The Common European Frameworkand the European Language Portfolio

(ELP):involving learners and their judgements

in the assessment process

The ELP team of Alpha Athens School District

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) and the

Common European Framework of Reference for

Languages (CEFR) were first proposed at a Council of

Europe (CoE) symposium in 1991. They were intended to

complement each other and provide a way of teaching

and assessing all languages in Europe.

It is our personal folder or document that certifies

the progress we have made in the language and the

culture of one or more languages.

What is it?

What does it consist of?How does it help students ?

Language Passport to show which languages they know to show what they know and can do inLanguages.Language Biography to keep a record of their progress in learning

languages. to record how they learn languagesLanguage Dossier to keep some examples of work they've donein languages.

Two Functions of Portfolio

The Pedagogical Function: to identify their learning aims, to make action plans, to reflect, monitor and modify the processes, and to evaluate the outcomes, through self-assessment and reflection. Thus, they become autonomous and responsible language learners, a pedagogical function, consistent with the CoE's interest in promoting autonomy and lifelong learning.

The Reporting Function: Provides a record of their language skills and cultural experiences by relating their communicative skills to the proficiency levels, according to the CEF.

Standards set by the CERF

C LevelB LevelA Level

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

FIVE SKILLS:

READING LISTENING WRITING SPEAKING ORAL INTERACTION (MEDIATION)

European Levels of Self- Assessment set by the CERF

Questions learners should ask and answer to achieve self-assessment

What are we learning?

Why are we learning it?

How are we learning it?

With how much success?

What are going to learn next?

Why use it?

To help students: Self assess and reflect on their progress. Become autonomous and life-long learners. Provide a record of their language skills and cultural

experiences. Develop an assessment culture in language

learning.

When should I start it and for how long?

We recommend starting it from the third grade. One teaching session per week or two weeks is enough. We recommend using it during the whole school year.

A new team for adapting and piloting the current version for 2nd graders will be formed in October 2013.

How do I start?

1. Photo file

2. Language Passport (p.p. 2-3)

Make the activities more communicative

3. Create a poster of your students’ language profiles

4. Use Dialang

You can download Dialang.DIALANG is a language diagnosis system

developed by many European higher education institutions. It reports your level of skill against the Common European Framework (CEF) for language learning. DIALANG is not an exam. DIALANG does not issue certificates.http://www.lancs.ac.uk/researchenterprise/dialang/about

5. We recommend…

Before your students begin an activity, write a descriptor from the ELP on the board:

For a writing activity“I can write a text that has a beginning, a course

of actions/plot, and an ending and can use linking words like “first”, “after that”, “later”, and “because”.

Focusing on the descriptor constitutes the first ELP-related practice in which the teacher aims to raise students’ awareness of the aim of the task and the strategies or structures they need to use to achieve it.

6. Language Biography (pp. 2-16)

Make the activities more communicative. You can make a project and add it in the

dossier section.

7. How can I learn more?

There is a website for the ELP, developed by the piloting team:

http://eltaaelp.wikispaces.com You will get an email invitation to join the website. Accept it

and create a username and password to view the material.

8. Teacher ReflectionReflection is a process that begins with looking

back on a situation, pondering over it, learning from it and then using the new knowledge to help you in future similar situations.

Questions