hscdsb           Supplied by the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board… Sault Ste. Marie:  The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (HSCDSB) is pleased to announce that participation in the Diplôme D’Études en Langue Française (DELF) Certification this April has more than tripled since last year.

To date, 33 Grade 12 students have signed up for the DELF.  The DELF is a four-part examination that tests students’ skills in oral comprehension and production and writing and reading competencies.  Students who earn a DELF level B2 will be exempted from the language test requirements for registration at Canadian universities and colleges.

The exam is made available in 173 countries and was written by 5,100 Canadian students in 2014. This will be the second year that the Board is participating in the DELF Ministry Project.

“It is fantastic to see the increased interest from our students, both in the French Immersion and Core French programs.  This shows us that we were correct in taking on this challenge to enhance the outcomes for our students studying the French language,” said HSCDSB Superintendent of Education, Maria Esposito.         The HSCDSB is one of the few school boards in Northern Ontario to offer the DELF Certification to graduating grade 12 FSL students.  The exam will take place during the second week of May.  Last year, two Certified Correcteurs administered the exams to ten students.  This year, an additional six FSL teachers have attained their CIEP (Centre International d’Études Pédagogiques) DELF certification.  This will allow the Board to accept more students to challenge the DELF.

“We are grateful that more FSL teachers have made the effort to gain their Certified Correcteurs status.  Now we can offer the DELF exam to more students, which will give more of our FSL graduates opportunities beyond secondary school that they may have missed out on.  It is a testament to the determination of everyone involved in our FSL programs to provide the best possible resources for student success.  It is also proof that FSL teachers are doing exceptional work in relaying the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) with their FSL students,” said HSCDSB French Second Language (FSL) Consultant, Ann Marie Santoro.

Last year, all ten participants from the HSCDSB were successful in the DELF Certification and received their certificates from France in the fall of 2014.