INTERNATIONALLY-TRAINED IMMIGRANTS GET INVOLVED WITH LANGUAGE BENCHMARKING RESEARCH

The Language Institute is currently involved in a major province-wide research initiative known as Colleges Integrating Immigrants To Employment (CIITE).

CIITE, a multi-phased strategy for investigating how to modify and refine systems and structures to assist internationally trained immigrants, is funded by the Ontario Government. Now

in Phase 2, Algonquin College plays a significant role by conducting research in four out of the five projects. The five initiatives being undertaken throughout various colleges in Ontario have projects dealing with Admissions, Advisement, Credentials and Advanced Standing, Language Proficiency (Assessment), and Employment Preparation.

“All the projects are investigating potential barriers in the colleges that internationally trained newcomers may face,” says Bernice, the Institute’s Coordinator for English as a Second Language day courses, and CIITE Language Proficiency Team Leader. “Due to the fact that there is a lot of overlap in the four projects we are conducting, the College is benefiting because what one determines is proving to be helpful in the other projects.”

The CIITE language proficiency research team consists of Bernice, Gail Gaffney, Lynn Mateas, Sheila Morrison, and Jane Thomson who are all qualified Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test (CLBPT) Assessors.

“None of us had ever benchmarked language proficiency at the post-secondary level. However, no-one else in the provincial system has either because it’s a new initiative. It’s been a great opportunity to become certified and trained in post-secondary benchmarking,” says Jane Thomson.

Along with fellow schools Centennial, Sheridan, Seneca, Mohawk, George Brown, and LaCité, Algonquin’s Language Institute is responsible for the Language Proficiency Project because of its expertise in second language teaching, specifically to adult immigrants.

“The Institute has been extremely supportive to our team. Because there are five researchers who have to document and keep records of every step we take in a lengthy process, it is crucial for us to have office space, which the Language Institute has provided,” says Bernice.

The Language Proficiency Project at Algonquin selected five programs to benchmark. The team researched level one of the Respiratory Therapy program, Culinary Management program, Hotel and Restaurant Management program, Business Administration program ( core), and pre-entry ESL Levels 7 and 8.

The team found it both challenging and rewarding working on the Language Proficiency Project alongside the other CIITE projects. “We faced a number of issues for multiple reasons,” says Bernice. “The size of the college, the number of programs involved, the different departments, faculty, administration, and students, as well as the classroom observations all came together so we could successfully complete the first part of Phase 2 on time on June 30, 2006.”

This fall, Jane and Bernice will be continuing the project by helping the college build expertise and knowledge in second-language assessment.

“We are asking for volunteers in the same five programs that have been benchmarked to meet with a researcher and agree to take the Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test,” says Jane. The results will be used as a means to evaluate the usefulness of Canadian Language Benchmarks as an official assessment tool. The results will give researchers a benchmark for reading, writing, speaking, and listening which can then be used to compare to the benchmarks identified in the five programs.

Along with the other language proficiency teams, Bernice and Jane will be examining and benchmarking language tests to determine English language readiness for entry to college programs. Benchmarking existing college tests will assist the province’s effort to analyze and determine appropriate language tests for an internationally trained immigrant.

“So far, the benchmarking research has been constructive and may become more widespread,” says Lynn Mateas.

The project’s Phase 2 runs until July 2007