The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are a common ‘currency’ that program providers, IEPs, and government employ when describing language proficiency. Benchmarking Applied Career Programs was a ten-month project which endeavoured to utilize a research instrument and methodology developed by Vancouver Community College in 2005, and enhanced by Bow Valley College to benchmark entrance requirements for the Education Assistant program and accompanying college-wide course requirements. The intention behind the Benchmarking Project was to better facilitate the bridging process for English language learners from ELL or preparatory programs into mainstream college applied programs through an analysis of the language demands required of learners for success in specific applied programs, confirming that current entry level requirements are in alignment. Documenting the benchmarking process as it is executed at Bow Valley College allowed a standardized process to be shared with key stakeholders in Alberta to better meet the needs of internationally educated language learners.
Bow Valley College was well positioned to undertake this project as it has devoted significant resources to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) through responsive programming, staff professional development, and staff who are trained to benchmark career programs which has widened our knowledge base. To date, we have benchmarked ten programs and have refined the benchmarking process adopted from Vancouver Community College resulting in a more comprehensive method.
