NATO BILC 5-10 May 2013

LTCOL Fiona Curtis

DITC Mission

To contribute to Australian Defence’s international engagement objectives by providing training and support through

the Defence Cooperation Program.

Role of DITC To enhance the training provided in

Australia to South East Asian and South Pacific defence forces and other selected overseas defence personnel.

Functions• To provide Australian cultural and military familiarisation courses

to, and pre-training administrative preparation of, personnel from overseas countries.

• To identify and promulgate the level of Australian English required for students to be accepted for training on courses provided by the Australian Defence Organisation.

• To provide appropriate Australian English language courses for foreign teachers of English.

• To provide technical support to overseas military English language schools in accordance with direction from HQ and the approved DITC activities schedule.

DITC Students

Approximately 900 students per year from more than 40 nations across South West Pacific, Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Staff composition: 9 X ADF, 7 foreign seconded officers and 26 civilians (teachers and support staff).

PERFORMANCE TESTINGusing the

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PROFILING SYSTEM (ADFELPS)

ADFELPS is used:• to match prospective students with appropriate

courses to maximise the benefits they will gain from any training they undertake in Australia;

• to determine English language profiles (entry requirements) on all (approx 300) courses which Defence Cooperation Program (DCP) students are eligible to attend in Australia; and

• to determine English language proficiency levels in Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing of individual students who are nominated to attend training on DCP courses.

Test Types

Proficiency Test Achievement Test Diagnostic Test

Placement Test Mastery TestEntrance Test

Language needed for future use

Language taught at

different levels of future courses

Language defined as criteria for

acceptance

Specific and defined

knowledge, usually by objectives

Language learned in a

given course

Specific language elements

Performance Testingat DITC using ADFELPS

Multi-purpose proficiency test instrument for:• selection of candidates for entry to ADF training

courses • measuring English language proficiency

(Speaking, Listening ,Reading ,Writing ) – General English in a military context second

language proficiency – Entry or Placement on appropriate English

improvement courses – Achievement (exit levels) on language improvement

courses

ADFELPS Test Instruments

• Speaking (interview kit)– 3rd edition

• Listening Test – 25 equated tests versions

• Reading Test – 25 equated test versions

• Writing test – 38 versions

• ADFELPS Screening Test – discriminates up to level 5 – 5 versions

The Tests

• Developed and validated at DITC

• Copyright test materials owned by DITC

• Other countries use it:– for recruitment of personnel– as an incentive in pay/promotion – to screen potential lELTS test candidates

ADFELPS AND ITS ESTIMATED EQUIVALENT

ADFELPS

ECLPEARSON

TETOEFL STANAG IELTS ICAO

990 - 100

86 - 90 102 -1204 - 5

8 - 9 6

8 79 - 85 94 - 101 7 5

7 80 - 89 65 - 78 75 - 93 3 6.5 4

6 70 - 79 50 - 64 46 - 78 2 - 2+ 5.5 - 6 3

5 46 - 69 36 - 49 35 - 45 1 - 1+ 5 2

4

≤ 45

24 - 35

≤ 34 0 ≤ 4 13

≤ 232

1

ADFELPS – Australian Defence Force English Language Profiling SystemECL – English Comprehension LevelPEARSON TE – Pearson Test of EnglishTOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign LanguageSTANAG – NATO Standardization AgreementIELTS – International English Language Testing SystemICAO – International Civil Aviation Organisation

ADFELPS Rater Training• ADFELPS Rater Training Course (ARTC)

– English language proficiency rater accreditation course (two weeks)

– Scheduled once a year – max 24 per course– Currently 19 accredited DITC raters and 78 accredited DCP

raters

Information Booklet

English Language Proficiency Summary of Level Descriptors

(on a scale of 1 to 9)

(Click here to open file)

ADFELPS Level 7 Descriptors

(Click here to open file)

ADFELPS Level 7 Speaking Interview Sample

(Click here to open file)

ADFELPS LEVEL 7 Writing Sample

(Click here to open file)

Validation of Listening and Reading Versions

• Use statistical packages (Winsteps, Rasch analysis & Facets)

• Access to statistically significant number of candidates for trialling sometimes problematic

Maintaining Valid Ratings for Speaking and Writing

• ADFELPS Rater Training Course– Comparing in-country & DITC scores (by

test versions and raters)

• Yearly re-accreditation mandated for all trained, practicing raters

• Double ratings – selective pairing of raters according to

facets output

ADFELPS Profiles

ADFELPS Profiles

• Database of all DCP courses • Maintained at DITC and updated annually• Distributed to all Australian Embassy Defence

Sections on CD Rom (pdf format)• Individual course profiles describe entry

English proficiency levels required ‘for successful course completion’

• Determined by questionnaire or visit to training centres and validated by post-course survey on student performance

Course Profile

(Click here to open file)

Summary

• Valid and reliable English proficiency test system owned by ADF

• Strong reputation with consumers

• Cost effective (low staff overheads)

• Multi-purpose

• Meets aspects of regional engagement objectives

Questions?

Find Us…

• DITC Homepage

• DITC Virtual On-line language learning

• www.facebook.com/DefenceInternationalTrainingCentre

CO DITC• LTCOL Fiona Curtis • RAAF Williams, Laverton, Victoria 3027,

AUSTRALIA• Tel: +61 3 9256 2818• Email: fiona.curtis@defence.gov.au