COORDINATED ASSESSMENT& REFERRAL

CENTRE SYSTEM(CLARS)

CLARS Centre• 3000 assessments per year

• Approximately 80% are initial assessments

• 5 Certified Language Assessors

• Trained by (CET) Centre for Education and

Training• Yearly Recertification and Recalibration

CLARS Centre

• Screen clients for eligibility*

• Administer language assessment

• Provide information on training options

• Refer to most suitable training

• Refer to settlement services

Client Eligibility*• of legal school-leaving age • a  Landed Immigrant

– a permanent resident – or a convention refugee– or a person in Canada whose application for

permanent resident status is being processed in Canada

– Refugee Claimants– Canadian Citizens– Work Permit 27 (other*)

Canadian Language Benchmarks• The CLB are the national standard used in

Canada used to describe, measure and recognize the English language proficiency of adult immigrants living and working in Canada

• They cover 4 skill areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing and use real life language tasks to measure language skills.

• They are expressed as 12 Benchmarks

Assessment Process• 5 different tools: • CLB 1-8, CLBLA- Literacy, CLBPT 1-8,

CLBLPT- (Literacy*), ELTPA 6-10, NCLC (French version)

• Assessment time can be between 1 to 4 hours

• The more English the client knows, the longer it will take (depends on tool used)

Programs

• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)

• Enhanced Language Training (ELT)• Occupation-Specific Language Training

(OSLT)• ESL option

Application and Uses of Benchmarks• in employment and training programs to

help determine articulation standards in order to set standards to facilitate access to numerous professional and trade programs

• in colleges and universities to understand the language proficiencies needed for admission (IELTS / TOEFL)

• in over 70 federally-funded national assessment centres

The three stages are:Stage I – Basic Language Ability (Benchmarks 1–4)•Basic language ability encompasses abilities that are required to communicate in common and predictable contexts about basic needs, common everyday activities and familiar topics of immediate personal relevance. •In the CLB, these are referred to as non-demanding contexts of language use.

Stage II – Intermediate Language Ability (Benchmarks 5–8)•Intermediate language ability encompasses abilities that allow fuller participation in a wider variety of contexts. It is the range of abilities required to function independently in most familiar situations of daily, social, educational and work-related life experience, and in some less predictable contexts.• In the CLB, these are referred to as moderately demanding contexts of language use.

Stage III – Advanced Language Ability (Benchmarks 9–12)•Advanced language ability encompasses abilities required to communicate effectively, appropriately, accurately and fluently about most topics in a wide range of contexts and situations, from predictable to unfamiliar, from general to professionally complex and from specific to nuanced, in communicatively demanding contexts.

• At this stage, communicating can involve using language within high-stakes or high-risk social, academic and work-related contexts, and in situations in which features of the communication (such as diplomacy, tact, precision) can have significant consequences.

• In the CLB, these are referred to as demanding contexts of language use.

 

Note: many ESL learners can be at different benchmarks in the four language skills. For example, a learner can be at a Listening/

Speaking Benchmark 6, Reading 7, and Writing 5. (Level 5)

At this time, we will place the client at the level of the lowest benchmark.

Listening Benchmark 4 Listening Benchmark 6

Can understand: -with considerable effort, simple formal & informal communication

-most moderately complex format & informal communication, including some abstract concepts

-language that is simple & related to everyday topics and situations

-spoken clearly at a slow to normal rate in moderately demanding context

-factual details & some implied meanings-comprehension on the phone is difficulty

-overall meaning or intent-identifies main ideas-can comprehend on the phone when topic is relevant & familiar

Listening Benchmark 7 Listening Benchmark 8

-understands most moderately complex formal & informal communication including abstract concepts related to general knowledge/life experiences

-understands moderately complex formal & informal comm. including abstract concepts related to general knowledge/life experiences or work related situations

-understands overall meaning or intent

-understands an expanding range of common idiomatic language

-understands overall meaning or intent even when not explicitly stated-understands an expanding range of common idiomatic language

-has difficulty following faster conversations

-has difficulty following faster colloquial or idiomatic conversations

Listening Benchmark 9 Listening Benchmark 12The listener can:-understand an adequate range of complex formal & informal comm. on a broad variety of topics & some specialized topics in own field

-understand an extensive range of complex abstract formal & informal comm. on most general & specialized topics

-understand words spoken clearly at a normal rate related to unfamiliar, abstract, conceptual or technical matters

-spoken clearly at a normal to fast rate related to unfamiliar, abstract, conceptual or technical matters

-grasp meaning to paraphrase or summarize

-identify, analyze & critically evaluate communication

Speaking Benchmark 4 Speaking Benchmark 6

-fluency is adequate for simple conversations; speech rate is slow to normal with some pauses or hesitations-vocabulary is adequate for basic every day routine communication

-reasonably fluent for some moderately demanding context; speech rate is slow to normal with few hesitations-a range of everyday vocabulary which may include some idioms

-has adequate control over basic grammar structures and tenses-some grammar difficulties may impede communication

-demonstrates a variety of grammatical structures with developing control of more complex structures

-speaker can communicate in a familiar situation, very briefly on the phone

- speaker can communicate with some confidence in routine social situations

Speaking Benchmark 7 Speaking Benchmark 8-reasonably fluent for moderately demanding contexts; speech rate is slow to normal with few hesitations

-fluent for moderately demanding contexts; speech is often at a normal rate

-has an expanded range of concrete & idiomatic language-increasing variety of grammatical structures with developing complex structures

-has an expanded range of concrete, abstract & idiomatic language-adequate variety of grammar with adequate control of complex structures

-communicates with some confidence in many daily routine social, educational & work situations, and present concrete & some expanded range of familiar topics

-communicates with confidence in most daily routine social, educational & work situations , and present concrete & some expanded range of familiar topics

Speaking Benchmark 9 Speaking Benchmark 12-speaks in coherent, connected discourse-fluent for some demanding contexts- adjusts speech style & register to different audiences & situations

-speaks in coherent, connected discourse-fluent for most demanding contexts-adapts language & adjusts speaking style & registers to suit audience

-good control over a variety of complex grammar structures-may include some figures of speech and cultural references

-excellent control over an expanded variety of complex grammar structure-can include some figures of speech and cultural references

-communicates with some confidence in demanding or challenging non-routine work, educational & social situation

-communicates with some confidence in demanding or challenging non-routine work, educational & social situation about complex, abstract, general & specialized topics

Questions?