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

The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe together with the European Commission are launching a new round of workshops within the joint action on Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning focusing on the following initiatives:

• RELANG – Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference
• Supporting Multilingual Classrooms
  
• ICT-REV – Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning

The activities are scheduled to take place between end of February and mid-December 2024, the three initiatives offering up to 17 national workshops during this period.

The call is open to current European Union member states and the additional member states of the ECML until 10 January 2024.

For further information, please contact Adelina Rosca (adelina.rosca@ecml.at), the ECML-EU cooperation agreement coordinator.

“Inspiring innovation in language education: changing contexts, evolving competences” – Join the livestream!

The conference represents the culmination of the four years of work of the ECML’s “Inspiring innovation in language education: changing contexts, evolving competences”  programme, involving, among others, 9projects, 1think tank, 12offers of training and consultancy (TaC) and a series of initiatives developed with the support of the European Commission.

The conference is aimed at all language education professionals and in particular at ECML stakeholders, policy makers and persons with a professional focus on the practice of language education (curriculum development, teacher education, material design…).

The programme involves plenary presentations, speeches, a round table, a series of smaller workshops for the presentation and discussion of programme outputs and outcomes as well as envisaged links to activities in the 2024-2027 programme.

The workshops on the second day of the conference will be organised thematically:

• Language teacher and learner competences,
• Transversal dimension of language education / Competences for life and work,
• Plurilingual and intercultural education,
• Languages of schooling; language in subjects.

Within each given theme there will be a focus on the completed project resources and related TaC activities from the current programme. Presenters will focus on the inspiring and innovative aspects of their TaC activity/new resources and will consider how the different approaches and materials presented in their thematic session complement one other.

This will also be an excellent opportunity to get a preview of the new ECML programme “Language education at the heart of democracy” (2024-2027).

In order to ensure access to a wider audience, the event will be streamed in both working languages (English and French) and the recordings made available on the ECML website.

Conference web page: English – French

Conference programme: English – French

Join the live streaming here – no registration required: English – French

#ECMLCELVconf2023

Local organiser: Ana Xavier, Directorate General for Education, Ministry of Education

ECML experts: José Noijons, Netherlands; Jana Beresova, Slovak Republic

Participants: 21 participants (teachers of English, French, German and Spanish, representatives of language teacher associations at national level, representatives of school association teacher training centres at regional level, staff involved in curriculum development, staff involved in external assessment)

“The Directorate-General for Education (DGE) of the Ministry of Education (ME) promoted the 4^th edition of the workshop entitled Relating language examinations to the common European reference levels of language proficiency: promoting quality assurance in education and facilitating mobility (RELANG) – Module 4: Literature and creative texts: how to practise and test literature in line with the CEFR and the Companion Volume. This event took place on the 19 – 21 April 2023 in Escola Secundária Maria Amália Vaz de Carvalho in Lisbon.

This international training event results from a partnership between the European Commission and the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe for the development of a joint action on Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning.

This workshop has been successfully promoted in different EU Member States since 2013. For the fourth time, Portugal, represented by the Directorate-General for Education/Ministry of Education, was one of the European countries that accepted the challenge to carry out this initiative led by two ECML foreign language assessment experts.

This is an important initiative for primary and secondary education at national level, where the participants, who are mostly teachers of English, French, German and Spanish as a Foreign Language will deepen and soon multiply their knowledge of the principles of foreign language assessment, which must be valid, reliable and aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference.”

Ana Xavier, local organiser, 4 May 2023

ECML project website: RELANG – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2023 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

Local organiser: Ingrida Strazdaitė, Lithuanian National Agency for Education    

ECML experts: Karine Dekeukelaere, Belgium; Gábor Szabó, Hungary;

Participants: 27 (item writers, curriculum developers, language testers and examiners, policy-makers and teachers)

“In March 2023, a RELANG workshop was organised at the National Agency for Education in Vilnius for item writers, curriculum developers, exam raters, policymakers, and teachers with a view to discussing principles of valid and reliable language testing based on the CEFR and its Companion Volume. Module 5 was selected in relation to the updated curriculum of foreign languages in Lithuania, which involves both a new language proficiency level (B2+) and new test items in the school-leaving exam, namely, audio-visual comprehension, mediation, and a few new written production items. Thus it is important to ensure that future tests are in line with the CEFR.

During the three-day workshop, 27 participants received in-depth training in the CEFR level descriptors, they were introduced to a number of issues to be addressed in order to ensure valid and reliable item development and accurate assessment, discussed the importance of designing and use of reliable assessment criteria, and had an opportunity to develop specific exam items based on the principles learned. The workshop was also an excellent opportunity to exchange professional knowledge and practices in the field of language teaching and testing among the colleagues as well as to receive expertise and valuable guidance from the ECML experts. Despite the sometimes heated discussion, which was always moderated by the experts in a most constructive and sensible manner, all participants had one common goal – to gain a thorough and uniform understanding of the underlying requirements for each test item in line with the CEFR and the Companion Volume as a must for quality assurance in the assessment of school-leavers under the updated curriculum.

All RELANG workshops in Lithuania - and we had quite a few of them so far - were very successful and have always had a very positive impact on the Lithuanian school-leaving exam system. The workshop in March 2023 was no exception. We are very grateful for the ECML experts’ insights, practical tips, competent advice, efficiency and patience.”

Ingrida Strazdaitė, local organiser, 21 March 2023

ECML project website: RELANG – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2023 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

The European Centre for Modern Languages is launching a series of 48 national training and consultancy workshops . The workshops which are hosted in member states offer a wide range of European expertise in language education and are adapted to the concrete needs and specific contexts within individual countries. This year represents the highest ever number of events organised according to this format by the ECML and reflects the increasing popularity of the Centre’s training and consultancy activities.

25 of the events will take place within the framework of the “Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning” cooperation action between the ECML and the European Commission. These activities, covering member states of the ECML and the European Union, focus on Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference (RELANG), Supporting Multilingual Classrooms and Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning

The other 23 events targeting the member states of the ECML focus on the following areas: Action research communities, CLIL and beyond – pluriliteracies, Language for work, Language of schooling in subject learning, Plurilingual and intercultural approaches (CARAP/FREPA), The ROADMAP – a self-assessment tool to foster school development, Setting up learning environments where modern languages flourish.

The events combine professional input from the ECML and expertise in the member state to initiate quality developments – the workshops can assist in change processes in language education at local, regional and national levels. The first of the events, a RELANG workshop, will take place at the Lithuanian National Agency for Education in Vilnius on 7-9 March.

A series of national workshops will take place within the “Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning” cooperation action between the ECML and the European Commission. The RELANG, Supporting Multilingual Classrooms and ICT-REV workshops will be hosted in the following countries:

RELANG: Albania, Armenia, Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Romania. For more details on workshop dates and venues, please visit the RELANG event page. RELANG focuses on relating foreign/second language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Supporting Multilingual Classrooms: Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Slovak Republic and Sweden. For more details on workshop dates and venues, please visit the Supporting Multilingual Classrooms event page. Supporting Multilingual Classrooms focuses on the linguistic integration of migrant learners in schools across Europe.

ICT-REV: Armenia, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany and Poland. For more details on workshop dates and venues, please visit the ICT-REV event page. ICT-REV promotes a pedagogically-based use of ICT tools and open resources in support of quality language teaching and learning, including online and blended learning settings.