Tools

All of the tools required for certification were developed by a scientific committee under the guidance of Claude Le Ninan, a senior lecturer at the Centre of Applied Linguistics (CLA) at the University of Franche Comté, in 2005-2006.

Representatives of the professional groups concerned were involved in this preliminary work and the tools produced, which are designed to be easy to use, also take international standards into account. They are regularly revised for the purposes of improving the certification and take into account comments and recommendations made by auditors and professionals speaking at meetings of the Advisory Council. This process for improving the certification process is outlined in the "Candidate Centre Guide" and in Decree 2007-1831 of 24 December 2007.

Tools for centres

Admissibility criteria

The admissibility criteria for the certification process state the criteria that a centre must meet in order for its application to be accepted. Download admissibility criteria.

The certification framework

The framework outlines the requirements a candidate centre must meet in order to obtain Qualité français langue étrangère certification. This is accompanied by a list of documents to be provided during the on-site audit, along with a glossary. A new framework, adopted by the Interministerial Committee on 2 December 2016, will come into force on 2 May 2017.

The self-assessment and audit report grid

Designed to be used by both candidate centres and auditors, the self-assessment/audit report grid reflects the structure of the certification framework and outlines the scoring system. Candidate centres must self-assess all of the indicators included in the framework, paying particular attention to the critical indicators ([C]) that cannot be self-assessed as 'non-applicable'. The candidate centre must submit the completed self-assessment grid to the CIEP 1 month prior to the start of the audit in electronic format to meunier@france-education-international.fr and lafarge@france-education-international.fr and in the form of a signed paper document once the self-assessment grid has been validated by the CIEP. The self-assessment grid is linked to the framework and enables a centre to self-assess itself in the five fields covered by the framework prior to the audit. It also enables auditors to prepare for the audit.

Processes and procedures

These provide detailed descriptions of the different stages involved in a centre obtaining certification. of which there are 7:

• the application process;
• the self-assessment process;
• the on-site audit organisation process;
• the on-site audit centre preparation process;
• the audit process;
• the audit report drafting process;
• the audit report approval and recommendation process.

For further information see the Démarches (Process) section. This document also explains the following processes and procedures:

• the procedure for appealing the Interministerial Certification Committee's decision;
• the process for renewing the certification;
• the procedure for withdrawing the certification;
• the process for improving the quality of the certification scheme.

Download the "Candidate Centre Guide"

The audit inspection document

This is intended for the purposes of recording the on-site audit start and finish dates and times, along with any observations that the auditors or the candidate centre might make. Download the audit inspection document.

The audit manual

This manual, which is aimed primarily at auditors, is a working tool designed to help harmonise and standardise the practices adopted by auditors. It is intended to ensure objectivity in the observations made over the course of on-site audits through the adoption of a methodical framework and outlines the procedure by which auditors work, their role and the deliverables they are expected to produce, as well as the assessment criteria that apply. It also specifies the rules of confidentiality that apply and offers advice with regards to performing the audit and producing the corresponding report. Initially designed to serve as a tool for the exclusive use of auditors, a more concise version of this document has been available to candidate centres since 15 February 2011 for the purposes of transparency. It is intended to provide them with the guidance and information they need to better understand what the audit generally entails and the role of Qualité français langue étrangère certification auditors and therefore to better prepare for the audit.

The Candidate Centre Guide

A Candidate Centre Guide was produced with a view to support interested establishments in their quality assurance efforts. The guide is freely available and provides information for all interested parties regarding the admissibility conditions, the scheme and the processes and procedures involved to enable them to decide whether or not they wish to apply. This contains the following:

• an introduction to the issues covered by the certification;
• the admissibility criteria for the certification process;
• an introduction to the scheme;
• the processes and procedures involved;
• a description of how the scoring system works;
• the framework, together with a list of documents requested and a glossary;
• the self-assessment and audit report grid;
• the on-site audit preparation form;
• the audit inspection document;
• FAQs;
• the application form.

In the event that the centre decides to apply for certification of the quality of the services it provides, it will find all of the information required to submit its application and prepare for the audit in this document. The Candidate Centre Guide was also designed to support quality in language centres without the obligation to sign up to the scheme since it enables those that do not wish to apply to at least perform a self-assessment and to independently implement the recommendations made in the framework of the certification. Download the Candidate Centre Guide.

The post-audit centre satisfaction questionnaire

A satisfaction questionnaire will be sent to centres following their audits for the purposes of improving the certification scheme. The questionnaire is designed to assess the relevance of the information and documentation provided from the centre's perspective and to hear its opinions and comments regarding the on-site audit process and the certification scheme as a whole. Download the post-audit centre questionnaire.

Tools for auditors

Terms governing the recruitment of auditors

Auditors are recruited in accordance with a series of specific criteria. Download the document outlining these terms.

The self-assessment/audit report grid

Designed to be used by both auditors and candidate centres, the self-assessment/audit report grid reflects the structure of the certification framework. Auditors use it to record observations and assessments of indicators, along with their comments for each of the criteria.