Testing and assessment
Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of       Reference (RELANG)

The ECML colloquium "Ensuring quality in language testing and assessment" (Graz, Austria, 7 December 2016) was a great success.

Thank you to everyone who contributed and participated - onsite and online! 

You may now watch or review the debates here:
- Videos and presentations of all sessions
- Photos

The colloquium on “Ensuring quality in language testing and assessment: the contribution of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)“ is organised by the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe in cooperation with the European Commission.

The event will trace the progress that has been made since the publication of the Manual for Relating Language Examinations to the CEFR, offer a platform for an exchange of experiences from different European contexts and propose ways to address the ongoing challenges in aligning language curricula and examinations to the Framework.

Due to the high level of demand to participate in the event, the ECML has decided to stream the event live, starting from 9:30 am on 7 December. The event will be in English and French and will be streamed in the original language of the speaker only. During the colloquium, the following questions will be addressed:

1. How do I know whether a test is at the CEFR level it claims to be at? 
2. Can an exam that tests linguistic competence (language use) be linked to the CEFR? 
3. How do we make sure that our pass/fail decisions are related to the CEFR? 
4. Can we test at more than one CEFR level in one test? 
5. Can we link our tests to the CEFR levels even though we do not have statistics on student performance on our tests, apart from total scores? 
6. Can tests of different skills be summarized at one CEFR level?

The colloquium should be of particular interest to those who are responsible for or engaged in developing foreign language curricula and/or examinations, notably those who work in national curriculum or examination centres.

For further information on the event, including the Colloquium programme, please visit the colloquium webpage.

WEBCAST – starting on Wednesday, 7 December at 09:30.

The quality assurance matrix for CEFR use is an innovative project comparing CEFR implementation in different contexts and employing a quality assurance approach. The project will promote effective language learning by supporting teachers and other language education professionals in their use of the CEFR. It will suggest clear, coherent, and relevant procedures to facilitate planning, teaching and assessment and it will produce a practical tool, in the form of a template, which will serve for self-assessment before or during CEFR implementation and self- or external evaluation after the implementation.

Project website: English - French

Description of the work foreseen

As the project moves from a rigorous empirically based and experience informed perspective, we are looking for a fellow to support us in the project work.
Before and after the central workshop, participants will conduct semi-structured interviews in their respective countries and complete a form including both the outcomes of the interviews and their own reactions and thoughts about achievements, challenges and opportunities. The data collected will be an important source to inform the matrix which will be the final product of the project. The fellow will participate in the data analysis phase of the project under the supervision of the project coordinator and of the other team members. He/she will be subsequently involved in assisting the team in the development of the matrix.

Expected profile and involvement of the fellow

The ideal candidate will be a young individual with an MA or above in a relevant field. He/she will either be a citizen or a resident of one of the ECML member states.

His/her duties will include:

• Assisting in collating the data resulting from interviews conducted by the participants in the workshop (WS)
• Creating and compiling tables and grids for the analysis
• Analyzing data in order to identify relevant procedures to inform the template
• Assisting the team in drafting the Quality Assurance (QA) template based on project data 
• Assisting in the preparation of the network meeting of the project which will take place in May 2017.

Required skills:

• Interest in and knowledge of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (and/or capacity to quickly update knowledge of it)
• Experience in research and data analysis
• Reliability, precision
• A proactive attitude: capable of taking the initiative
• Familiarity with new technologies
• Ability to quickly join the project team and to interact with WS participants at distance
• Good planning and organisational skills
• Working languages: English and French, with at least C1 level in the first working language and minimum B2 level in the second working language

Professional benefits

The fellowship is a unique opportunity to work in the highly stimulating, multicultural and multilingual international environment of the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz, which is a partial agreement of the Council of Europe.
The knowledge and expertise resulting from this fellowship will be a considerable asset for future endeavours both in academia and in the professional world.
The fellowship will last three months February, March and April 2017 so that the fellow can assist in preparing the subsequent network meeting in May.

Remuneration

The fellow will receive a total allowance of €3,450 EUR covering the 3 month duration of the fellowship. Travel costs will not be covered.

Procedure

Applicants from ECML member states or currently studying in ECML member states should send a letter of motivation as well as their CV in English or French to: margit.huber@ecml.at.

Closing date for applications: 28 October 2016.