EAQUALS-ALTE PORTFOLIO PROJECT

The European Language Portfolio: support and development for language learners

Linked to the Common European Framework
The Portfolio project is very closely linked to the Common European Framework and both have grown out of the work on the Council of Europe Modern Languages project during the 1990s. The Portfolio model uses the six level system from the Common European Framework (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) and in particular the Passport section includes the overall grid of descriptors by level and skill from the Common European Framework. This is a very important point and a strength of the Portfolio, as the Common European Framework is increasingly becoming the standard to which courses, materials and tests are linked all over Europe in school, vocational and higher education. For this reason the Portfolio can fit into education systems or more independent learning and provide added value for its owner by referring to a recognised pan-European system.

Underlying aims of the Portfolio
The Portfolio project is designed to support European integration and the mobility of European citizens by providing users with a tool which not only allows them to record formal learning (classes and examinations taken in school) but also provides a means of recording other ways in which languages may be learnt or developed. In this way intercultural experiences and less formal ways of language development are given value, providing an overall picture of an individual's abilities. The Portfolio, (and in particular the Passport element), therefore supports the mobility of European citizens by providing a full record of an individual's skills, within a transparent model which is easily recognisable from country to country in Europe, especially for those applying to work or study in another country.

A strong element of the Portfolio project is the provision of support for lifelong learning. Holders of European Language Portfolios are encouraged to return to them at regular intervals in order to update the record of their skills. Some may start in school with a Portfolio specifically aimed at primary or secondary school students, and then move on to versions suitable for adult learners, others may start off with a version suitable for adult learners.

Although language users are likely to receive their Portfolios in more formal learning situations such as in school or on a language course, one of the aims is to encourage them in independent learning. The Portfolio is always the property of its owner, who should use it to help record his or her progress and identify new learning goals.

The Portfolio motivates European citizens to develop partial competence in several languages, as any level of ability may be recorded. Citizens are thus supported in becoming more plurilingual and pluricultural. One of the aims of the Council of Europe is to encourage people to achieve partial competence in several languages, rather than mastery of just one, in order to promote appreciation of cultural diversity and to support greater understanding of others.

Structure of the European Language Portfolio

In 2000 the Council of Europe set up a Validation Committee to deal with applications for official recognition of Portfolio versions. Among the conditions for this is the requirement that officially recognised versions must include three specific parts within the whole Portfolio. These three parts are:

Passport: this has a reporting function and is likely to be the part most used for external purposes
Language Biography: used to record language learning experiences
Dossier: contains samples of materials supporting the other two parts

The EAQUALS-ALTE Portfolio

The first published edition of the EAQUALS-ALTE Portfolio was originally published in four languages: English, French, German and Italian. A version in Basque, Spanish, French and English was published recently (2004) and an English, French, German and Romanian version is also available; other languages are in preparation. It is useful to look at the sections of the Portfolio in some detail in order to highlight some of the aims and principles behind it.

Passport
As this is the part of the Portfolio which is most likely to be used for external purposes (such as when applying for a job or for study abroad), as far as possible it is designed to be completed without using words. Most pages involve either ticking or shading in boxes and the format is A5 so that a double page can easily be photocopied onto A4 sheets.

The first two pages give an introduction to the Council of Europe, the Portfolio project and space to record the owner's name. It is also possible, though not obligatory, to include a photo of the owner.

This is followed by a section entitled 'Profile of Language Skills', in which the user identifies his or her mother tongues(s) and other languages spoken. There is space here to record ability in up to 6 languages, including the mother tongue(s), which are given equal weight within the Portfolio. In order to complete this section the holder of the Passport makes use of the main self-assessment grid from the Common European Framework (table 2 from Chapter 3 in Common European Framework of Reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment), which appears in the centre of the Passport booklet. This grid gives overall statements of ability for the six levels of the Common European Framework (A1 to C2) in five skill areas: Listening, Reading, Spoken Interaction, Spoken Production and Writing. The idea here is for the user to identify his or her overall level for each skill and language, shading in the appropriate boxes on the 'Profile of Language Skills' tables. This part of the Passport in not designed for frequent use; the user would probably come back to this table once every month or so, depending on how intensively and continuously a language is being learnt and/or used. As will be seen, there is scope to analyse level in greater detail and more frequently in the Language Biography.

The next main section of the Passport covers 'Language learning and intercultural experiences', firstly on a table looking at use of languages(s) in a country or region where the language is not spoken, and then use in a region where it is. Again the aim with these two tables is for completion to be by means of ticking or shading boxes and these pages are designed to give an overall summary, which is expanded on in the Language Biography. The pages covering use of the language in a country or region where the language is not spoken provide for time periods in years (up to 1/3/5 years and over 5 years) and include sections such as school, vocational and adult education, use in the workplace and regular contact with other speakers of the language. These pages could for example be completed by someone living in Germany and using French regularly for their job. There is also a small space at the bottom for very brief further comment, which could be used if it is felt that none of the other contexts are suitable.

The pages covering stays in a region where the language is spoken are in a similar format, but the time boxes provide for periods in months rather than years, since many such stays would be of a shorter duration. Examples of the types of stays are: attending a language course and using the language for study or training, and again there is a small space for inclusion of particular details.

The Passport then provides space for the recording of Certificates and Diplomas obtained and identifying the marks or grades received with the levels in the Common European Framework. This section might include both school and other examinations.

Up to this point the pages mentioned are standard Council of Europe pages which should be included in every Portfolio which has been officially validated. The pages and other sections which follow were developed specifically for the EAQUALS-ALTE edition.

The ALTE Framework of Language Examinations appears on the next pages. At present this includes examinations produced in 16 of the languages represented in ALTE, with 8 further languages soon to be added. The examinations have been placed on 6 levels, so that it is possible to see which level an examination is at compared with many others produced for other languages. Through the work on the ALTE Can Do project, the linking between the examinations on the ALTE Framework and the Common European Framework has been demonstrated empirically and the examinations appear under the headings of the CEF. Using the next pages to appear in the Passport, users can record any courses they have taken at EAQUALS member schools and examinations they have taken which appear on the ALTE Framework.

The final pages of the Passport give guidelines for completing the document, together with brief information about ALTE and EAQUALS, together with the associations' web site addresses.