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NEWS RELEASE

HURON-SUPERIOR CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

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French as a Second Language (FSL) students from Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (HSCDSB) scored very well in the recent French Proficiency exams. 

The Board is pleased to announce that all ten students successfully completed the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF).

“We are ecstatic with the effort our students put into this prestigious test and the success that they achieved. The results are a testament to the commitment our Board, from the administration to the classroom teachers, has made to enhance FSL learning,” said HSCDSB Superintendent of Education, Maria Esposito.

One of only fourteen Boards across the province to take part in the testing, the HSCDSB was allotted ten participants by the Ministry of Education. 

The Grade 12 students, five enrolled in Core French and five in French Immersion, completed the testing over a two week period in late April and early May. 

The students from St. Basil Secondary and St. Mary’s College participated in the top three levels of the four offered in the DELF exam. 

Students were randomly selected for the exam, and in consultation with their FSL teachers and their parents, they determined which exam level they would take.

“FSL teachers have embraced the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages and have been using it as a tool to inform their planning for the past three years. The success of our students with the DELF is evidence that the CEFR is making students more proficient in French. Our FSL teachers are very adept at getting their students to learn how to speak, write, read and comprehend in French. I am very proud of our students and their teachers,” said FSL Consultant, Ann Marie Santoro.                                                

The DELF exam is offered jointly through the Ontario Ministry of Education and the French Ministry of National Education to assess language skills of people whose first language is not French. 

Thanks to their success, these ten HSCDSB students will receive a DELF diploma from France indicating their level of French proficiency. 

The document can enrich a school or professional portfolio, is recognized by francophone post-secondary institutions in Canada, and allows for acceptance into a university in France.

“This language exam is a fantastic example of how the Board is committed to develop the full potential of each student. We have made a determined commitment to enhance our FSL programs and the results of the DELF exam are proof we are on the right track,” said HSCDSB Director of Education, John Stadnyk.   

The Board plans to continue to offer this testing for its FSL students and may be able to offer the exam to more students if it can expand the number of certified DELF ‘Correcteurs’ required to administer and mark the exams.

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