Over-the-phone French test doesn't evaluate teachers fairly, union president says

A mandatory test that determines whether a teacher can teach French in New Brunswick isn't a fair evaluation, the president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association says.

George Daley says teachers have contacted him directly over concerns about questions on the province's "oral language proficiency evaluation," a test taken over the phone. 

Some have complained the topics are outside the context of the jobs they're seeking, he said. One teacher, for example, was asked about politics in the Middle East.

"They don't have a background in a particular topic, so they wouldn't be comfortable talking about the topic whether it was in English or French," Daley said.

He questions whether this is the most appropriate way to test potential French immersion teachers.

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"There would be language that we are comfortable using on a daily basis with regards to particular topics, which we would just have more knowledge of the language and control of the language," he said.

"If you go outside of your control area, certainly it's going to be more difficult for you."

Teachers for French immersion are in short supply in New Brunswick and across Canada.

Records from New Brunswick's Education Department show 41 per cent of grades 1 and 2 immersion teachers don't have the necessary proficiency.

Teachers need to be tested

There are nine levels on the New Brunswick second-language proficiency scale.

To teach French immersion, teachers must score "superior," the highest level.

Teachers who want to teach intensive or post-intensive French, which is only for students who are not in immersion, need to score "advanced plus" on the scale, a step below superior.   

But Daley said it's a challenge for teachers to even reach that level because of the questions that are asked.

Some teachers who take additional courses to improve their French say they receive lower ratings on the oral test than they do in other programs.

"They don't feel like the rating they got on the oral testing matches what they got from the actual summer program or the teacher that was in front of them at the time," he said.  

How the test works

The over-the-phone test isn't just for teachers.

"It is intended to test a person's overall ability to communicate in English or in French in a professional and social setting," said Jason Hoyt, a spokesperson for Service New Brunswick.

Hoyt said a variety of topics are discussed during the test, which lasts an average of 40 minutes.

Evaluators hired and trained by Service New Brunswick, can ask questions related to:

• A person's job
• What they did prior to that job
• An opinion on a specific issue, current events or other events.
• A detailed explanation of how they work or perform other tasks.

Three of the evaluators are from New Brunswick, one is from Ontario. 

"The evaluation focuses on what functions/tasks an individual is able to perform in English or in French, how accurately they are able to convey a message, and their ability to express themselves fluently in the given content area," Hoyt said in an emailed statement.