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TOEIC® NewsletterNovember 2012 No.115 —Digest Version—

141 English Teachers from 113 Schools Attend ETS/IIBC Joint Teacher Training Seminars Featuring a Range of Activities

Evaluations by participants

Special Column

TOEIC Bridge®

The TOEIC Bridge is a test developed by ETS to serve as a "bridge" to the TOEIC test. The TOEIC Bridge is designed to assess basic English communication skills while maintaining the same numerical score measurement system and the same level of credibility as the TOEIC test.

* The TOEIC scores are predicted from the TOEIC Bridge scores using the data (N=15,569) randomly drawn from examinees in Japan and South Korea. This method is adopted because the two countries have the largest number of TOEIC Bridge examinees worldwide.

* The data was collected from Nov. 2000 to Sep. 2005 from examinees who took the two tests within a six–month period using either the Secure Program (SP) and/or Institutional Program (IP). Most of examinees took the TOEIC Bridge test before the TOEIC test.

230 570470395345310280260TOEIC Test

90 160150140130120110100TOEIC Bridge

High SchoolAverage Score115.7

Go toTOEIC test

Statistical relationships between the TOEIC Bridge scores and the TOEIC Listening and Reading scores

Excellent38.3％

Good54.1％

Neutral6％

Poor0.8％

Fair0.8％

Overall, how would you rate this workshop?

92.4% said workshop was “excellent” or “good”

“It was a great learning experience to participate in all sorts of activities with teachers from other schools, and share our ideas and issues.”(Participant from Tokyo)

“The various activities introduced are a great source of information.”(Participant from Osaka)

English classes conducted mainly in English. The seminars, called the Propell Teacher Workshops for the TOEIC Bridge Test, were run jointly by the IIBC and the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a U.S.-based organization that develops TOEIC programs, and attracted 141 English teachers from 113 schools. The workshops offered participants a range of potential classroom activities. ETS facilitator Annabelle Simpson also presented effective methods for English instruction and outlined the basic philosophy underlying ETS test products. (see her message on the next page.)

The Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) held TOEIC & TOEIC Bridge Teacher Training Seminars in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka between August 5 and 8, targeting junior high and high-school English teachers. The two specific aims of the seminars were to respond to the content of the MEXT report “Five Proposals and Specific Measures for Developing Proficiency in English for International Communication,” published during the previous academic year; was and to provide support with regard to Japan’s new official courses of study for the next academic year, which will see high-school

※ MEXT : Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Messa

ge from Ms.Sim

pson

August

We, as foreign language teaching professionals, often talk about the importance of developing English language communication skills among young people as a way to ensure their success in an ever-increasing global society. My experience training Japanese English teachers in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka as part of the Propell Teacher Workshops for the TOEIC Bridge Test in August, makes it clear to me that Japanese teachers are eager to identify winning strategies that will help foster a positive attitude toward communicating in English. Teachers from public and private schools came together to learn about the role of assessment in the English language learning process with a particular focus on TOEIC Bridge, the ETS English language proficiency test that is designed for beginners and low-intermediate language learners. The TOEIC Bridge test measures English language skills in a context of general, everyday English that is designed to be accessible to the beginning learner. The Propell workshops are highly inter-active, full-day sessions requiring participants to share ideas, work together on the development of classroom learning objectives, identify successful learning strategies and implement activities that support classroom learning. Among the issues brought up for discussion by participating teachers was the challenge they expect to face in implementing the MEXT’s new English-only classroom policy. Having been trained and taught for years under the former system of teaching English through the use of the Japanese language, the teacher participants expressed concern about their own fluency in English and the challenges they will face in applying the new policy to beginning learners. The Propell workshop, as is the TOEIC Bridge test itself, is conducted entirely in English. As part of the Propell workshop, participants are given a

workshop manual, 2 activities books focused on developing reading and listening skills in an integrated skills context (i.e.,

including practice in speaking and writing skills development) and one full-length TOEIC Bridge test. An area of particular interest to participants was the development of classroom learning objectives designed in accordance with overall ministry goals (Section 13 of MEXT English policy). A key resource for teachers was the use of the TOEIC Bridge Can-Do Guide which outlines the specific strengths and weaknesses of students at particular score ranges. Teachers learned how to use the Can-Do guide as a basis for the creation of learning objectives that meet the requirements of the MEXT English Policy Goals. During the workshop we shared a number of tips for classroom teachers. Here are a few more. When teaching large, multi-level classes:

Ultimately, having students become more responsible for their own learning is a goal whose wisdom teachers everywhere can appreciate. In particular, as the standards for teaching in English in Japan become more challenging, providing tools for students to take more responsibility for learning seems like a very good idea.

Provide structure.

Make goals clear.

Write homework on the board in English.

Let students know exactly what they have to do.

Establish routines.

“Think-pair-share” – a strategy used in classrooms where students are encouraged to think about the context of a subject to be discussed in advance of an activity; pair students to conduct the activity, and have them share with other pairs of students.

Pair stronger and weaker students…

Put students into groups according to ability.

Create information gap activities so that learners are required to share information to complete a task.

Use “graphic organizers” like charts, time schedules, surveys that need to be completed by interacting in English with other students.

Use peer review. Provide standards for correction.

Educational Testing ServiceDirector, Latin America &

ETS Global Institute Global

Annabelle Simpson

Message from Annabelle Simpson

Advice for English Teachers

Completing the Circle

Assessment Learningobjectives

Activities

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Interview

3

Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School offers students six years of instruction. The school views the first two years as the “building” stage; the third and fourth years as the “undertaking challenges” stage; and the final two years as the “creating” stage. All six years combine for an integrated program that spans the junior high and high school years, featuring three key facets: classroom lessons, testing, and presentations. Lessons emphasize systematic learning based on regular textbooks. We asked Daisuke Amano, a teacher at the school, to tell us more about the English program: “When students are made to take classes that focus on preparation for entrance exams from the first and second year, it is not possible for them to develop English skills to the degree required in the international community. The important thing is to start off by providing our students with basic knowledge through their textbooks.” Once students have learned a certain amount of English, the next step is for them to measure their skills through tests, such as Eiken, TOEIC Bridge, and TOEIC tests. Genshi Sato, the school’s principal, explains the reason for choosing TOEIC at his school: "The TOEIC program is the most widely known in the educational community, and provides an objective way of testing English skills. The TOEIC program has the advantage of focusing on communication. What's more, having our third-year students take TOEIC Bridge provides a smooth transition to the TOEIC test administered in the fourth year."

The third key aspect of the program

Making the Most of TOEIC Bridge® and TOEIC® Tests

School Overview

Tokyo Metropolitan Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School2008Approx. 800 (as of April 2012)

Name：

Founded：Student body：

In April 2008, Tokyo Metropolitan Kitatama High School was restructured to integrate junior high and high school education, becoming Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School. It is the only “international” Tokyo metropolitan secondary school in the Tama district. Of the 160 places available for each grade, 30 are reserved for students returning to Japan after living overseas or foreign children residing in Tokyo; present, there are students who have lived in or originate from 32 countries.

Tokyo Metropolitan Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School was established in the 2008 academic year as a six-year combined junior high and high school. Already the school has made great strides forward based on an innovative English education program that includes a unique type of English study camp as well as the use of the TOEIC Bridge and TOEIC tests.

Genshi Sato (right) School principal

Daisuke Amano (right) An English teacher

▲ First-year students receive drama instruction from foreign instructors during a study camp.

Unique English Study Camps for First-year Students

Students Aim for a TOEIC® Score of 750 before Graduation

Tokyo Metropolitan Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School

Tokyo Metropolitan Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School

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Secondary Education School, we have set a target score of 750 for students to achieve by the time they graduate. We feel that this is a goal that can be reached by mastering the fundamentals, and that students need to acquire an internationally acceptable level of English ability before going on to higher education.”

involves presentations; this is the output phase where students experience the excitement of putting their their English skills to practical use. First-year students participate in recitation contests and English camps; second- and third-year students take part in speech contests; fourth-year students perform in English-language plays; and fifth-year students compete in debates. The two-night, three-day English camp held for first-year students in July is particularly unique. Students participate along with their instructors from English-speakers countries, and everyone uses English to communicate. This gives students an opportunity to experience other cultures and learn practical English skills. Second- and third-year students can apply to take part in the English Summer Seminar during the summer holiday—an immersion program designed to “shower” students in English for six hours a day over four consecutive days. During the current academic year, around half of the second-year students participated in the program.

The school also is seeking to help students develop the skills they will need to be active on the global stage through exchanges with foreign students at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and those visiting Japan on Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation scholarships, as well as through Saturday lectures run by personnel from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the United Nations. Furthermore, two school trips are held: third-year students take a trip within Japan, during which they interact with foreign students at a university in Kyoto; and starting this academic year fifth-year students take an overseas trip to Australia, with scheduled activities that include an English-language presentation by the students on Japanese culture, held at a shopping mall. Thanks to such initiatives, the 75 fourth-year students who took the TOEIC test during the last academic year achieved an average score of 537, which is far above the average for university students or new corporate recruits. The school says this average score is generally in line with their expectations. For fifth- and sixth-year students, the school has set target scores of 650 and 750, respectively. Principal Sato explained the reason for setting those targets. “I used to work at Sumitomo Corporation, where a TOEIC score of 750 was a criterion for an overseas posting. Here at Tachikawa Kokusai

The school’s curriculum is based on the philosophy of encouraging independence, promoting harmony, and sharing joy with others, in order to instill the sort of knowledge and personal qualities that students will need to play a leading role in the international community.

Tokyo Metropolitan Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School

The school introduced TOEIC Bridge in the 2010 academic year, and all students take it in their third year. The following year, those who scored 130 or higher on the TOEIC Bridge take the TOEIC test, while the other students retake TOEIC Bridge. Fifth- and sixth-year students are all required to take the TOEIC test.

1 Educational Approach

3rd year students: 130 on TOEIC Bridge 4th year students: 150 on TOEIC Bridge (or 550 on TOEIC test) 5th year students: 650 on TOEIC test 6th year students: 750 on TOEIC test

3 Target Scores

2 How TOEIC Bridge® and the TOEIC® Test Are Used

4

Lively Interaction with Foreign Students Raises Intercultural Understanding

0 30 60 90 120 180150

Junior high school（574 Persons）

High school（30,139 Persons）

L 63.4 R 59.7

L 58.3 R 54.5

L 59.8 R 59.7

3rd-year students (= third year of junior high school)

（153 Persons）

University（92,790 Persons）

L 70.9 R 65.7

1000 200 300 400 500 600 700

（score）

（score）

High school（12,883 Persons）

University（411,085 Persons）

L 244 413R 169

L 250 447R 197

L 271 499R 228

4th-year students(= first year of high school)

（75 Persons）

New hired employees in FY2012（30,098 Persons）

L 322 537R 216

123.1

112.8

119.5

136.6

TOEIC test Score

TOEIC Bridge Score

Data: Comparison of TOEIC test & TOEIC Bridge Scores of Tachikawa Kokusai Students to National Averages

* L stands for “listening”; R for “reading”* Data taken from TOEIC Test Data & Analysis 2011 ; TOEIC Bridge Data & Analysis 2011 ; and TOEIC Newsletter No. 114

* Data above pertains to Institutional Program test-takers.

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Interview

5

Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School

Shiro Kuwahara School principal

Kazumi Fujiwara An English teacher

Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School has been designated as one of the English Frontier High Schools. For these schools, the highest level of achievement targets were set, under the Usable English Project, a three-year project begun in 2011 by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education. At Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School, the aim is to improve students’ English skills through innovative courses and classrooms equipped with the latest technology.

Unique Electives Encourage Practical English Use

Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School

seven instructors from English-speakers countries assist teaching, thereby reducing the student-teacher ratio and nurturing students’ international awareness and practical English skills. In order to gauge students’ ability to put the English they learn to practical use, every year all first- and second-year students take TOEIC Bridge in October. Other opportunities to evaluate their English skills include a recitation contest for first-year students and a speech contest for second-year students (both for International Culture Department students only). Kazumi Fujiwara, a teacher at Semboku High School and a permanent member of the board of the All Osaka English Teachers' Association, explains more about the reasons for incorporating tests: "TOEIC Bridge offers a way to gauge extent to which students have retained the English skills learned in the classroom. Besides, it is a good step leading up to the TOEIC test. The speech contest for second-year students is one of the major milestones in our English curriculum. Students choose a topic and then write a speech, which they memorize and deliver with as much expressive force as they can muster. The contest gives students a better sense of just how much their English has improved."

Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School has been designated as one of the English Frontier High Schools. These are schools with the highest level of achievement targets, in line with the three-year Usable English Project that the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education launched in 2011. One of the school’s initiatives is Global English Training (GET), an elective course first- and second-year students that began in the previous academic year. “GET classes, which are held each Wednesday in an after-school “sixth period”, are designed to instill an internationally passable level of

School Overview

Name：Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School

Founded：1969Student body：825 (as of April 2012)

Founded in 1969 as a full-time comprehensive high school; its International Education Department opened in 1992. The school was reorganized into a specialist high school in 2005, with a focus on international studies and science taught, respectively, by its International Culture and Comprehensive Science departments.

Global English Training Instills Internationally Useful Language Skills

Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School is known for its unique curriculum for English instruction, which incorporates a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) system; this involves using videos and other learning aids so that students can have fun while improving their listening and reading skills and preparing for TOEIC Bridge. A defining characteristic of the curriculum is the team-teaching program, where

All First- and Second-year Students Take TOEIC Bridge®

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● Published by Market Development UnitThe Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC)Sanno Grand Building 2-14-2, Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0014, JapanPhone: 81/03-5521-5012 Fax: 81/03-3581-5512Official Website: http://www.toeic.or.jp Issued：November 2012

Semboku High School aims to produce graduates noted for their sincerity, vigor and intelligence through a curriculum based on the following key approaches: - Encouraging students to be ambitious and compassionate for others, and offering them a well-rounded education as well as extracurricular activities and special classes that foster an ability to translate ideas into action. - Providing information on a broad range of career paths so students can set clear career goals, and guiding their learning in a direction that helps them achieve those goals.- Leveraging the benefits of the school’s position as a specialist school to pursue new initiatives well-suited to contemporary needs.

When students in the International Culture Department reach their second year, they begin studying a second foreign language (either Chinese, French, Korean, or Spanish). Since 2003, the school has offered students five 65-minute class periods per day. The school was designated as an English Frontier High School by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education in the 2011 academic year, and was designated as a Super Science High School in 2006 and again in 2012 by MEXT.

2 Unique Qualities

1 Education Policy

All first- and second-year students take TOEIC Bridge once a year. For the 2011 academic year the average score among second-year students from the International Culture Department was 138, a marked increase from the previous year’s average of 121. Similarly, the average score among second-year students from the Comprehensive Science Department rose from 110 to 115.

3 Use of TOEIC Bridge®

For 2012, a target test score of 140 on TOEIC Bridge has been set for second-year students. Although only 13 students took the TOEIC test last year, a major increase in the number of test-takers is expected for the current academic year.

4 Target Scores and the TOEIC® Test

English ability,” Ms. Fujiwara explains. “The name ‘GET’ was chosen to express our hope that students will make their dreams come true in the future, and in that way get to wherever in the world they want to go.” In addition the school holds special classes on Saturdays led by guest teachers. The course for first-year students is called Zutto GET, and features classes on global issues taught in English in preparation for the holding of a Mini Mock United Nations forum at Semboku High School. The course for second-year students is called Motto GET, and is aimed at improving their English skills. Every year, Semboku High School holds language training programs over the summer holidays in Australia and New Zealand. Starting last year, a program at the University of Hawaii was also introduced, thus strengthening the school’s overseas language training initiatives. The results of these efforts are plain to see in the achievements of Semboku High School students, such as the awards of excellence won by participants in the speech and presentation categories of the Osaka English Forum held in January 2012 under the Usable English Project.

Semboku High School has been designated as a Super Science High School by MEXT, and its curriculum is accordingly weighted towards science and mathematics. Shiro Kuwahara, the school’s principal, shared with us his hopes regarding the school’s future achievements: “One of our main aims is to help foster future scientists and technicians with an ability to speak English well. If our science and math students do not become functional in English, they will struggle to survive in the modern computerized society, which will make it hard for them to reach their full potential in the international community. For that reason, I think it is important for us to apply the lessons we have learned through the

The TOEIC® Newsletter is published quarterly by the Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) in Japanese. It features how the TOEIC program is used effectively within companies, universities and other institutions. We offer the latest case studies of TOEIC program usage to our clients, so they can take full advantage of the TOEIC program within their organization. In this journal, we also introduce a trend of global human resources development and the globalization movement in Japan. This issue is a summary of the TOEIC Newsletter No.115 (issued: October 2012) translated into English by IIBC for its readers around the world.

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Frontier English School initiatives underway in our International Culture Department, and incorporate those approaches in our Comprehensive Science Department as well. Such initiatives are a way for us to set ourselves apart from other schools.”

Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School

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Fostering English-speaking Scientists and Technicians