BCCE Linking to CEFR
Linking the revised BCCE™ examination to the CEFR
The Hellenic American University started a Linking Project in 2011 to link the revised version of the Basic Communication Certificate in English (BCCE™) examination to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), in accordance with the manual Relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment (CEFR): A Manual. (Council of Europe, 2003/2009).
The result of the Project is a Claim by Specification and Standard Setting, compiled in accordance with the Manual (2009), which indicates the extent that the revised version of the BCCE™ examination is targeted at the B1 level of the CEFR.
Purpose and Context of the Linking ProjectThe Basic Communication Certificate in English (BCCE™) is a high-stakes examination designed for candidates who require certification of their competency in English as a second or other language at an intermediate proficiency level. The candidates are tested on their communicative competency in all four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as in their vocabulary and grammar resources. The examination is administered in Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, and Romania.
The goal of the Linking Project was to assess the level of the revised BCCE™ examination, administered for the first time in June 2011, in terms of the levels defined by the CEFR. The BCCE™ examination was designed to bridge the gap between examinations claimed to be at A2 and B2 level and it was therefore necessary to investigate whether the revised version of BCCE™ examination could still be linked to the B1 level.
The procedures to link the revised BCCE™ examination to the Common European Framework of References for Languages were divided into five phases, as proposed by the Manual (2009):
Phase 1: Familiarization
Phase 2: Specification
Phase 3: Standardization Training and Benchmarking
Phase 4: Standard Setting Procedures
Phase 5: Validation
Phase 1: Familiarization
This phase entailed project members undergoing a selection of familiarization training activities designed to promote an in-depth knowledge of :(1) the aims, objectives and content of the CEFR, (2) its levels and (3) its illustrative descriptors.
Phase 2: Specification
This phase involved project members mapping the coverage of the BCCE™ examination in relation to the categories and levels of the CEFR.
Phase 3: Standardization Training and Benchmarking
This phase entailed the standardization of project members by using CEFR exemplar performances and test tasks. Upon completion of training, project members carried out benchmarking and standard setting on local learner performances.
Phase 4: Standard Setting Procedures
This phase entailed the establishment of a cut score, a decision rule used to separate candidates into two groups (Pass or Fail).
Phase 5: Validation
This phase entails evidence gathered to support that the linking project and its outcomes are well supported. As validation is an ongoing process, current and future linking validation studies will be released upon their completion.
BCCE™ Examination Standard Setting Workshop
The purpose of the workshop was to collect recommendations for establishing the BCCE™ examination cut score. The standard setting workshop was held over four days (July 26th – July 29th, 2011) in Athens, Greece, with the participation of judges from Greece and a facilitator from the Hellenic American University.
Phases 3, 4, and 5 of the BCCE™ examination linking project are documented in the BCCE™ Examination Standard Setting: Technical Report.