ELT Consultant: Standardising assessment at universities

Project description – About the project

In 2015 the British Council started working with all eight English departments in Macedonia that produce their teaching cadre. Currently, there are no standardised assessment criteria used by the universities, and therefore there is a discrepancy in the language level of future teachers that graduate from different institutions. The exit language level of graduates is projected to be C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). However, currently no entry exams exist in order to test the language level of university students who are enrolled based on the Grade Point Average (GPA) of their secondary education and the results achieved during the Matura exam (equivalent to English A Levels). 

In 2007 English was introduced as a compulsory subject from grade 1 of 9 in the primary education system, and in three years’ time the exit level of secondary school students is expected to be B2 according to CEFR. 

The British Council aims to begin and facilitate the process of universities developing common standards and assessment regulations and mechanisms by engaging a consultant who will share best practices and facilitate the creation of an instrument/guide that can be used as a practical assessment tool. 

Role description – about the role

We are seeking an experienced consultant who will design and deliver a training programme for 40 methodology and language teachers at the British Council in order to: 

1. introduce the complete CEFR and demonstrate how it can help in upholding education standards (e.g. assessment and course design)
2. elicit an overview of assessment approaches/instruments across universities (participants' presentations followed by comments from audience/trainer and a summary)
3. provide an overview of other approaches to assessing the four skills and accompanying assessment instruments (including specific existing assessment frameworks, e.g. aspects of CEFR and/or standardised exams, e.g. IELTS, FCE, CAE, CPE)
4. provide hands on experience of how assessors might work towards a graduate level of C1 in all four skills
5. get participants to use input and develop an instrument/guide/assessment framework for Macedonian context, adaptable across universities (project work and sharing).

Qualifications and experience required

Essential:

• MA in English Language Teaching (ELT) or education awarded by a UK higher education institution
• at least five years of experience in testing and assessment
• a minimum of five years of relevant experience in delivering testing and assessment training
• good communication and interpersonal skills.

Note that relevant experience should be from 2010 onwards.

Desirable:

• experience in the higher education sector
• experience in conducting and writing proficiency exams (e.g. IELTS, Cambridge Assessment)
• understanding of education systems in the Western Balkans.

If you are interested, please send:

• your CV tailored to the above requirements
• references from two referees who can give an account of your previous work in the relevant field
• a statement of fees in GBP and information about availability to travel to Macedonia in November 2016.

to svetlana.neftenova@britishcouncil.org.mk  with the title ‘MKD Assessment training’. 

Please note, we can only respond to successful applicants and only within 10 working days of the application deadline.