CPFNB Review of Policy 309

We at Canadian Parents for French, New Brunswick Branch, commend our former elected government for the implementation of Policy 309 in April 1994. This Policy establishes guidelines for the provision of French Second Language programs in New Brunswick schools. The Policy’s mission statement is “that all New Brunswick students will have the opportunity to acquire proficiency in French”.

French immersion began in New Brunswick in l972. As the program developed, a great many variations existed. Although, there was a provincial policy in place for second language education, it also included a provision for local programs - and we had them! Everything from early immersion, middle immersion, late immersion, partial immersion and delayed immersion. In fact, we had about 18 variations of immersion. This created havoc for parents with children enrolled in immersion programs, who found themselves having to relocate within the province, due to employment requirements.

In 1993, the Minister of Education, commissioned a review of second language education in New Brunswick. In the report that resulted, French Second Language Learning in New Brunswick Schools: Paradigms, Challenges and Strategies, by Sallv Rehorick, principal investigator, the following recommendations were made:

(1) That there be provincial guidelines which define minimum requirements with regard to French second language programs which all school districts must meet.
(2) That there be two entry points for French immersion programs: an early entry at either kindergarten or grade one and an intermediate entry at grade six.

There are several reasons why these two entry points make sense in light of the expectations and the situation outlined in the study. Two entry points would:
(1) Streamline the development of curriculum and materials so the resources are used most effectively.
(2) Give a choice of programs to school districts, parents and students.
(3) Allow for the implementation of the middle school concept to coincide with the intermediate entry point at grade six.
(4) Ensure uniformity across school districts.
(5) Allow for mobility from one school district to another.

There has been resistance to this Policy in some school districts. After six years of the Policy being in place, there are still some school districts who are fighting its implementation. Of course, there is always resistance to change, but the Policy is necessary and it is important that the Department of Education continue to remind the school districts who would obstruct this Policy that we must have standards and uniformity in our education system.

Canadian Parents for French represents the parents in this province who want good quality French second language education for their children. Our organization has been in existence for 25 years and we have been very careful to be accurately informed on the subject of French second language education. After 25 years, our organization has a sizable collection of research and resources. As the provincial parent body responsible for giving directives on this method of education, we invite you to take advantage of ready access to our resources. Our provincial office is located in Sussex, New Brunswick, and we welcome your calls and inquiries.

Our principal concerns in this current review of Policy 309 being researched by PricewaterhouseCoopers are explained in the following four discussion points. Briefly, (1) we want French immersion to continue in New Brunswick, (2) we want early French immersion to continue in New Brunswick, (3) we want children enrolled in French immersion to have access to remedial help in French, (4) we want to know why the French immersion programs are being used as a scapegoat for the problems in the English program; we want the English program to be given goals and guidelines and to be evaluated to find out why the students are not doing well on provincial tests in English, Math and Science.

We often hear that jobs are the main reason anglophones need French immersion education. In reality, this is only one of many valid reasons why our youth are better served by quality second language education.

Second language training is a component of quality education. This is not something new. Throughout history the knowledge of languages has been key to quality education. Providing sound training in more than one language is all about providing quality education.

This is an area of education where New Brunswick is a world leader. The nations of the world are coming to us to learn how to teach languages to their children. How tragic, if after setting the standard in this field, our children were to lose out because of our failure to carry through with this quality learning program.

Part of the reason that second language training has always been a component of a quality education is because it enhances learning overall. Immersion has been extensively studied in the 30 years of its existence to ensure that second language learning does not deter the development of the mother tongue or interfere with the acquisition of knowledge overall. (note attached test scores from grade eight middle school students).

These were natural fears, but the research has proven that not only does this learning technique not hinder the development of the mother tongue, but it actually enhances it. Other areas of education do not suffer because of learning a second language. Immersion is a bargain because students are learning a second language at the same time as they are receiving their general education.

In today's world, our children are not growing up simply to take their place in an isolated community. We are educating them to take their places as citizens of the world. Bilingual skills will better equip them to take their places in that world not only by giving them more marketable skills, but by giving our children a better awareness of, and appreciation for the diverse world in which they are living.

Of course, knowledge of more than one language gives our children one more marketable skill to take into the work place. This brings us to the question of why French? The simplest answer is because we are living in New Brunswick, Canada. Our nearest neighbours speak French. It is the second most commonly spoken language in this province and country. French is our second language.

French is a global language. In that we are fortunate. In many countries, children learn multiple languages, but often these languages are not global languages and so are not as useful in a global sense.

Unlike some major educational innovations, the Early immersion program (kindergarten or grade one entry) has been subject to extensive and high quality research. While research results in education are often tentative, the evidence on Early immersion is relatively clear and unambiguous. Early French immersion works! (note attached grade 12 proficiency scores).

Data collected to date in New Brunswick and across Canada, indicate that no other program of French second language produces as many speakers at the Intermediate Plus level or higher than Early French immersion. In the 1998, Commissioner of Official Languages Annual Report (www.pch.gc.ca), it is interesting to note that in almost every province and territory, the percentage of bilingual teenagers aged 15 to 19 has almost doubled since 1981. Early French immersion was introduced in New Brunswick in 1977. New Brunswick has the highest percentage of bilingual teens among all the provinces at 49.3%; 22,100 students are currently enrolled in French immersion programs in New Brunswick.

Early French immersion is recognized across Canada as the best model. In New Brunswick, the Early immersion program contributes greatly to anglophone students acquiring both official languages. In 1999, New Brunswick graduated over 300 anglophone students able to work in a bilingual setting. Eliminating the Early French immersion program would seriously jeopardize the anglophone community's ability to sustain its contribution to the required bilingual working force and would deny a wonderful learning opportunity to the students of Canada's only bilingual province.

Immersion is a regular educational program transmitted in a second language without forgetting that the children in immersion classes are not native speakers of the target language. The early immersion into the new language is therefore gentle, not brutal.

At the same time, it is total, that is, everything by the teacher is done in French. The total effect of home and school combined is one of bilingual education. Clearly much more French is acquired by Early French immersion students than could normally be expected from learning French as a subject in the English program setting.

Early French immersion students do well in their school subjects taught in French and suffer no loss of their English skills. There is evidence that on every score the early immersion students progress very normally and in some respects, beyond their clear advantage in French, they perform even better in other curriculum subjects than their unilingual peers. Even children from different language backgrounds and children with ADD, ADHT, and dyslexia are found to be as responsive to immersion education as their counterparts are to unilingual education.

One of the important strengths of the Early immersion program is that it is available to all students before the student academic skills have been assessed. With early French immersion being offered in public schools, bilingualism is within the reach of all students who choose it. This results in more diverse classes, with children of all socio-economic, intellectual backgrounds entering the program.

Early French immersion helps develop positive attitudes toward the French language, francophone culture, reduces perceived social distance and encourages spontaneous contact with francophones.

Early French immersion produces the best proficiency in French, does not hinder English skills, encourages positive attitudes toward the French language and reaches the most diverse group of children. Why would we settle for anything less?

The French Second Language Oral Proficiency Assessment is designed to rate the performance of individual students on the New Brunswick Oral Proficiency Scale. (See Appendix B) All grade 12 students enroled in a French course, or a subject course taught in French are eligible for this evaluation. In 1998-99, 1564 were tested. The method used to rate pupils’ speaking proficiency in French is the individual oral interview. Evaluators trained to use this procedure visit high schools each semester to conduct interviews. During each interview, which usually lasts between 15 to 30 minutes, the evaluator elicits a language sample that can then be rated according to the criteria of the New Brunswick Oral

This assessment, which has been used in New Brunswick for over 25 years. allows the Department of Education to monitor program results and student achievement over time. It also provides a means of judging student achievement according to a measure that has currency and credibility in a larger context: the New Brunswick Oral Proficiency Scale is used by provincial government departments and agencies to measure the second language proficiency of employees in both French and English; the federal government and many educational institutions around the world also uses prototypes of this scale. For students, this assessment underscores the link between what is learned in school and what is valued in the world beyond the classroom.

(3) WHY DO WE NEED BILINGUAL METHODS AND RESOURCE TEACHERS, BILINGUAL REMEDIAL TEACHERS AND BILINGUAL TEACHERS AIDS IN SCHOOLS WHICH OFFER IMMERSION PROGRAMS?

Researchers have found that immersion students with a variety of difficulties (from learning disabilities to low intelligence to behavioral problems) will do as well academically as they could be expected to do in an English program, provided they receive the same assistance as they would if enrolled in the English program. Studies also indicate that immersion is not likely to be the cause of learning difficulties; the same problems would arise in any educational setting. Thus, any child who can learn to communicate in his first language(even through sign language) can acquire a second language through the immersion process.

The provision of equivalent assistance is fundamental to making French immersion suitable for all students. If the immersion programs have the proper resources, such as a dedicated bilingual remedial assistant, there is no reason a student with learning disabilities should be discouraged from being in the program. In fact, experts state when students with learning disabilities do succeed in an immersion program, it gives them self-confidence that carries over into all subject areas. Dr. André Obadia, Professor at Simon Fraser University, also points out that children with learning difficulties will have challenges in both English and French.

Unfortunately, many school districts do not recognize that students with learning disabilities can succeed in French immersion and as a result, they are reluctant to make the financial commitment to provide the necessary bilingual resources for these students. When support is not provided through the school, parents have no choice but to transfer their child into a regular English program where remedial assistance is available. To provide immersion programs with the same support would prevent some of the pressure felt by the English teachers. It is imperative that schools have at least one bilingual Methods and Resource (remedial) teacher in order to serve the immersion students.

All children need and deserve support from their schools in order to succeed in the immersion programs.

(4) WHY ARE THE PROBLEMS IN THE ENGLISH PROGRAM NOT BEING STUDIED? IS IMMERSION BEING USED AS THE SCAPEGOAT FOR THE FAILURE OF THE ENGLISH PROGRAM? WHY ARE THE CHILDREN IN THE ENGLISH PROGRAM NOT DOING WELL IN ENGLISH AND MATH?

Are we to believe that 65,384 children enrolled in the English program are learning and behavioral disabled and are therefore unteachable? Are we to believe that the 22,109 children enrolled in the French immersion programs are all gifted, above average students?

The immersion program began in New Brunswick in 1972. By 1977 3,179 students were enrolled. The enrollment in the English program that same year was 98,371. This school year, 1999-2000, we have 22,109 students enrolled in the immersion programs and 65,384 students enrolled in the English program. The immersion programs enrollment has increased steadily since its beginning.

The main source of problems arising from the immersion programs is, paradoxically, the programs undeniable success. Whether measured by careful research or simply by the enthusiastic support of parents, the story of French immersion has been one of remarkable and consistent success. All too often, the immersion programs have been used as scapegoats by English teachers in order to permit them to rationalize mediocrity in their classes. Poor leadership in immersion schools has permitted the English teachers to place most of the blame for the ills of society as well as the ills of the schools on French immersion. The "they have all the good students" philosophy has been allowed to be a self-fulfilling prophecy in some school districts. Even in schools with 25% or less students registered in the immersion programs, teachers have been permitted to use the line "they have all the good students". It is time to look at immersion and find out why it is such a success and to make the necessary changes to the English program in order to improve results.

Many English language teachers are unhappy about losing students (and jobs) to immersion programs. Teachers federation representatives are often disturbed by programs which are perceived to threaten seniority clauses in contracts in so far as junior bilingual teachers are being hired, while unilingual anglophone teachers with considerable seniority are facing redundancy. We must dispel the myth that all French second language teachers are bilingual francophones. In New Brunswick, 54% of the French second language teachers are bilingual anglophones.

Some school principals view immersion as problem related programs. They tell us that immersion programs cause more work and take extra administration time for scheduling, etc. Because in many areas of the province, parents have had to fight for immersion programs in their schools, immersion parents have effectively learned to organize and co-ordinate their activities when interacting with school personnel. In the school then, immersion parents are viewed as bothersome because they are over represented at official and non-official functions. Immersion parents tend to stay involved in their children's educations, because often they have made the decision to place their children in immersion programs, despite negative comments and attitudes from family and friends. They keep a close eye on their children's education and their children's schools. As one principal said recently, "they always ask hard questions".

We believe the English program should be studied and evaluated. It is not good enough to blame French immersion for the problems. Children in the English program are not learning to read properly. They are not performing well on provincial tests in Math, Science and English. Why not? The children in the English program deserve a quality education. Why aren't they getting it?