Do you feel like your child has been in the French Immersion program for quite some time, but you do not know if they are actually doing well in the program? Whether they go to a public or Catholic school in Ontario, here are some guidelines to help you better understand your child’s language learning experience:
1. Feedback from their French Teacher
Do not forget to regularly communicate with your child's French Teacher, the one who actually teaches listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the target language, to get feedback on their progress in the French language. Their teacher can provide insights into your child's performance, strengths, and areas for improvement which can be observed by way of classroom participation, quizzes, tests, assignments and other means of Assessment for, Assessment as and Assessment of Learning. They may also suggest additional resources or activities to support your child's learning.
In fact, here are some questions that you can ask your child’s French teacher:
What diagnostic assessments did you use to assess my child at the beginning of the school year or term? Did they arrive at your class at the right grade level?
Which language strand would you say my child excels in? Reading, writing, speaking, and/or listening?
How is my child meeting the specific expectations of the curriculum?
2. Report Cards
Evaluate your child's report cards while in the French Immersion program. Are they getting at least a C (60-69% or Level 2) in their French language subject when it comes to Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing? As a reminder, this particular subject will provide you with a better understanding as to whether they have a decent understanding of the target language.
Moreover, what are they getting in the other subjects that are being taken in French? Please note that each school board and even school determines which subjects are taught in French. With that being said, they can include the following: the Arts, Social Studies (Grades 1 to 6) or History and Geography (Grades 7 and 8), Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Health and Physical Education. In fact, when looking at your child’s Progress Report Card (distributed in November) or Provincial Report Card (distributed in February and June), subjects that are taught in French will have a check box beside the word French under or beside the respective subject. See below for some examples:
Sample Progress Report Card:
Taken from the Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools 2010 Edition document.
Sample Provincial Report Card:
Taken from the Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools 2010 Edition document.
3. Communication Skills
Even though you may not speak or understand the language, pay attention to your child's communication skills when speaking French with their peers, teachers, friends, and/or family. Are they able to understand and communicate effectively in French? Do they speak fluently and with ease? Are they able to express themselves clearly and accurately? What about their body language? Confidence in using the language is a positive sign of progress and says a lot about their language journey.
At the end of the day, every child is unique. This is why feedback from their French Teacher, their report cards, and their communication skills can be great indicators of whether they are excelling in the French Immersion program.
With that said, if you need a second opinion, book a Report Card Review with our expert French as a Second Language (FSL Consultant) to see if there are any academic patterns of concern.
Alternatively, book a Post-Enrollment Assessment with our FSL Consultant who will:
assess your child based on the grammatical concepts outlined in the Ontario FSL curriculum for their current grade,
do so by conducting an on-site listening, speaking, reading, and writing test,
give you the results for each test and provide a rubric that highlights the results,
discuss their results with you during a 30-minute post-discussion, and
recommend whether your child should remain in the French Immersion program and provide you with possible next steps.
Our assessment services are for the Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and York regions and are done in the comfort of your home.
If you reside outside of our service area and would like an assessment for your child, kindly email us at support@fairesens.ca.
Not ready to commit just yet? No problem! Consider reading Should I take my child out of the French Immersion program? for additional support.
Written by Shana Baptiste-Iseyemi
FSL Consultant and Former French Teacher
Mrs. Baptiste-Iseyemi has 10 years of experience supporting students from diverse learning and linguistic backgrounds. She has taught in both the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). She has also lived, studied, and worked in Grenoble, France.
She has a Honours Bachelor of Arts in French Studies with a minor in Anthropology from York University. She also has a Bachelor of Education with a focus on French as a Second Language and General Social Sciences from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto. Furthermore, she has additional qualifications in Guidance and Career Education and Co-operative Education from OISE. Lastly, she has a Career Strategist Certification with a focus on career development, career planning, and career management from the Career Professionals of Canada.