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This pan-Canadian study analyzes survey, interview, and website data to examine assessment practices and workflows used when recruiting FSL teachers. Results indicate nearly 90% of districts conduct such assessments, frequently by asking one to three questions in French during employment interviews, with judgments guided more by overall impressions than by proficiency frameworks or rubrics.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/school-districts-assessment-of-the-french-language-proficiency-of-prospective-fsl-teachers/597002/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/school-districts-assessment-of-the-french-language-proficiency-of-prospective-fsl-teachers/597002.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Danger Angel","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How do most Canadian districts assess French proficiency when hiring FSL teachers?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Nearly 90% assess French-language proficiency, most commonly by asking one to three questions in French during the employment interview and having candidates respond in French.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Do evaluators typically use a language proficiency framework or rubric?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"No. Decisions are rarely guided by a language proficiency framework or rubric; evaluators usually rely on overall impressions of the candidate’s proficiency.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why is French-language proficiency assessment considered high stakes for both applicants and districts?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Low target language proficiency is associated with low teaching effectiveness, and some FSL teachers with lower proficiency tend to leave the role. Applicants need confidence they meet expectations, while districts need assurance teachers can be effective in classrooms.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},597002,1792165594,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090769052,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","School Districts’ Assessment of the French Language Proficiency of Prospective FSL Teachers  \nStefan Merchant¹, David Jack, & Laura Hermans-Nymark2 1Queen’s University, 2 Niagara University  \nAbstract  \nIt is a widespread practice among Canadian school districts to assess the French language proficiency of candidates applying for French as a Second Language (FSL) teaching positions. This pan-Canadian study used surveys, interviews, and website data to examine the French language proficiency assessment practices and processes used by Canadian schools when hiring FSL teachers. The findings show that almost 90% of Canadian school districts assess French language proficiency when hiring FSL teachers and that the most common form of assessment is to ask one to three questions in French (with candidates responding in French) during the employment interview. Evaluation of the candidates’ responses is rarely informed by a language proficiency framework or rubric; instead, evaluators’ decisions are informed by their overall impressions ofthe candidate’s language proficiency. Other promising assessment practices are described, along with suggestions about how districts may improve their French language proficiency assessments when hiring FSL teachers.  \nKeywords: language assessment, French proficiency, hiring, French teachers  \nIntroduction  \nFor years, school districts across Canada have identified a persistent shortage of French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers (Alphonso, 2019; Jack & Nyman, 2019; Karsenti et al., 2008; Masson et al., 2019). Most Canadian jurisdictions have mandatory French language instruction for some portion of K-12 schooling (e.g., Ontario, New Brunswick), and in all provinces, French immersion is an increasingly popular program (Dicks & Genesee, 2017). Between 2015 and 2019, the growth rate of Canadian students enrolled in French immersion grew by almost 2%(approximately 70,000 students), with annual growth rates topping 5% in some large urban centres (Jack & Nyman, 2019).  \nAlongside concerns about the shortage of FSL teachers come concerns about the French-language proficiency of the applicant pool of FSL teachers (Canadian Parents for French, 2018; Faez, 2011; Veilleux & Bournot-Trites, 2005). French-language proficiency would likely not be a concern if most FSL teachers were French first-language speakers, but the majority of FSL teachers in Canada have learned French as a second language (Bayliss & Vignola, 2007; Wernicke, 2020). This may be one reason many school districts feel compelled to conduct French-language proficiency assessments as part of their hiring procedures. Data from Ontario school districts show that up to 1 in 4 FSL teacher applicants do not meet the French-language proficiency expectations of the district they are applying to (Jack & Nyman, 2019). The low French-language proficiency of some FSL teacher applicants further amplifies the difficulty many districts have in filling FSL teacher positions. Additionally, emerging research suggests a link between language hesitancy and teacher confidence (Cooke & Faez, 2018; Swanson, 2012; Viswanathan, 2019), leading some early career FSL teachers to seek non-FSL teaching positions (Wernicke,  \n2020). These combined findings point to challenges with FSL teacher supply and retention.  \nEffective FSL teaching requires many skills, but target language proficiency has long been discussed as fundamental for effective second language (L2) teaching (Canale & Swain, 1980; Faez & Karas, 2017; Richards et al., 2013). The association between low target language proficiency and low teaching effectiveness, combined with the evidence that FSL teachers with low French-language proficiency tend to leave FSL teaching, means that the French-language proficiency assessments conducted when hiring FSL teachers can be high stakes both for the applicant and for the district. The applicant wants a job, and the district wants to know if the teacher they are considering","cbCaidlffyWMV4JJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidlffyWMV4JJ","pdf",463895,13,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# What is Language Proficiency?","[{\"question\":\"How do most Canadian districts assess French proficiency when hiring FSL teachers?\",\"answer\":\"Nearly 90% assess French-language proficiency, most commonly by asking one to three questions in French during the employment interview and having candidates respond in French.\"},{\"question\":\"Do evaluators typically use a language proficiency framework or rubric?\",\"answer\":\"No. Decisions are rarely guided by a language proficiency framework or rubric; evaluators usually rely on overall impressions of the candidate’s proficiency.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is French-language proficiency assessment considered high stakes for both applicants and districts?\",\"answer\":\"Low target language proficiency is associated with low teaching effectiveness, and some FSL teachers with lower proficiency tend to leave the role. Applicants need confidence they meet expectations, while districts need assurance teachers can be effective in classrooms.\"}]","School Districts’ Assessment of the French Language Proficiency of Prospective FSL Teachers | PDF",1792084181,33]