacy issues Aboriginallearners in the province face.Proceedings of this event will betaken forward to SaskatchewanLearning to be incorporated into theProvincial Literacy Strategy forSaskatchewan.

Donna Woloshyn served on theBoard as the representative from theGovernment of Saskatchewan andGayvin Franson served on the Boardas the representative from SCENES.

Saskatchewan Report

14 > A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2

F R O M T H E P R O V I N C E S

“In Saskatchewan, all adult ESL programsfunded by CIC use the Canadian LanguageBenchmarks (CLB).”

1. Development and Validationof CanTEST Versions forCanadian LanguageBenchmarks (CLB) Funded by the Government of Ontario

In March, 2000, the University ofOttawa was contracted to develop atest that could assess learnerproficiency in Canadian LanguageBenchmarks (CLB) higher than thosemeasured by the CLBA test (whichassesses learners between CLB Levels1-8). The project had two goals: (1)To establish the relationshipbetween Canadian Test of Englishfor Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST)scores and align them with CLBLevels 7 - 11, and (2) To assess theCanTEST’s validity in relation to theCLB, which could then be modifiedas needed during the testdevelopment phase of the project toensure a content validity level ashigh as possible. Jennifer St. Johnand Margaret Des Brisay led theresearch team that compiled,developed, and validated CanTESTversions using Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: English as a secondlanguage for adults as a guide fordesigning test texts and tasks.

2. Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: ESL forLiteracy LearnersDevelopment funding by Manitoba Labourand Immigration, with funding formarketing, promotion, launching anddistribution provided by Human Resourcesand Development Canada, NationalLiteracy Secretariat

The Canadian Language Benchmarks2000: ESL for Literacy Learners wasdeveloped to provide resources toESL Literacy teachers/program

developers and to help themdetermine the developmental level ofactivity of their students so that theycan design appropriateteaching/learning activities. Duringextensive consultations in thesummer of 1999, the national ESLcommunity gave input whichresulted in a national advisory groupand the creation of a nationalvalidation process involving learners,teachers, administrators, governmentofficials, members of immigrantserving groups, and an ESL literacybenchmarks reference group. TheCLB 2000 for Literacy Learners wasdeveloped by a team of teachers inthe Winnipeg School Division AdultESL Literacy program, led by LindaJohansson, M.Ed (TESL). The resultis a clearly-written resource manualwith a wealth of practical teachingsuggestions and descriptions ofliteracy competencies laid out in aprogression for reading, writing, andnumeracy skills for ESL adultlearners with little or no literacyskills in their first language (L1), orfor those learners literate in non-Romanic L1s but who may havedifficulty learning reading andwriting basics in English.

3. Companion Documents tothe Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000: English as asecond language for adultsMain funding partner was Citizenship andImmigration Canada, with additionalfunding from the governments of Ontario,Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

The revised version of the originalCanadian Language BenchmarksWorking Document (1996) was issuedin September 2000 as CanadianLanguage Benchmarks 2000: English as

a second language for adults (CLB2000). The author of this importantdocument, Grazyna Pawlikowska-Smith, also prepared two companionpieces to provide a more in-depthstudy and support of the CLB 2000.These documents have now beenpublished on-line and can bedownloaded from our website athttp://www.language.ca

Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000:Theoretical Framework contains adiscussion of the theoreticalbackground and philosophicalfoundation on which CanadianLanguage Benchmarks 2000 wasbuilt as well as the CLB assessment /evaluation rating scales, an overviewof the CLB global profiles ofBenchmarks 1-12, a glossary ofterms, and a bibliography.

Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000:Additional Sample Task Ideas builds onCanadian Language Benchmarks2000 with an extensive listing ofadditional sample task ideas forReading, Listening, Speaking andWriting Benchmarks.

4. Canadian LanguageBenchmarks 2000:A Guide toImplementationDevelopment of the Guide was funded byAlberta Learning and ManitobaDepartment of Labour and Immigration.Publication and distribution was funded byAlberta Learning and Citizenship andImmigration Canada.

The Canadian Language Benchmarks2000: A Guide to Implementation wasdeveloped primarily for both noviceand experienced Adult ESL teachersand program administrators whowant to use the Canadian Language

Projects Summary

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2 < 15

Benchmarks (CLB) as a basis forcurriculum and program development.Nationally, ESL stakeholders hadexpressed the need for a Guide toprovide support for applying the CLBin their programs. Field experts fromboth Alberta and Manitoba workedcollaboratively to develop the Guide:Margaret Pidlaski and Joanne Pettiswere Manitoba’s half of the writingteam, and Tara Holmes and GailKingwell the Alberta half. Dr. DavidMendelsohn, as academic reviewer,tested the Guide in twelve test sitesacross the country and providedfeedback and validation. The Guidewas published in the Spring of 2001and provides detailed information tosupport CLB implementation in avariety of adult ESL teaching contexts,and discusses practical ways of linkinglanguage learning in Canadianclassrooms to the CLB.

5. Learner Outreach MaterialsFunded by the Government ofOntario.

Since the inception of the CanadianLanguage Benchmarks (CLB) in 1996,the focus has been to educate andinform the ESL professionalcommunity, and to support thealignment of curriculum and programstructure with the CLB. However,immigrants and newcomers to Canadaare the ultimate benefactors of theCLB and the primary client group ofthe CCLB. Traditionally they havebeen less informed and aware of whatthe CLB are, and their impact on thesettlement and integration process asa national language standard. A CCLBexternal study in May 2000 (fundedby Ontario) reinforced the necessityto reach out to these groups. Pat Meekwas the consultant hired by the CCLB

to prepare the outreach materials. TheCCLB informational and educationalstrategy to reach this primary clientbase met the following goals:

> Clarify for learners therequirements and documentationof the English proficiency in CLBterms

> Help learners navigate through thecomplexities, prerequisites, andscreening processes in order toaccess language, skills training, andacademic programs

> Inform learners of numerous CLBrelated projects designed to assistnewcomers, training institutions,and employers to utilize the CLB inefforts to break down barriers

> Report to learners on CCLBinitiatives to work with professionsand trades organizations to assistintegrating newcomers into the jobmarket with the development ofspecialized language assessmenttools

> Advise learners on the use of theCLB to assess competency levels ina number of occupationallyspecific programs/courses in somepost-secondary institutions

> Seek learner input in futurepromotion/development of CLB

> Direct learners to the CCLB website for more information or toobtain various materials

6. English LanguageOccupational Analysis of theNursing Profession Expressedin Canadian LanguageBenchmarksFunded by the governments of Ontario andAlberta

The intent of this project was toconduct an English language

occupational analysis of the Nursingprofession, expressed in CanadianLanguage Benchmarks (CLB). Thisanalysis was to include registerednurses (RNs), registered practicalnurses (RPNs), registered nursingassistants (RNAs), and licencedpractical nurses (LPNs). This projectwas designed to address the criticalnursing shortage in Canada. Theurgent need to benchmark thenursing profession will allow aspecialized language assessmentinstrument to be designed forevaluating language skills of foreigntrained nurses who apply to practicein Canada. In 2001-2002, theOntario government funded afeasibility study, Benchmarking theNursing Profession and Developing anOccupational Specific AssessmentInstrument, which surveyed over 50professional nursing stakeholderorganizations across Canada(occupational groups and regulatorybodies). Ninety-two percent ofrespondents indicated they felt anursing language assessment toolwould be of benefit, in light of theinadequacy of other tests currentlyused (e.g. Test of English as a ForeignLanguage (TOEFL) and Test ofSpoken English (TSE)), whichrespondents indicated did notaccurately evaluate thecommunicative ability of foreign-trained nurses within a nursingsetting. Phase I of the project(benchmarking language used innursing) was awarded to Manitoba’sRed River Community College. Theresearchers are Lucy Epp and MaryStawychny, with Audrey Bonhamacting as Project Manager and Dr.Alistair Cumming, Head of theModern Language Centre at OntarioInstitute for Studies in Education,acting as consultant.

Projects Summary

16 > A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2

7. Implementation of the"Streamlined" CanadianLanguage BenchmarksPlacement Test (CLBPT)Funded by Citizenship and ImmigrationCanada, as well as the governments ofOntario and Alberta with in kindcontributions from the British Columbia andManitoba governments.

In 1999-2000, the CCLB initiated aproject to develop a task-basedplacement tool to determine adult ESLproficiency in four skill areas:Listening, Speaking, Reading, andWriting. The contract to develop thetest was awarded to the Association ofAdult and Continuing EducationSchool Board Administrators ofOntario (CESBA). The ‘StreamlinedTest’ (CLBPT) was to provide analternative to traditional and more-thorough test instruments in order toassist ESL instructors in the testingand placement of students in remoteareas and other locations whereCLBA-trained assessors are notavailable, as well as to help CLBA-trained assessors to reduce anybacklogs during high-volume periodsin centres across Canada. In July2001, a pilot study was conducted byDr. Philip Nagy to determine if theCLBPT would be a reliable andefficient test and if it could be usedfor the same low-stakes decisions forwhich the CLBA was designed. TheCLBPT was launched at TESL Canadain Regina in May, 2002. Widespread

implementation is targeted towardsLINC and non-LINC ESL programscurrently doing assessments in theirregions. The CLBPT includes:

> CLBPT Test kit, consisting of aGuide Book, Reading and WritingTests, a Listening/SpeakingAssessment Log, an accompanyingphoto-story and audio tape, coversheets for the CLBPT andadministration guidelines

> CLBPT Training materials includethe CLBPT Training Manual andvideo cassette (with 10 tapedinterviews) which is included in theprice of the CLBPT kit.

8.Aligning the Ontario CollegeWriting Exemplars to theCanadian Language BenchmarksFunded by the Government of Ontario

In Ontario, many adult newcomersbegin their settlement andintegration process by attending ESLclasses in order to attain thelanguage proficiency required topursue mainstream academic andskills training programs and obtainemployment. When ESL learnersmove onto mainstream opportunitiesin secondary schools and colleges,they are faced with new prerequisitesand screening processes according tothe admission standards of theindividual institution. Currently,each Ontario college uses various

methods to identify writing skilllevels of their students. For thisreason, the task to identify anddevelop an alignment tool on aprovincial level is a real challenge.The OCWE project will providecommon standards of writing skilllevels for all applicants to Ontariocollege programs, as well as currentcollege students. The Heads ofLanguage (HOL), the Ontarioprovincial organization responsiblefor English/communicationsinstruction in the Colleges ofApplied Arts & Technology (CAAT)approached the CCLB and proposeda partnership in the development ofthe OCWE. The role of the CCLB wasto consult with, and provide adviceto, the OCWE Project on thedevelopment of exemplars, and toassist in the alignment of the OCWEand the Canadian LanguageBenchmarks. Andrea Strachan, hasbeen contracted as researcher towork with the OCWE project team.The outcomes of the project will betwo-fold:

1. To provide a province-wide,common understanding of thevarious levels of English usage, and

2. To provide clear communication,facilitated through understandingand terminology, about the levels ofwriting skills required for successin 1, 2, and 3 year collegeprograms, including pre-college,remedial, and developmental

Projects Summary

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2 < 17

“In Ontario, many adult newcomers begin theirsettlement and integration process by attendingESL classes...”

In the fall of 2002, the LINCAssessment Centres across Canadawill be celebrating a milestone: their10th year anniversary. In Ontario, thecelebration began in February at theOntario LINC Assessors' Conference.Approximately 90 assessors werepresent, 11 of whom were the firstassessors to be trained during Augustto October of 1992.

Since 1996, 367 assessors havebeen trained to use the CLBA acrossCanada. Sixty-three percent ofassessors are based out of Ontario.Pierre Gaulin, Director of Settlementand Port of Entry Operations, OntarioRegion estimates that 46,000 to48,000 CLBA assessments have beenconducted each year since 1997 forLINC placements across Canada.

The YMCA LINC AssessmentCentre of Greater Torontoaverages 23,000 assessments per year.There are 30 assessors working out of3 centres. A fourth location will befully-operational by the summer. Ourstatistics indicate that LINC 3 is themedian level and the number ofclients assessed at LINC 4 and 5combined, equals the number of thoseassigned a LINC 3. Approximately60% of newcomers are Independent;26% are Family Class and 14% haveRefugee status. Gender breakdown is63% female and 37% male. Themajority of the clients possess at leasta secondary diploma. The top twolanguage groups remain constant:Mandarin and Russian. The Centre isparticipating in the Immigration-Contribution AccountabilityMeasurement System (I-CAMS) pilotproject and expects to convert to thenew Ontario wide AutomatedReservation System (ARS).

The CLTA in Peel & HaltonRegions has 4 centres located inMississauga, Malton, Brampton-Peeland Halton. Ten assessors, one ofwhich is an itinerant Halton assessor,serve this region. There has been a57% increase in assessments from2000 to 2001. Almost 56% ofassessed clients are classified as"secondary migration". The changingprofile of clients depicts a higher levelof education and languagecompetency: 58.1% completed 13 plusyears of education, out of which32.84% had a Bachelor’s degree. 71%are between the ages of 30 and 40.Although the top five countries areIndia, Pakistan, China, Korea and SriLanka, the top five languages arePunjabi, Mandarin, Urdu, Arabic andSpanish.

At the Thunder BayMulticultural Association theProgram Director, Cathy Woodbeck ispleased to announce that RosalindMaki has been hired as the LINCassessor since July 2001. Cathy canfocus on the daily operations of theAssociation while Rosalind looks afterassessment.

The National Capital RegionYMCA-YWCA Language &Resource Centre has been at itsnew location for just over a year. TheCentre continues to see a significantrise in assessments. Also, more clientsare finding their way to the Centrewithin the early days of arriving in theOttawa area. There are seven assessorsadministering the CLBA & CLBLAtools and two assessors trained to usethe French language assessment tool.Since being a pilot site for the CLBPT

last year, assessors look forward tousing this tool during peak intakeperiods.

The Kitchener-WaterlooYMCA Language AssessmentCentre has hired Ubavka Ivanovic toassess. This Centre is proud toannounce that all assessors passed there-certification tests with flyingcolours. The new ARS is now beingused. In the past year, the Centrehosted four service providers’networking meetings and attended anestimated 50 meetings of variouskinds. Over 100 people marked theLAC’s 10th anniversary by attending avery successful Open House.

The Cross Cultural LearnerCentre in London, Ontariocontinues to provide proof of theadage that "the more things change,the more they remain the same". Weare pleased to announce Marcela Mocfrom Windsor is now assessing inLondon. The major language groupscontinue to be Spanish, Arabic andMandarin. We have seen an increasein clients from Afghanistan, Sudanand Korea. Most of the clients aregovernment-sponsored refugees. Thenext largest group is independentsfollowed by family-sponsorednewcomers, investors andentrepreneurs. The next twochallenges for the Centre are: theimplementation of AutomatedReservation System and imminentmove to a new location by the end ofthe summer.

LINC Assessment Centres Report

18 > A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2

LINC assessors across Canada lookforward to the next decade ofwelcoming, assessing and referringnewcomers to LINC and ESL classesas the first steps to settling in thiscountry.

The Maritimes

CLBA Program atMetropolitan ImmigrantSettlement Association (MISA)in Halifax, Nova Scotia has beentracking changes in CLB assessmentlevels from 1998-2002. Generally,clients entering Halifax are beingassessed at higher CLB levels. Therehas been a 10 % increase in LINC 4+clients. This site is participating inCIC’s I-CAMS pilot project from Aprilto July. MISA also provides language-related research and support to TheCommunity and Adult Education unitat MISA and Halifax immigrant servingagencies. Recent projects includeneeds assessment for new advancedESL program and TOEFL pre-testingfor MISA TOEFL course.

The Association for NewCanadians in Newfoundlandhas one CLB assessor in St. John’swho also teaches at The Associationfor New Canadians Adult ESLTraining Centre. This is the onlyLINC school in the province. Lastyear 90 government-sponsoredstudents and 22 paying studentswere assessed using the CLBA. Thebreakdown in levels is as follows:Literacy – 13 %; LINC 1, 2 and 3 –62 %; LINC 4 &5 – 18 % andbeyond LINC 5 – 4 %.

The PEI Association forNewcomers to Canada is theonly Centre in PEI using CLBA forLINC. The province receivesapproximately 150 newcomers peryear with 30 % of those beingeligible for LINC. The challenge inassessment and instruction is thatthe intake periods are sporadic.Generally the majority of clients areassessed at Levels 1 & 2.

LINC Assessment Centres Report

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2 < 19

“The province receives approximately 150newcomers per year with 30% of those beingeligible for LINC.”

> La formation initiale dispenséeaux professeurs en vue del’utilisation des Niveaux decompétence, s’est poursuivie et aété étendue à l’ensemble desprofesseurs occasionnels àl’emploi du Ministère.

> Des activités de perfectionnementdestinées aux professeurs ontaussi eu lieu cette année; ellesportaient sur l’élaboration detâches évaluatives permettant dedéterminer les Niveaux decompétence atteints par lesétudiants en fin de cours.

> La production de prototypesd’épreuves, permettant dedéterminer les Niveaux decompétence atteints par lesétudiants en fin de cours, s’estégalement poursuivie cette annéeafin de couvrir l’ensemble descours à temps complet dispenséspar le Ministère et ses organismespartenaires.

> Les prototypes ont étéexpérimentés au cours de l’annéeet ont fait l’objet d’une premièrerévision; les tâches decompréhension écrite ont faitl’objet d’une analyse d’items etd’une analyse TRI (modèle deRasch) menée sous laresponsabilité de Michel D.Laurier, professeur à la Facultédes Sciences de l’éducation del’Université de Montréal.

> Une Grille pour l’évaluation duniveau de compétence en français descandidats à l’immigration a été miseau point; il s’agit d’une versionadaptée des Niveaux decompétence, exclusivement axéesur l’évaluation de la compétenceen interaction orale, conçue pourêtre utilisée dans le cadre desentrevues que doivent passer lescandidats à l’immigration quidésirent s’établir au Québec; elleremplace l’instrumentationutilisée auparavant par les agents

d’immigration du Ministère pourdéterminer le niveau decompétence des candidats enfrançais.

> Une activité de formation a étédispensée à plusieurs reprises parles professionnels du SPPF afind’assurer la formation initiale del’ensemble des agentsd’immigration du Ministère àl’utilisation de cette Grille.

> La réforme des cours à tempspartiel destinés aux immigrantsprévoit également que lesorganismes de formation devronttransmettre au Ministère lesrésultats obtenus par lesétudiants à la fin de certainscours; ces résultats devrontégalement être exprimés entermes de Niveaux de compétence.

Rapport du MRCI

2 0 > A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2

Initiatives de la Direction des politiques et programmes du MRCI durant l’année 2001-2002 pourpromouvoir l’utilisation des Niveaux de compétences en français langue seconde dans le cadre des coursofferts aux immigrants

CONTRIBUTIONS IN KIND (UNAUDITED)

Donor Contributions

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Travel and accommodation costs for meeting attendance.Government of Alberta Travel and accommodation costs for meeting attendance.Government of British Columbia Travel and accommodation costs for meeting attendance, hosting teleconferences,

and participation in CLBPT field testing.Government of Manitoba Travel and accommodation costs for meeting attendance, and participation in

CLBPT field testing.Government of Ontario Travel and accommodation costs for meeting attendance.

Financial Report

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2 < 21

The condensed financial information below has been extracted from the CCLB Audited Financial Statements together withunaudited in-kind contributions. The report of Welch and Company LLP, the auditors, and complete audited financial statements,which include notes and more detailed supplementary financial information, are available for examination by contacting the CCLB.

Statement of Financial Position as at March 31, 2002

ASSETS 2002 2001

Current Assets $ $

Cash 112,436 71,608

Contributions receivable 91,794 57,438

Other receivables 2,560 —

Prepaid expenses 4,607 3,403

GST recoverable 12,200 6,970

223,597 139,419

CAPITAL ASSETS 7,713 8,329

$231,310 $ 147,748

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Current Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 96,218 18,123

Deferred contributions 35,640 63,728

Deferred capital grants 2,719 —

134,577 81,851

Net Assets

Invested in capital assets 4,994 8,329

Unrestricted 91,739 57,568

96,733 65,897

$ 231,310 $ 147,748

Financial Report

22 > A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2

2002 2001REVENUE $ $Government of Ontario 196,113 275,000Citizenship and Immigration 211,778 166,239Government of Alberta 65,631 45,000Government of British Columbia 25,605 28,672Government of Nova Scotia 5,000 5,000Human Resources Development Canada 70,400 —Federal Government – miscellaneous — 7,151Regional/Municipal Government – miscellaneous 418 1,357Purchase of service revenue — 4,655Sales – Business Unit 28,899 —Interest 197 1,207Donations 1,602 955Miscellaneous 1,577 —Amortization of deferred grants 703 —

$ 607,923 $ 535,236EXPENSESOfficeGST 6,168 5,623Telephone and internet 5,316 5,701Rent and insurance 29,733 30,093Office supplies and postage 24,239 13,808Subscriptions and videos 1,397 776Communications 13,484 15,592Stakeholder services 3,247 3,804Miscellaneous 8,696 1,991Website development 6,708 —

98,988 77,388

PersonnelSalaries and benefits 188,539 196,304Staff development 349 1,239Project staff — 5,382Recruitment 242 4,882

189,130 207,807

BoardTravel 18,425 13,763Insurance 1,245 1,041Logistics 3,867 2,203Conference calls 268 2,524

23,805 19,531

Conference and MembershipsAssociation memberships and government fees 1,055 1,154Conference fees 1,602 1,353

2,657 2,507

Research and development 205,918 208,132Business Unit 33,271 —Professional fees 15,047 20,906Staff travel 4,233 13,521Amortization 4,038 14,562

577,087 564,354

Net revenue (expense) 30,836 (29,118)

Net assets, beginning of year 65,897 95,015

Net assets, end of year $ 96,733 $ 65,897

Statement of Operations and Changes in Net AssetsFor the year ended March 31, 2002.

Peggy FrederikseChairpersonProvincial Government MemberOntario

Gerry MillsVice ChairpersonCCR Member

Jim JonesSecretary-TreasurerTESL Canada Member

Lorraine AngelopoulosField Expert MemberAtlantic Provinces

Krystyna BielAssessment Centre Member

Rob BoldtProvincial Government MemberBritish Columbia

Regius BrownCIC Observer

Claire ChamberlandObserver, Government Quebec

Teresa CostaAssessment Centre Member

Carolyn DielemanProvincial Government MemberAlberta

Gayvin FransonESL Field Expert MemberManitoba – Saskatchewan (2001– 2002)

Susan HolmesTESL Canada Member

Tara HolmesField Expert MemberAlberta

Diane KoreenField Expert MemberManitoba – Saskatchewan(2002 – 2003)

Debra MairFederal Government Member, HRDC

William McMichaelTESL Canada Member

Alison NormanESL Field Expert MemberBC/Yukon

Margaret PidlaskiProvincial Government MemberManitoba

Shailja VermaESL Field Expert MemberOntario

Lynne Wells-OrchardProvincial Government MemberNova Scotia

Donna WoloshynProvincial Government Member,Saskatchewan

Bonny Wong-FortinFederal Government Member, CIC

Pauline McNaughtonExecutive Director

Diahann GormanOffice Manager

Francine BenistyCommunication and Information Manager

Marianne KayedProject Manager

Lilia PetrosianAdministrative Assistant

Nora WoodAccounting Manager

Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks Board of Directors and Staff

Board of Directors

CCLB Staff Consultants

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 2 < 23

Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks200 Elgin Street, Suite 703, Ottawa ON K2P 1L5

Tel: (613) 230-7729 Fax: (613) 230-9305E-mail: info@language.ca Web: www.language.ca

ISBN 0-9686293-9-3