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    Practices and criteria to assess home/heritage languages’ competences of pupils (incl.migrants)
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    Présentation d'approches dans la ville de Hambourg (Allemagne)

Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils

Introduction
Why assess?
What are the principles of assessment?
Whose competences
to assess,
and how?
By
which means
 to assess?
How to get involved?
This page will be available in English soon. Please refer to the pages in French.


When and how to assess?


Examples


Drawing inspiration from the examples of methods and materials

Presentation of approaches in the city of Hamburg (Germany)

Tests to assess first or home language competences, Hamburg Schools and Vocational Training Authority

Back to the overview

Context

Under the Amsterdam Treaty (1997), which amended the Maastricht Treaty (1992), the European Union adopted support for the development of plurilingualism as a guideline for its language policy. In line with this recommendation, the Hamburg regional administration has changed its stance on language teaching and committed itself to the teaching of home languages and intercultural education, thus recognising that taking account of plurilingualism is of major importance for social cohesion in a context of increasing migration and mobility. The KMK has also entrusted the development of intercultural and linguistic competences to schools.

Given the growing importance of societal multilingualism in a very diverse world, the Hamburg Regional Ministry of Education adopted a declaration in 2019 advocating the integration of young refugees through education. The main objectives are to enable them to learn the language of schooling as quickly as possible, teach them democratic values and give them access to high-quality education, either in a vocational training course or in general education.

To achieve this, it is particularly important to recognise the resources available to learners. In other words, recognition of the plural language repertoire is an essential element of a holistic and inclusive approach to language education and language enhancement. Linking the German language with the learner’s home language(s) and supporting language awareness are central to this approach.

Teaching home languages

For more than two decades, the Hamburg Education Authority has been offering home language courses for learners. In 2020-21, these included Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Farsi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

The aim of these courses is to introduce learners to reflective observation of how languages work, as well as to the types of written text in the language of schooling which they will use in class. This enables them to develop competences in the language of schooling as well as in other school subjects. Intercultural competences are also developed using a comparative approach by enabling learners to acquire knowledge about their country of origin and to make links with their life in Germany. Learners are encouraged to become aware of the common features, similarities and differences between different ways of life and perspectives, thus opening themselves up to co-existence based on respect and tolerance. In short, learners develop their ability to find their way around and interact successfully in different linguistic, ethnic, religious, social and cultural realities.

Home languages have gradually been integrated into schools and curricula. Hamburg's education authorities are responsible for education from primary school through to the Abitur, which is the final exam for upper secondary education. 

Teaching is provided by qualified teachers based on the home language syllabus.

View pdf

It should be noted that, when there are no courses for all home languages available in the area, learners can still take tests in their home languages even though they have not been taught in the given language(s).  This applies to newly arrived learners who have not received regular English for three years.

Under the Hamburg education authorities, home language teaching is organised in four ways in primary and secondary schools:

bilingual curriculum / teaching offered from primary to upper secondary level

Home language teaching as an additional option, from primary school to upper secondary education. These courses form part of the main educational offer after mainstream education.

from primary school to upper secondary level

Teaching of the home language as an additional language in compulsory optional courses or as a compulsory optional course in upper secondary education.

for certification purposes

Teaching the home language as an additional language in response to legislative requirements concerning the transition from lower to upper secondary education.

This concerns learners who did not have the opportunity to learn a second foreign language during their lower secondary education and who, as a result, cannot move on to the upper secondary cycle. By passing an exam certifying their home language competences, they can be admitted to the upper secondary school cycle.

at secondary level

Teaching the home language as a core subject

Home language learning and assessment are carried out in a multilingual institutional context using a plurilingual didactic approach. In the context of Hamburg (Germany), this plurilingual approach is aimed in particular at coordinated learning:

  • of German,
  • of the home language, and
    		•
  • of modern language(s).
    		•

    The approach also aims to promote existing bilingualism and plurilingualism, in particular by expanding the range of home language teaching and strengthening links with mainstream education, both in terms of content and organisation. The aim is to jointly develop home language competences and improve school results: "Ultimately, all children's success at school depends on their mastery of the language of schooling". Fürstenau et al. 2003, p. 20.

    It is interesting to note that in the new curricula the term 'home languages' or 'languages of origin' is replaced by 'recent languages' (Neuere Sprachen). This change indicates an evolution in the implementation of plurilingual approaches in education, and an equitable view of all languages in the curriculum.

    The teaching and learning of home languages must be integrated into general education in terms of content and organisation.

    In the field of language learning, competences are understood as written and oral competences, the latter resulting either from natural acquisition (outside the school context, for example in the home environment) or from more formal learning (at school). The role of the school is to coordinate these two learning processes. Language competences are assessed in accordance with federal/national curricula, using the pedagogical and didactic criteria set out therein. Language proficiency and attainment levels are assessed by means of examinations.

    Assessment of language or subject knowledge evaluates the degree of acquisition of the competences described in the federal curricula, and, in the case of Hamburg, in accordance with the programmes and criteria defined by the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). These objectives, which also apply to training programmes in home languages, are formulated in terms of competences based on the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference. The curricula describe achievable language objectives for each school level and for each school subject. The emphasis of this approach is not on content, but rather on the overall, coherent development of learners' competences.

    The development of home language competences is already being implemented in 10 regions ("Länder") in Germany.

    The monitoring of language learning and the assessment of competences depend on the context, resources and possibilities for integrating these languages into the school system. This requires a certain degree of integration of home languages into the host country's curriculum. In countries where the teaching of home languages and general education are closely linked, such as Sweden or Germany, there are many productive ways of doing this. Home language competences can be assessed in various ways:

    • as heritage language competences (grades 1 to 10, for learners aged 6 to 16),
    • as a competences in modern language (from year 5 to year 12 or 13, depending on the type of school) and
    • in a final test (in years 9 and 10 to move on to a higher level of schooling).
    The choice between these assessment methods depends on requirements and objectives, as well as the educational context, whether in-school or out-of-school.

     

    Assessing home language competences

    Access to a diploma at the end of a course of study

    The project was first launched as a pilot programme in 2010, in parallel with the opening of so-called international reception classes (die internationale Vorbereitungsklassen) for newly arrived learners who had not previously been educated in the German education system and whose language of schooling was different from German. Learners wanting certification of their home language competences can take a language test and thus validate their competences in their language of origin. This assessment makes an important contribution to formal school recognition of competences and facilitates the integration of these learners into Germany's diverse society by opening up wider career prospects for them.

    Assessment is carried out in line with the aims of the syllabuses (framework programmes) for modern foreign languages. The assessment criteria are defined based on the competences required at the end of each school year. These objectives correspond to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and apply to new arrivals who join the school system of the country of immigration at a late stage and therefore do not have a sufficient command of the language of schooling. Language assessment takes place at the end of year 9 (first general education certificate) or at the end of year 10 (secondary education certificate) and can be validated, depending on the learner's choice, as the first modern language (English) or as another modern language in the curriculum. The result of the home language assessment is taken into account when moving on to a higher level of study and appears in the school report.

    This final assessment is subject to conditions laid down by the authority:

    • the learner's first language is not German;
    • the learner did not attend school in Germany before starting lower secondary school;
    • the learner has had less than three full years of regular English language teaching.

    View pdf

    1.   The tests are developed centrally by assessment experts under the direction of the Modern Languages Department of the Ministry of General Education and Vocational Training. This involves preparing the written tests based on common criteria as well as the assessment criteria, and defining the marking scales for the oral test. This design phase also includes the preparation of exercise books to aid preparation for the written test and a list of questions for the oral test. The Department is also responsible for the ongoing training of assessors responsible for administering the tests.

    2.   The Institute for Educational Quality Assurance (Institut für Bildungsmonitoring und Qualitätsentwicklung - IfBQ) is responsible for organising and administering the tests, including registration, distribution of the tests to schools, recruitment of assessors and translators, and the organisation of the oral tests. Where necessary, the IfBQ calls on consulates, associations, universities and other organisations to recruit assessors.

    3.   The tests are translated from German into each home language by teams of qualified translators, and each translation is proofread.

    4.   The oral test is taken in the presence of a panel of two assessors, who also mark the written tests.

    5.   The examination is free of charge for establishments and is optional.


    The Ministry of General Education and Vocational Training is fully responsible for developing the tests, administering the examinations, marking the papers and managing the process, and makes additional resources available to the relevant bodies: the Department for Expanding Educational Opportunities, the Department of Modern Languages and the Institute for Quality Assurance in Education (IfBQ).

    Language options

    Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Dari, Farsi, Finnish, French, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish Badini, Kurdish Kurmanji, Spanish, Kurdish (Sorani), Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Dutch, Urdu, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Wolof.

    Competences assessed

    • reading comprehension
    • written work
    • listening comprehension
    • oral production
    • mediation
    • intercultural competences (transversal competences)

    Levels assessed

    A2, B1, B1+ as specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

    The assessment of language competences

    The written test:
    Partie écrite
    30%
    Lire    		 30%
    Médiation    		 30%
    Ecrire et
    mobiliser des
    outils linguistiques
    • … is collective and covers the following areas: written comprehension (overall and in detail) 30%, linguistic mediation 30% and written expression 40%.
    • …is assessed using a grid divided into criteria for content (40%) and linguistic correctness (60%). This system does not allow learners to use a dictionary.
    • The written test lasts 120 minutes.

    The oral test takes place face-to-face with the assessors and is divided into two parts:  
    Partie oral
    50%
    Parler en
    monologue et
    en dialogue    		 50%
    Exécuter
    des tâches
    • Part I: A monologue (a presentation on a subject) and, if necessary, the assessors ask the candidates questions. The topic is set before the test and communicated to the candidates.
    • Part II: Oral interaction.
    • This consists of an interview with the assessors on a pre-determined topic, as well as answering questions chosen from the list of possible questions.
    • Each skill area counts for 50% of the final score in the oral test. The test lasts 15 minutes.

    The proposed content and tasks are selected based on the target language level in accordance with the descriptors in the CEFR scales and take into account ethnic and cultural criteria, as well as interests related to the experiences learners in a given age group may have had. Only authentic newspaper articles, brochures, Internet articles and advertising material are allowed to be used as texts. This enables learners to activate their prior knowledge of a topic, and thus mobilise their cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) more easily.

    As far as reading comprehension is concerned, a multimodal approach using different sensory channels is recommended: images, photos, computer graphics and other memory aids facilitate the construction of meaning, particularly in primary school.

    The emphasis is on measuring language competences based on the specific guidelines of the Conference of Ministers of Education and the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Topics that pose problems in certain cultural contexts, in particular those that convey representations expressing dominance or hierarchy in relation to bilingual or plurilingual repertoires, or sensitive subjects such as war, violence, sexuality, etc., are avoided.

    Assessment criteria according to the model of communication competences used

    intercultural
    competences
    functional
    communication
    competences
    strategic
    competences

    Click on an area to find out more

    Intercultural competences

    • Ability to navigate different linguistic, ethnic, religious, social and cultural reference systems
    • Perception of common and different values, norms and points of view
    • An approach that respects diversity and difference

     

    Functional communicative competences
    Communicative competences Language resources
    • vocabulary
    • grammar
    • pronunciation and intonation
    • spelling
    • ability to reflect on language
    • listening and visual comprehension
    • reading comprehension
    • speaking
    • participating in conversation
    • speaking coherently
    • writing
    • linguistic mediation
    Strategic competences

    • In learning languages
    • In using media and texts

     

    Examples of criteria 

    Example 1: oral production in interaction

    In this example for oral production in interaction, the criteria make it possible to measure performance in the target language in relation to a level (CEFR-type grid), and also leave room for methods involving the language(s) of schooling and the home language targeted in the assessment.

    For example, the linguistic criteria ("vocabulary", "structure", etc.) are clearly linked to the measurement of these areas of competence in the home language. However, the criteria linked to coherence in oral production (e.g. "conversational competences") and internal cohesion (e.g. " strategies for expressing oneself ") allow learners to draw on other varieties/languages in their repertoire when expressing themselves, provided that these do not hinder the cohesion and coherence of the whole. A specific criterion "using the language of schooling or another language" could complete the example here.

    Example 2: language content and cohesion of oral production

    In this example, competence is measured according to two factors (language and linguistic content on the one hand, cohesion of oral production on the other). This distribution of criteria leaves room for plurilingual modes of expression which can be considered when the task is being carried out, while also taking account of the specific target language elements expected in the "content" part.

    Examination board

    The education authority sets up an examination board to organise language assessment tests. This board is made up of a person involved in the assessments who has a teaching qualification or an equivalent academic qualification, another qualified teacher and a chairperson. At least one member of the board must hold a diploma in the teaching of a modern foreign language.

    It is chaired by the competent authority, but this function may be delegated to a member of school management.

    Statement

    Statement by S. Safouane, Coordinator for Equal Opportunities, Language Promotion and Heritage Language Teaching, Education Department, Education and Vocational Training Authority, Hamburg

    "Almost 40% of learners in Hamburg grow up in a bilingual or multilingual environment. The home language courses offered by Hamburg's Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung (General and Vocational Education Authority) aim to encourage, consolidate and develop learners' linguistic and cultural potential, as well as their knowledge. In the same way that learners learn German as the language of schooling, learners attending courses in home languages acquire cognitive linguistic competences that go beyond the everyday language(s) spoken at home. They also acquire strategies and knowledge that make it easier to learn other languages, including German. At the same time, their confidence in their bilingualism or plurilingualism increases. Learners' results in home language classes are assessed on the basis of the Hamburg school curriculum and are included in each learner's report. In Hamburg, this system enables learners to use the knowledge and competences they have acquired in home language classes as school subjects, or even to have them taken account of as examination subjects for university entrance (the Abitur)".