ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements Presented by Elizabeth Mathews Linguistic Consultant, ICAO

Mathews IATS Recommended Practice: (Annex 10) …English SHOULD be made available … Standard: (Annex 1) … Controllers SHALL speak and understand the language designated for use without accent or impediment…

Mathews IATS 03  Recommended Practice  Standard for controllers  De facto English requirements for pilots Yet….

Mathews IATS 03 Accidents 1976Mid-air collision Yugoslavia 1977Pan Am / KLM in Tenerife 1990Avianca in New York 1995American in Cali 1996Kazak / Saudia over India 2000Runway collision at CDG 2001Runway collision in Milan

Mathews IATS 03 Accidents Year Fatalities

Mathews IATS 03 IATS 1999  Adopt Single Rating Scale  Standardized Testing  Governmental and industry commitment to language training

“… “…recent major accident investigations have indicated lack of proficiency and comprehension of the English language … alike as a contributing factor…” …High Priority Assembly Resolution A

Strengthen Annex 1 and 10 provisions Strengthen Annex 1 and 10 provisions Obligate States to ensure that personnel are proficiency in English Obligate States to ensure that personnel are proficiency in English High level of priority High level of priority Assembly Resolution A

Mathews IATS 03 PRICESG  ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements  Use ICAO phraseology  Know plain language too  Use English or L. O. S. G.  To Level 4 minimum

Mathews IATS 03 Language Requirements  ICAO Level  Holistic descriptors  Controllers and Pilots  NS and NNS: All languages  Recurrent testing: 6/3

Mathews IATS 03 ICAO Rating Scale  Holistic Descriptors  Six Levels: Expert-6 Pre-operational-3 Extended-5 Elementary-2 Operational-4 Pre-elementary-1  Five Areas of linguistic performance Pronunciation Fluency Structure Comprehension Interactions

Mathews IATS 03 IATS 1999  Adopt Single Rating Scale  Standardized Testing  Governmental and industry commitment to language training

Mathews IATS 03 What’s next?  Infrastructure for Training and Testing Materials Qualified aviation English instructors Programs Teacher training programs Tests

Materials Programs Teacher Training Programs Personnel STANDARD

Aviation Materials Programs Personnel Tests

STANDARD Teachers Programs Teacher Training Programs Materials

High Stakes Testing Careers  Careers  Safety   Economics  Airline industry health

Threats and challenges  Language testing /training requires specialized knowledge  Language testing and training is unregulated  Perception that English teaching easy  Wide variety of product/program quality  Market is open to poor quality / fraud

Mathews IATS 03 The Profession of language teaching versus The Business of language teaching

Mathews IATS 03 …”If you are a native speaker and can fog a mirror, then you can teach English abroad.” Recruiter for English teachers Quoted in Time Magazine, June 30, 2003

Mathews IATS 03 Practical suggestions Language teaching/training is a professional activity requiring specialized training: Linguistics Language learner theories Language teaching methodologies

Proficiency testing  Proficiency Ability to use the language  Three kinds of tests Indirect Direct Semi-direct

Indirect Testing  Traditional, pen and paper  TOEFL; TOEIC; GTELP; IELTS  “Objective?” Fixed number of items 80/100 How choose items?  Doesn’t test proficiency  Tests knowledge about language Grammar knowledge

Direct testing  Direct assessment of language proficiency Test reading by reading Test writing by writing Test listening by listening Test speaking by speaking  Difficult to administer/score On the job; test interview Requires person to person contact  Many variables

Semi-direct  Assesses actual proficiency  Based on a recorded sample  Easier to administer  Easier to standardize  Expensive to score

Test requirements  Validity Tests what it says it will test  Reliability Gives reliable results  Practicality Reasonably easy to administer  Aviation specific  Standardization  Quality control  Security  Direct or semi-direct PROFICIENCY

What we need  Aviation-specific proficiency test  High quality  Valid  Reliable  Standardized  Easy to administer  Secure

Available Tests

Best Practice  Collaboration of all stake-holders: Language testing experts Linguistic + radiotelephony familiarity specialists Aviation operational experts Aviation administrators  Reliable; valid  Aviation specific proficiency  Standardized and high quality  Practical

Next Steps  Form an appropriate expert team  Finance development costs Development team; Test specifications; Needs analysis; Trial tests; Revise; Validity/Reliability studies;  Establish administrative infrastructure Administration; Record keeping; Reporting

Mathews IATS 03 What else?  Aviation English training Materials Teachers: + ESL+English +Aviation fam  Teacher training: needs (A)+ESL +English -Aviation (B)-ESL +/- English +/-Aviation

Mathews IATS 03 Aviation English Training  How long to Level 4?  200 hours for measurable improvement Immersion environments Intensive learning Teacher-led Academic programs Reading; writing, grammar, listening/speaking

Mathews IATS 03 Aviation English Training  100 hours  Level 1+  Level 2 Defense Language Institute, USA Immersion Intensive Teacher led Speaking/Listening Only Aviation specific

Mathews IATS 03 Estimated time: Total of 1,440 hours of well prepared aviation- specific materials needed. Variables: Starting Point English-speaking country or not? Communicative, up-to-date methods? Intensive or part time?

Mathews IATS 03 Aviation English training: Best Practice  Teacher-led Immersion Intensive TESL qualified teacher/material developer Communicative, interactive Learner-centred Aviation-specific

Mathews IATS 03 A global problem calling for international cooperation