Turkish Ministry of National Education, in particular the Board of Education and its Educational Research Department improve the design and implementation of policies on foreign language education and in-service teacher training in line with the CEFR and the CEFR Companion Volume (2020)
 Foreign language teachers and learners are competent in using resources aligned with the CEFR and the CEFR Companion Volume (2020)
 Turkish Ministry of National Education, in particular the Board of Education and its Educational Research Department have increased capacities in implementing the CEFR and  the CEFR Companion Volume (2020), and foreign language teachers deliver high-quality language education and support learners in developing their linguistic and intercultural competences
 Foreign language teachers and learners actively promote foreign language education as an important element of plurilingual and intercultural education and its contribution to inclusive societies.

End Beneficiary: Board of Education at the Turkish Ministry of National Education
Contracting Authority: Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye
Managing Authority: Ministry of Labour and Social Security

 Target Groups:

Within the Republic of Türkiye:

Target group 1: Foreign language teachers in the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 1, 2, 3 levels in the pilot provinces and educational stakeholders

Target group 2: Learners at ISCED 1, 2, 3 levels in the pilot provinces

Target group 3: General public

Within the Council of Europe member states:

Target group 4: The European institutions including the Council of Europe mechanisms and bodies, e.g., Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU)

Duration: 60 months
Budget: 5 403 333 EUR
Funding: This Project is co-funded by the European Union (90%) and the Council of Europe (10%).

Expected Results

 Policy recommendations

• The Language Education Policy Profile (LEPP) for Türkiye is developed to inform the project components and especially the policy recommendations.
• Evidence-based policy recommendations are prepared to improve further the quality and scope of foreign language education in Türkiye.

 Material development

• A sample of paper-based language proficiency tests aligned with the CEFR and the CEFR Companion Volume (2020) are developed for foreign language teachers and learners from certain grades at International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) Levels 1, 2, and 3.
• A digital repository of communicative language teaching resources, specifically CEFR Action Studio, is produced based on the action-oriented approach adopted in the CEFR.

 Capacity Building

• The Board of Education and its Educational Research Department staff have enhanced skills and competences to guide foreign language education practice.
• The quality of foreign language teaching and learning is enhanced through training of teachers based on developed materials.

 Awareness Raising

• Awareness among education actors on the role of foreign language education as an essential element of plurilingual and intercultural education, in contributing to inclusive societies is increased through activities including human interest stories, videos and best practice conferences.

In line with the expected results of the project, the following activities will take place during the implementation of the project:

 Policy recommendations

The Project aims that the Turkish Ministry of National Education, in particular the Board of Education and its Educational Research Department improve the design and implementation of policies on foreign language education in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and  the CEFR Companion Volume (2020). In order to achieve this goal, evidence-based policy recommendations will be developed through series of activities. Language Education Policy Profile (LEPP) for Türkiye will be prepared to get the snapshot of the status of the policies and practices in foreign language education in Türkiye. A comprehensive report on best practices in language proficiency tests in other Council of Europe member states will be developed to guide the development of the paper-based proficiency tests to be administered on a national level. The Project also foresees a study visit to inform the decision-makers from the Ministry of National Education about the Council of Europe and European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML), and familiarise them with relevant policies, mechanisms, resources, and activities in the field of language education. Two strategic meetings will be organised with the relevant stakeholders to discuss and finalise the policy recommendations.

 Material development

Within the scope of the project, a sample of paper-based language proficiency tests aligned with the CEFR and the CEFR Companion Volume (2020) will be developed for foreign language teachers and learners from certain grades at International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) Levels 1, 2, and 3. Try-out studies for language proficiency tests will be conducted, parallel test forms will be developed, and subsequent test revisions will be completed. Based on the results of the pilot studies that will be conducted for language test validation, necessary revisions will be made to the tests to improve their quality. In addition, standard-setting study for each test will be developed. Material development camps will be organised to produce digital teaching materials for foreign language teachers and self-study learning materials for learners. A digital repository of communicative language teaching resources, specifically CEFR Action Studio, will be produced based on the action-oriented approach of the  CEFR and  the CEFR Companion Volume (2020). 

Throughout the project, audio-visual materials, documentary/publication will also be produced and made available to the widest possible audience through Ministry of National Education’s online platforms.

 Capacity Building

The project aims to enhance the quality of foreign language teaching and learning through training of teachers based on developed materials, and to improve skills as well as the competences of the Board of Education and its Educational Research Department staff to guide foreign language education practice. In this context, there will be a series of capacity building activities for the Board of Education staff, item writers, raters, material developers and language teachers on the use of the CEFR and the CEFR Companion Volume (2020) in foreign language teaching, which will contribute to the institutional capacity of the Beneficiary.  An online training module on the CEFR Action Studio will be developed and delivered to language teachers. Moreover, the Board of Education staff will gain first-hand experience that will complement theoretical knowledge, facilitate the exchange of information, and help establish inter-personal relations with colleagues from countries with similar systems and/or similar concerns about foreign language education through study visits to member states and best practice conferences.

 Awareness Raising

The project aims that foreign language teachers, learners and the general public have increased awareness of the role of plurilingual and intercultural education in contributing to inclusive societies. Throughout the project, awareness raising instruments including human interest stories and videos will be developed to help raise awareness among education actors on the role of foreign language education as an important element of plurilingual and intercultural education. Best practice conferences will be organised to provide language teachers and other relevant stakeholders with a platform to exchange their best practices on the implementation of the CEFR and  the CEFR Companion Volume (2020).