ERIC Number: ED504975
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Jan
Pages: 75
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An Alignment of the Canadian Language Benchmarks to the BC ESL Articulation Levels. Final Report - January 2007
Barbour, Ross; Ostler, Catherine; Templeman, Elizabeth; West, Elizabeth
British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer
The British Columbia (BC) English as a Second Language (ESL) Articulation Committee's Canadian Language Benchmarks project was precipitated by ESL instructors' desire to address transfer difficulties of ESL students within the BC transfer system and to respond to the recognition that the Canadian Language Benchmarks, a descriptive scale of ESL proficiency expressed as twelve benchmarks, is now a national standard of levels of second language proficiency. Analysis and results were divided into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Access (Access). The two streams have different goals, with EAP students transferring into mainstream college and career programs and Access students moving into EAP programs, Canadian society, vocational/career programs or the workforce. The alignment of the Canadian Language Benchmarks to the English for Academic Purposes levels and the rewriting of the Access outcomes using the Canadian Language Benchmarks should position the BC Articulation transfer work into a broader context where growth and potential for ESL programming is occurring with reference to the Canadian Language Benchmarks. EAP outcomes, although recommended for reworking, have suited the BC context well, preparing students for the challenges of the academic programs they will be entering. By aligning the ESL programs in BC to the Canadian Language Benchmarks and incorporating these alignments into the ESL Articulation Guide, transfer within the BC transfer system will be facilitated more seamlessly than in the past. Seven appendixes are included: (1) Benchmark Alignments for EAP IV for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing; (2) Benchmark Alignments for EAP III for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing; (3) Benchmark Alignments for EAP ll for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing; (4) Benchmark Alignments for EAP I for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing; (5) Responses from Colleges that List Courses in Access; (6) Recommendations for Revisions to wording of EAP Course Outcomes; and (7) Recommendations or Queries to Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000. A glossary of acronyms is also provided.
Descriptors: Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, National Standards, Foreign Countries, English for Academic Purposes, English (Second Language), Language Proficiency, Benchmarking, Language Teachers, College Transfer Students, Vocational Education, Articulation (Education), Postsecondary Education, Higher Education, Access to Education, Writing Skills, Reading Skills, Listening Skills, Oral Language, Language Skills, Outcomes of Education
British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer. 709 - 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3H6 Canada. Tel: 604-412-7700; Fax: 604-683-0576; e-mail: info@bccat.ca; Web site: http://www.bccat.ca
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A