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Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

Center for Polish Language and Culture and School of Polish Language and Culture

The Jagiellonian University became an Associate Member of ALTE in 2000 and a full member in 2005. The University, founded in 1364, is the oldest school of its kind in Poland and the second oldest university in Europe, north of the Alps. Located in Kraków - one of the most beautiful European cities - the University offers foreign students a unique opportunity not only to study Polish language, culture and society but also to experience over 600 years of its history, magnificent architecture, and art (more information: www.uj.edu.pl).

The Center for Polish language and Culture of the Jagiellonian University offers academic courses in Polish Language and Culture for foreign students (more information: www.uj.edu.pl/Polonia).

The School of Polish Language and Culture, founded at the Jagiellonian University in 1969, offers 3-, 4-, and 6-week summer courses and customized semesters of study on Poland and its language. In 2002 and 2005 the European Commission granted the School the European Label Award for innovative initiatives in language teaching (more information: www2.uj.edu.pl/SL).

Both units of the Jagiellonian University were deeply involved in the preparatory work on the development of an examination system for Polish as a foreign language, commissioned by the Polish Ministry of National Education and Sports. All the necessary legal procedures have been concluded in November 2003. A State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language has been nominated, with professor Wladyslaw Miodunka as its Chairman and Waldemar Martyniuk as its Secretary - both of whom represent the Jagiellonian University in ALTE. The first examinations took place in 2004 (more information: www.buwiwm.edu.pl/certyfikacja).

The Polish exams are currently offered at three levels of proficiency:

• Poziom podstawowy, envisaged CEF/ALTE level B1
• Poziom sredni ogólny, envisaged CEF/ALTE level B2
• Poziom zaawansowany, envisaged CEF/ALTE level C2.

Procedures for aligning these certificates to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages are pending. Exams at A1 and C1 levels are also planned. A Breakthrough level (A1) description for Polish has been developed - as part of a Socrates Lingua 2 project TiPS - Testing in Polish and Slovene, coordinated by Waldemar Martyniuk. Partners in the project were ALTE members from Slovenia and Greece: the University of Ljubljana and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The projects outcomes include also:

• A Glossary of Testing Terms: English-Polish-Slovene;
• The ALTE Can Do Statements – a Slovene and a Polish version;
• Guidelines for Test Item Writers – a Slovene and a Polish version;
• Checklists for Test Evaluation – a Slovene and a Polish version;
• The A 1 Breakthrough Level specifications – a Slovene and a Polish version.

All publications are available directly from the publisher (www.universitas.com.pl)

The Polish ALTE members are also involved in a nationwide project on developing and implementing three Polish versions of the European Language Portfolio (one for children, one for young learners, and one for adults).

Contact person for the ALTE Polish member: waldemar.martyniuk@uj.edu.pl