About the Project
ÉCLAIR is a diagnostic assessment tool to support the teaching and learning of foundational early literacy skills in French Immersion programs. Funded by the Ministry of Education of Ontario and developed by a multi-disciplinary team that included members of The Multilingualism and Literacy Lab, ÉCLAIR is currently in use in schools across the province. The tool is comprised of subtests that assess skill in the following domains: letter naming, letter-sound correspondence, phonemic awareness, word reading, non-word reading (decoding), and sentence reading. Three equivalent versions of ÉCLAIR were developed to allow teachers to monitor student progress in acquiring these skills over time. The measure uses The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) which provides a common understanding of French language development through an asset-based lens. As such, it is aligned to CEFR levels (A1.1 to A1) rather than grades, making it an appropriate tool for use across French immersion program models and diverse student groups. ÉCLAIR is used by classroom educators to provide meaningful insight into next steps for classroom practice that supports equity in education for all French immersion learners.
Please email Dr. Becky Chen if you have any issues accessing the resources.
Meet the Team
Diana Burchell – Research Assistant, Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/UofT
Dr. Becky Xi Chen – Professor, Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/UofT
Dr. Kathleen Hipfner-Boucher – Senior Research Officer, Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/UofT
Hilary Walton - Research Assistant, Department of French, OISE/UofT
Carolyn White - Research Assistant, Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/UofT
Haley Brooks – French as a Second Language Learning Coach, District School Board Ontario North East
Renata Dean – Curriculum Consultant, French as an Additional Language and Modern Languages, Halton Catholic District School Board
Dr. Caroline Erdos – Professional Coordinator of Speech-Language Pathology, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board
Angeline Humber - Teacher Consultant, Greater Essex County District School Board, Project Lead
Kirsten Johnston – Program Coordinator, French Language Programs, Classical and International Languages, Toronto District School Board
Patricia Renaud – French as a Second Language Catholic Curriculum Coordinator, Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board
Jordan Sloan – Bilingual Literacy Coach, Renfrew County District School Board
Tanya Vincze – System Principal of K-6 Learning and Teaching and K-12 French as a Second Language, District School Board Ontario North East
Lesley Doell – National French Immersion Consultant/ Conseillère pédagogique nationale en immersion française, Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals/ Association canadienne des professionnels de l’immersion
Dr. Josée Le Bouthillier - Research Associate / Associée à la recherche, Institut de recherche en langues secondes du Canada / Second Language Research Institute of Canada, University of New Brunswick
Una Malcolm – President, International Dyslexia Association Ontario
