Summary
English-speaking, French-speaking, and bilingual teachers and teacher candidates are being recruited to participate in pilot testing of an online pan-Canadian language assessment tool.
Information about the test
The four-hour test assesses language competency in four language modalities: writing, reading, listening, and speaking.1 A short break, of up to 15 minutes, may be taken between assessment modules.
The test will be administered in an at-home setting using an online test platform, and will be live proctored. The pilot test will run from September to October 2021. Once you submit your online registration form (link below), you will receive information on how to select a date and time to complete the test and how to download the test and proctoring applications.
What is the incentive?
Test takers will receive a $150 incentive on behalf of the registrar’s office in your Ministry of Education, College, or Board distributed via an Interac e-transfer and a letter of appreciation 4- 8 weeks after completion and review of the test. Bilingual (French-English) test takers can take the test in both languages and will be eligible to receive the incentive twice.
Who can participate?
The following English-speaking, French-speaking, and bilingual test takers are being recruited: • internationally educated teachers, including those who are applying for certification or who do not have a teaching certificate in Canada (for example, teachers who are currently completing additional studies or working in another profession);
- teacher candidates in the final stages of a teacher education program in Canada; • recent graduates (less than 5 years) of a teacher education program in Canada.
Your participation will support teacher mobility and help ensure more consistent language competency standards across provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec, which will continue to use its own language test.
How to Participate?
To participate, please complete the registration form at
bit.ly/RTCCtestRAPEC
More Information:
YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE PILOT TEST WILL NOT HAVE ANY CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR CERTIFICATION AS A TEACHER, AND YOUR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH YOU OR WITH REGISTRARS.
More information about the project
The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), under the leadership of Registrars for Teacher Certification Canada (RTCC), is piloting a language competency test for the teaching profession (in K-12 education systems).
The language-competency test specific to the teaching profession in Canada is designed to assess the language competency of those whose training has been completed outside Canada in a language other than English or French. Once the test has been validated and the standards established, the test will be used to assess the mastery of academic language and grammar, as well as to measure language competencies that research indicates are essential for effective teaching. The test is intended to ensure that candidates possess the language competencies required for teaching in English-first-language and French-first-language majority and minority contexts, and would be implemented in all the provinces and territories participating in the project. The test is not subject or grade-level specific.
The pilot test aims to establish the validity of the test by evaluating a range of candidates, including internationally educated teachers and French- and English-speaking teachers in their first years of teaching. Once validated, the test will be used to assess the language skills of internationally educated teachers trained in a language other than English or French.
The purpose of the pilot testing is to determine the validity and reliability of the test. At this stage in the test development process, it is not possible to offer accommodations to test takers with special testing needs. Once the pilot-testing phase is complete, the question of how to make appropriate accommodations will be addressed.
This project is funded by the Government of Canada, through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, and by in-kind contributions from the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and the registrars in the provinces and territories.
Information about Proctortrack by Verificient
The language competency test delivered through XpressLab will use the Proctortrack by Verificient proctoring platform, a desktop application and a browser extension available to test takers when they log in to the XpressLab platform.
- Proctortrack by Verificient is used by universities, colleges, and K-12 institutions in Canada and worldwide.
- All recordings made by Proctortrack by Verificient undergo full encryption.
- The encrypted data will be stored within Canada and will be destroyed 60 days after the pilot testing has been completed.
- During the test, in addition to monitoring by a live proctor, software monitors screen activity, keyboard activity, and sounds in the room via the computer microphone.
- The live proctors will monitor the test taker via a webcam during the full length of the exam and will do a screen of the room at the beginning of the exam.
- Once the test has been completed, test takers can uninstall and permanently remove the Proctortrack by Verificient extension in the Chrome browser settings and the application.