Frequently Asked Questions Exemplaire Exemplaire Exemplaire

Although all of the elements from the Knowledge section should be seen (through documents, exercises or learning situations) it is not necessary or even possible to master them all within the time constraints of a course. Learners will acquire knowledge more fully as these elements continue to be covered during future studies. However, teachers need to be aware that in some courses, certain elements must be mastered more than others. The extent to which any element needs to be mastered is tempered by the requirements outlined in the End-of-Course Outcomes and the Evaluation Criteria found in the DED.

Evaluating an interaction is not simply gauging the student’s ability to understand and make responses to questions.  We are evaluating the ability to carry out an exchange. This means actively participating in a two-sided conversation. In other words, both speakers are introducing information, comments, questions and answers. We need to assess the student’s capacity to uphold their end of an oral exchange. Only answering questions is not interaction!

“Oral Interaction is not the same as oral production. Interaction is a two-way street. (Oral production is more like a cul-de-sac: one student delivers… what are others doing?) Oral interaction is dynamic because you cannot always predict what the other person will say. But at the same time, it builds on what was said previously. It is not a series of random utterances strung together.”

From: Let’s Begin Talking! By Judith Rohlf speaq.qc.ca May, 2011

This practice is not recommended.  The reason behind breaking down each level into three courses was to allow learners to experience success in a shorter time frame.  An adult learner who is in a situation where the 01 and 02 level courses have been regrouped, and where both evaluations are at the end of the 75 hours could be penalized if he decides to stop his studies before the 75 hours has been completed, even if he has demonstrated competency to do the 01 level evaluation. It is imperative to respect the student’s demonstration of competency as the indicator that he can do his course evaluation.

It is highly recommended that teachers do a collective correction so as to have a common understanding and a baseline for grading.

It’s normal for there to be a bit of discrepancy, although it should be minimal if the proper steps are taken when preparing to correct exams. Here are a few guidelines for marking oral or written production exams:

DETAILED SUGGESTIONS FOR COLLECTIVE CORRECTION:

BEFORE MARKING

• Record oral interaction exams for …01 and …02 courses, so you are able to devote your entire attention to the learner as you go through the interaction. This will also allow you to give fair time and consideration to marking the exam afterward.
• Learn what the evaluations are about by studying the end of course outcomes (p 23-25, p 29-31, and      p.34-35 in the DBE ESL program) and DED’s for each course you teach.
• Look at the exams and the Correction Guides in order to understand the expectations of both the oral and written exams. Study the roles that you and the learner have to play.
• Become familiar with the Examination Grids:
  • Compare with the Instructional Grids
  • Highlight words and phrases
  • Consider the incremental differences between benchmarks in the Grids of various courses and levels.
  • Interpret the meaning of each benchmark.
• Situate the learner’s ESL level, particularly if you need to mark exams in many different levels. This will set a baseline and ensure fair correction practises. Verify the competency level of the learner using the ‘Development of Competencies’ 1-page summaries found on the ESL website or the charts found in Chapter 3 of the DBE ESL Program.
• Practise marking. Becoming proficient with the new exams and tools is like any other skill, which will improve through repetition. Use student productions on the ESL website, either on your own or with colleagues. Set up learning situations and mark the productions as though they are exams.

DURING MARKING

• Get a general impression of the learner’s production. Take time to listen or read through the entire production before beginning to mark. You may need to do this more than once.
• Review the Grids and each Competency Summary if needed to set a baseline before you begin to mark.
• At first, you may find it easier to mark using the Examination Grids and Instructional Grids together.
• Mark the exam in pencil just in case you need to revise what you have done.
• If in doubt, use your professional judgement. Don’t be afraid to re-listen and re-read, or review any of the documents used before marking.

Yes. The ‘Examination Content’ section of the DED reads:

During Section 1, the adult learner:

• Reads short narrative texts.
• Selects one of the texts as a springboard for discussion during the Interaction Section.
• Uses prompts provided in the Adult’s Booklet to construct the meaning of texts and to choose a story or personal experience that can be linked to the chosen text.

If these directives are not followed, a student could practice and memorize any story at all before the exam and recount it. We want to see how the student can create natural links to subjects of conversation.

Yes.  Since adult learners are permitted to use a wide variety of resources for their research such as friends, family, Internet, books, magazines, etc., they are allowed to take the Preparation Booklet home.  In order to fully utilise these resources, a student would need to work outside of class time. The Authorized Materials section of the Preparation Booklet mentions all the permitted resources. After the teacher and learner have agreed on a return date, they will sign and date the signature block in the Preparation Booklet.

No.  The DED’s and Administration Guides for ANG 4101, 4102, 5101 and 5102 state that Section 2 of the examination must be administered by the teacher. This is not the same as saying a teacher.  The teacher is to be interpreted as the student’s teacher.

No. This period of time is meant for reviewing notes, not revising.  The confusion arises in translation between English and French where réviser can mean review and revise.  In English, there is a distinction.  Review (relecture) implies reading with the intention (but not the act) of revising. The definition of ‘review’ is: The process of going over a subject again in study or recitation in order to fix it in the memory or summarize the facts. Revise (reviser) implies making changes.  By reviewing the notes document, any changes the students wish to make are to be done orally during the interaction.

Allowing the student to only review his notes is to make the evaluation as fair as possible for all students.  Prior to a student reviewing his oral interaction notes, the teacher verifies that there are no complete sentences.  Allowing a student to alter his notes sheet allows the possibility for the student to write complete sentences, which is not permitted.

Both.  The Preparation Booklet is given to students 4-6 hours before the end of their course.  Students may use a wide variety of resources to complete their preparation. In order to fully utilise these resources, a student would need to work outside of class time.

As stated in the DED for each course under the section Specifications for the Evaluation Instruments; Examination Content, the length of documents to be used for the exam reads as follows: “The written texts provided consist of approximately XXX words, depending on the context.” Just as the length of the written production from the adult learner is stated as: “Writes a … text … that is composed of approximately XXX words, not counting small words such as articles”. The inclusion of the word ‘approximately’ allows for some latitude in document length.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is one of the documents that informs reform-based education. The old exams were based on the first and second (or lower-orders) of thinking; ‘remember and understand’. Occasionally there were questions which used the higher order thinking ‘apply’.

In the old comprehension exams, students were asked to focus on the literal meaning of texts. Using WH questions students would use active listening to identify concrete pieces of information in the text in order to give a multiple choice response.

Today’s exams ask higher-order-thinking questions and put the emphasis on interactive listening; questions related to a situation are asked, and students must formulate a response based on prior information or learning. In other words, the student is exposed to a written or recorded text (or a combination of both), then a situation is created by putting limitations or circumstances in place.

This engages the response process and ensures that the evaluator, through interaction, can concretely determine whether the student has understood and taken those factors into account. Scaffolding is included (but not evaluated in and of itself), which allows the student to organize lower-level information from the texts (remember, understand). The student then creates notes containing this information. When the teacher poses questions or makes comments throughout the oral exchange, students are required to draw on the information in their notes to apply, analyze and evaluate before responding. The evaluator can then assess the student’s ability to listen, understand, process information (using the response process) and respond with intelligible feedback.

No. Due to the difficulty of controlling the use of various functions (ex: translating a whole sentence, connecting to internet) and taking into account the inability for all centers to have access to such devices, the Ministry, at present, cannot authorize the use of an electronic dictionary during exams.

The DED explains what material is allowed.  Dictionaries are usually provided by the center, although some centers accept the students using their own for the exams. In the case of a second language other than French, the dictionary must be provided by the student. All dictionaries must be in paper format and accepted for use in the exam room.

YES!  With the CCBE and DBE courses adults are able to use both unilingual and bilingual dictionaries for exams.  A grammar book is also allowed as long as it is a published version accepted by the school board. However, bilingual dictionaries are not permitted for any of the sanctioned exams written before the Reform in Education.

Information Clarifying the Evaluation Criteria

What to Look For in C1-C-2:

1.1 Adequate participation in oral interaction in English at all times

• Does the student talk independently and spontaneously or need constant help?
• Does the student ‘parrot’ or use his own words

1.2 Pertinence of the message expressed

• Can the learner use functional language (inform, express feelings/opinions, persuade) in order to share information about the topic?

1.3 Coherent articulation of the message

• Am I able to clearly understand what the student says?
• Does the structure of the language make sense? (grammar, syntax, vocabulary)
• Are sounds reproduced clearly enough to be comprehended? (pronouncing, enunciating)

2.1 Demonstration of understanding through the response process

The learner reinvests understanding throughout the interaction by including information from texts that have been studied previously and by correctly interpreting new oral texts (questions and comments) introduced by the teacher

• Can the student show me that he understands:
  • The essence of what he has read or listened to? and
  • New texts (questions and comments) introduced as the discussion takes place?

2.2 Pertinent use of knowledge in a reinvestment task

• Does the student get the gist of the discussion enough to link or integrate information from foundation texts in appropriate places during the discussion?
• Does the student ‘parrot’ or use his own words?
• Can the student keep up with and adapt to the changes that take place as we move ahead in the discussion? (adapt and adjust words, style of speech and tone as new information is introduced)

What to Look For in C2-C3:

2.1 Demonstration of understanding through the response process

The learner reinvests understanding by correctly interpreting written and spoken texts, then including the results of his thought processes along with supporting information from the texts that have been studied.

• Does the student’s writing show me that he understands:
  • The essence of what he has read or listened to?
  • The instructions that were given for completing the written production?
  • How to apply information from more than one text in a new situation
• Can the learner use functional written language to inform, express feelings/opinions and/or persuade in order to share information and elicit responses?

2.2 Pertinent use of knowledge in a reinvestment task

• Does the student link or integrate information from the foundation texts in appropriate places in his written production?
• Does the student copy information directly from the texts or use his own words?
• Does the student’s text reflect an awareness of the audience (reader)?
• Is a writer’s voice or personal mind-set apparent in the student’s written production?
• If writing includes expression and persuasion, has the student adapted and adjusted words and expressions, or otherwise exhibited his own style of speech?

3.1 Coherence of the content

• Does the learner’s text follow the prescribed layout and format?
• Is the text well organized? (logical order, accepted writing conventions)
• Does the text contain all of the necessary components?
• Does the text meet standards of length and degree of complexity?

3.2 Clear formulation of the message

This criterion addresses the mechanics of the language, which are outlined in each course and become increasingly more complex as learners advance through higher courses of English.

• Is the vocabulary appropriate for the writing task?
• Do expressions have meaning in context?
• Are words spelled correctly?
• Are the words in order? (Syntax)
• Have grammar rules appropriate to the learner’s level been applied?
• Is punctuation suitable?

Yes.  Teachers must consult the evaluations and understand their content in order to be able to play a role and interact with students in the 01 and 02 level courses in secondary 3, 4 and 5.  In order to properly correct the exams, teachers are required to understand the exam content for each of the courses they teach.  Consultation of evaluations must be done so as to respect the confidentiality of the evaluations as set out in the Normes et modalités of each centre.

Competency 2, Criterion 2.2 of the Evaluation Grid (Tailors content to purpose and audience) addresses this issue.  This is where points are given or removed for transcribing vs. reformulating. Likewise, for oral interaction exams, Competency 1, Criterion 1.1 of the Evaluation Grid (Demonstrates fluency in discourse) points may be removed for ‘word for word recitation’

No. The teacher’s portion of the interaction is a text to be reinvested.  Confidentiality of all evaluation texts (written, listening and spoken) with the exception of Preparation Booklets, must be respected.  Therefore, interaction cannot be done in class as there is no way to prevent other students from hearing the text.

The evaluation criteria for ANG-1101 includes the criterion “Interprets short, simple informative texts within familiar contexts adequately”. The term ‘texts’ includes both written and spoken texts, so the comprehension of oral texts is evaluated through the interaction between the teacher and the learner. At this stage, the oral texts that the learner interprets during the interaction are judged sufficient to gauge the learners’ oral comprehension ability.

You can find the document here:

English Version

Version française