Abstracts
Abstract
It is a widespread practice among Canadian school districts to assess the French language proficiency of candidates applying for French as a Second Language (FSL) teaching positions. This pan-Canadian study used surveys, interviews, and website data to examine the French language proficiency assessment practices and processes used by Canadian schools when hiring FSL teachers. The findings show that almost 90% of Canadian school districts assess French language proficiency when hiring FSL teachers and that the most common form of assessment is to ask one to three questions in French (with candidates responding in French) during the employment interview. Evaluation of the candidates’ responses is rarely informed by a language proficiency framework or rubric; instead, evaluators’ decisions are informed by their overall impressions of the candidate’s language proficiency. Other promising assessment practices are described, along with suggestions about how districts may improve their French language proficiency assessments when hiring FSL teachers.
Keywords:
- language assessment,
- French proficiency,
- hiring,
- French teachers
Résumé
Presque tous les districts scolaires canadiens évaluent les compétences en français des candidats lors de l'embauche pour des postes d'enseignants en FLS. Ces évaluations sont conçues pour s'assurer que les enseignants de FLS qu'ils embauchent possèdent les compétences linguistiques requises pour enseigner le français d'une manière efficace. Cette étude a recueilli des données auprès de 112 districts scolaires (situés dans les 10 provinces) et a révélé que bien qu'il existe une gamme d'outils et de processus d'évaluation à travers le pays, la méthode d'évaluation la plus courante consiste pour un administrateur scolaire à poser une ou deux questions en français (avec la candidat répondant en français) lors de l'entretien d'embauche. Nous posons des questions sur la justesse de ces évaluations pour prendre des décisions d'emploi à enjeux élevés et offrons des preuves que les districts scolaires commencent à utiliser ces informations d'évaluation à des fins formatives ainsi que pour les décisions d'embauche.
Appendices
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