Improving English language teaching and learning in

Portugal: an integrated approachUCETAM BICULTURAL-BILINGUAL

CONGRESS

University of Alcalá, 17th April 2015

Helder Sousa

OverviewAn integrated approach: enhancing teaching and learning standards; social, economic and educational expected impacts

Project background: why a Key for Schools (KfS) test at the end of the 9th grade (2014)?

Project funding: 2014 and future perspectives

Main findings: Test results (2014) and other findings

Conclusion: impact and future perspectives

Cambridge English for Schools PORTUGAL

The project: an integrated approach − concept and main objectives

• Teaching and learning EFL improvement

• Placing Speaking in the centre of the learning process: replacing «perfection» for «communication»

• Students’ large scale certification with a strong international recognition (full cohort certification)

• Large scale training programmes for teachers

• English language proficiency certification as a tool for Portuguese global economic competitiveness

Why a KfS test at the end of the 9th grade?

A strong social, political and educational awareness of the importance of English learning in Portugal

The need for an internationally acknowledged language proficiency certification accessible to all students

The impact of portuguese students’ performance in Surveylang (2012) CEFR levels Below

A1A1 A2 B1 B2

Students (%) 20 33 16 16 15

The role of external assessment in the Portuguese educational system: major goals to achieve with a large scale external assessment in English1. To have a diagnosis of the full cohort of

students at the end of the 9th grade (final year of ISCED 2)

2. To develop a comprehensive teacher training programme

3. To have an internationally acknowledged foreign language proficiency certification accessible to all students in Portugal, regardless of their social or economic background or place of living

4. To create an opportunity to include Speaking in a large external assessment context in Portugal for the first time in more than 40 years

Project funding: an innovative approach. 2014 and future perspectives

The impact of the economic crisis (2012/2013) and the sponsorship approach

Parents’ commitment to enroll their children for the certificate

• The test is compulsory for 9th grade students, but certification is optional

• The test is optional for non 9th grade students, but certification is compulsory

Sponsors

financial

support

Support educational programmes

Scenario B

Certificates fees

Cambridge English fee≥

<Certificate

s feesCambridge English fee

Sponsors

financial

support

Scenario

A

The funding scheme 2014: the sponsors − 4 leading companies and 1 foundation

Future perspectives − from private to public funding

Main findings: Test results (2014) and other

findings

2014 KfS results: strengths and weaknessesThe test was delivered in 1,325 schools (both public and private

106,705 students took the test:

• 9th grade students − 92% (compulsory);

• 6th, 7th and 8th grade students −3% (optional)

• 10th to 12th grade students − 5% (optional)

3,954 speaking sessions

Results for 9th grade students by level of proficiency according to CEFR

2014 KfS results: strengths and weaknesses

To reduce the percentage of students below A1 and A1 (almost 50%) is the most

challenging task in the years to come

2014 KfS results: strengths and weaknesses

Results for 9th grade students by score class in English (bars) and normal score distribution of Portuguese and Maths exams (red line)

The percentage of students with more

than 80% (borderline to B1 level) gives us a positive perspective

of a possible increase of B1 students in a

near future and also sustain our option to

move to a Preliminary English Test (PET) for

Schools in 2015

Results by test component (skill)(9th grade students)

2014 KfS results: strengths and weaknesses

As expected, globally, speaking is the

weakest skill and listening is the strongest one,

considering good or exceptional

performances … … which might facilitate a rapid and

sustainable increase in speaking standards, and therefore also a general upgrade of

global scores

Students performance by region and Skill

TOTAL <A1 A1 A2 B1 <A1 A1 A2 B1 <A1 A1 A2 B1Alentejo Central 1383 26,2 19,9 27,5 24,7 24,1 17,0 27,9 30,9 20,7 29,4 29,9 20,0Alentejo Litoral 766 22,2 18,5 30,8 26,5 18,9 17,0 27,5 36,3 18,0 32,9 33,4 15,7Algarve 4185 19,2 18,2 32,9 29,0 16,8 17,3 28,8 37,1 14,9 30,8 33,1 21,2Alto Alentejo 1007 31,2 20,1 26,6 21,0 29,5 17,2 24,3 28,8 20,5 29,2 28,4 21,9Alto Trás-os-Montes 1769 32,1 17,2 24,3 24,6 30,5 17,2 20,6 31,6 24,6 32,0 27,5 15,8Ave 6004 31,2 20,5 27,2 19,2 30,2 17,6 24,8 27,2 23,4 37,8 26,8 12,0Baixo Alentejo 1111 31,3 16,6 26,6 23,5 26,5 20,4 21,9 31,2 15,9 37,8 30,9 15,4Baixo Mondego 3122 18,4 17,9 29,2 32,5 18,9 15,0 24,6 41,2 12,9 32,5 33,4 21,0Baixo Vouga 3896 24,4 19,1 29,2 25,7 22,6 18,1 24,3 34,7 16,6 34,0 30,9 18,5Beira Interior Norte 917 29,7 20,5 26,8 22,1 28,7 20,8 21,9 28,5 23,3 36,4 26,3 12,9Beira Interior Sul 492 22,4 17,3 31,5 27,0 22,0 13,6 29,3 34,8 16,7 32,3 33,9 17,1Cavado 5091 29,0 19,8 26,4 23,8 27,2 17,4 22,3 32,8 22,0 34,5 30,7 13,6Cova da Beira 735 23,0 19,2 30,3 25,6 23,5 15,8 24,9 35,6 15,6 36,3 32,2 15,6Dão Lafões 2759 25,1 19,8 27,8 26,1 24,8 16,6 24,2 34,4 17,1 33,7 31,4 17,6Douro 2006 36,5 19,2 23,0 19,6 35,0 16,3 22,0 26,6 27,4 35,9 24,7 11,9Entre Douro e Vouga 2914 26,2 21,4 29,6 21,6 24,9 19,1 24,4 31,3 20,5 37,9 26,2 15,3Grande Lisboa 19656 16,2 15,2 31,9 35,2 15,0 13,9 26,9 44,1 13,0 32,0 35,3 19,6Grande Porto 13675 19,2 17,1 30,7 31,6 16,9 15,0 25,6 42,3 14,9 33,2 34,5 17,2Lezíria do Tejo 2178 19,4 21,1 32,5 25,9 18,5 18,4 29,6 33,4 11,2 37,4 38,7 12,6Médio Tejo 2268 20,1 17,5 28,7 32,5 18,3 16,1 24,9 40,7 14,1 36,3 31,5 18,0Minho Lima 2374 29,3 20,0 26,1 23,6 27,5 18,9 22,3 31,3 20,7 33,2 30,3 15,6Oeste 3699 20,3 19,9 31,3 27,5 19,7 15,9 28,1 36,1 16,3 34,9 30,8 17,8Península de Setúbal 7332 19,2 16,7 32,4 30,2 17,6 15,3 29,2 37,9 15,7 31,9 33,7 18,8Pinhal Interior Norte 1057 31,2 22,3 26,8 18,4 31,9 19,8 23,2 25,2 21,9 38,0 28,0 12,1Pinhal Interior Sul 283 25,8 23,7 25,8 24,0 22,3 23,0 25,4 29,3 11,7 41,3 35,3 11,0Pinhal Litoral 2878 19,2 18,0 33,1 28,4 19,3 16,5 28,5 35,5 14,1 37,5 33,9 14,3R. A. Açores 2897 27,3 18,3 27,1 25,9 24,1 16,2 22,5 36,0 20,9 24,2 32,2 22,7R. A. Madeira 2779 21,8 17,1 31,7 28,3 19,6 17,0 25,4 36,9 16,6 36,2 28,5 18,6Serra da Estrela 1427 32,2 17,4 26,0 22,5 27,6 20,5 21,0 30,9 16,3 39,2 30,7 13,7Tâmega 8156 42,0 20,7 22,1 14,0 38,6 19,6 20,9 20,7 25,0 39,1 24,6 11,2Nacional 106594 23,7 18,2 29,3 27,4 22,1 16,4 25,4 35,9 17,4 34,0 31,6 16,9

Reading & Writing Listening Speaking

2014 KfS results: strengths and weaknesses

2014 KfS results: strengths and weaknesses

Results according to certificate enrollment − 9th grade students (19,5% of total 9th grade students enrolled for the certificate) compared to 14-15 years olds of the rest of the world

Not enrolled for certificate

Enrolled for certificate

Rest of the world 14-15

yrs old

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Below-A1

A1

A2

B1

Heads, teachers, students and parents’ perspectives and attitudes towards English teaching, learning and certification (some data from the impact study report)

Strongly agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

HeadsTeachers

Should schools prepare students to enter the labour market with the required level of English skills? (%)

2014 Impact Study: main findings

Perceived use of class time by teachers and students

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

Grammar

Vocabulary

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Teachers

Students

Teachers’ responses to: 'Most students want to have an English certificate at B1 or higher.'

Strongly agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Aspirational level reported by pupils and parents

Parents

Pupils

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

Strongest skill and skill most in need of improvement

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

skill to improve (Teachers)strongest skill (Teachers)skill to improve (Pupils)strongest skill (Pupils)

Receptive and productive skills, a large gap regarding

self confidence, performance and need of

improvement

1. Feasibility of a large scale external speaking assessment

2. Putting English learning on the top of the educational agenda

3. Increasing teaching opportunities and quality training programmes

4. Improving results regarding Surveylang … but still having Speaking as the weakest skill when it comes to students’ performance

5. Evidence of a breakthrough over a negative attitude on speaking teaching and learning in classroom context

6. Evidence of an increasing commitment to improve teaching: the positive impact of external assessment

Conclusion: impact anf future perspectives

7. Future steps

• Moving forward from KfS to PET at the 9th grade (2015)

• FCE at the end of upper secondary (ISCED 3) (11th or 12th grade) in a near future (2017 or 2018?)

8. Curricular changes: English became a compulsory subject since 3rd grade (2016) – 7 years of compulsory schooling in English, from primary to the end of lower secondary (ISCED 2)

Conclusion: impact anf future perspectives

Thank you!

helder.sousa@iave.pt