Scale of Proficiency Levels

The scale used for the TPLS was developed on the basis of a comparison with three recognized scales in Québec: the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes, and the two scales produced at the request of the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport: the Quebec College ESL Benchmarks (provisional version), and the Échelle des niveaux de compétence en français langue seconde pour le collégial (provisional version).

These reference scales include 12 levels. For the proficiency test project, only the first 10 levels were taken into account, in order to comply with the reality of most CEGEP students. Also, only skills related to comprehension (oral and written) were included. The results of the comprehension test serve to guide decisions regarding the placement of candidates in the various courses offered. In the development of the linguistic scale, the design team first selected indicators whose content was common to that of at least two scales and that demonstrated potential for operationalization in an adaptive test. The team subsequently chose other indicators that were consistent with and complementary to the ones initially selected. It later added descriptions to the scale from the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB).

Importance of a Scale of Proficiency Levels

The interpretation of a proficiency level result based on a scale offers a number of advantages:

  • The information obtained is standardized and can thus be compared with that derived from other tests and scales developed according to the same principles;
  • The proficiency levels in the scale provide clear, practical information that can be used to analyze programs and develop their content with a view to standardizing second language services at the college level;
  • These proficiency levels offer clear, practical information that can be used to formulate the learning objectives to be achieved: students can take the test at the beginning and end of their studies to measure their progression;
  • Proficiency test results can be used by students in certain programs to evaluate their proficiency in preparation for language exams administered by the Office québécois de la langue française.