Comparing English language competence evaluation in higher education – the CEFRL system and the Israeli system: a case study
Comparing English language competence evaluation in higher education – the CEFRL system and the Israeli system: a case study

Summary/Abstract: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) has been an indispensable resource for language teachers, learners and, generally speaking, language users ever since it was acknowledged in European educational systems. Describing language competence and language use in a coherent and explicit manner, the CEFRL has been readily adopted and has become a ‘language’ on its own used by foreign language teachers when teaching, assessing and evaluating competence or designing curriculum in European education across the board and, moreover, beyond European boundaries. Non-EU educational institutions have showed interest in adopting the CEFRL for various levels and contexts in language teaching. The present paper is a reflective study on an activity carried out in a TEMPUS project, ECOSTAR, where Israeli higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to design their own EFL framework based on the CEFRL. The current Israeli system evaluates English language competence of students entering higher education on a nationally adopted evaluation scale on reading skills only. In order to design a curriculum based on integrated skills, Israeli HEIs set out to understand how their evaluation tests and scale compares with CEFRL based evaluation. A number of European HEIs, which are partners in the ECOSTAR project, administered the Israeli tests to their students and graded the results using the CEFRL levels. The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and its Department of Modern Languages and Communication took part in the activity. English language teachers tested Romanian engineering students by Israeli tests and evaluated the English language reading competence using the CEFRL scale. The procedure, design of reading test, results and comparison with the Israeli system became an opportunity for reflection on language teaching and learning practice in the Romanian HEIs, especially where English for Specific Purposes is taught. This article describes the activities undertaken and the decision process of English language teachers in the Technical University who evaluated the students’ performance on the reading tests.

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