YALS
YUGOSLAV ASSOCIATION OF LANGUAGE SCHOOLS

Zorica Kovacevic & Vanda Perovic

THE AIMS OF THE ASSOCIATION

• to promote, protect, control and improve the quality of language services in private language schools in FR of Yugoslavia.
• to run an accreditation scheme based on regular external inspections
• to provide clear and transparent information to customers about services in the member schools
• to promote the European standards of quality and inform the customers about them
• to represent and protect the interest of member schools at government levels.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION
At the end of the 1990s, the foreign language teaching situation was influenced by the unfavourable political situation in the country. A wide market for foreign language learning was created. While the state sector has not been able to invest sufficiently in the quality of language teaching, it is relatively easy to open a private language centre. This has resulted in a large number of private language schools all over the country and more than 300 in Belgrade. The existing law does not cover standards of quality services, management and other issues connected with private language schools, and there is no institution in charge of the inspection of language schools and checking of quality criteria.

At the initiative of 11 private language schools in Belgrade and other parts of Yugoslavia - which have honoured the internationally recognized standards of quality language services since they were established and which have been in business for many years - decided to give their effort a formal framework and to unify it in an association of quality schools. Thus, the Yugoslav Association of Language Schools (YALS) was officially founded in March, 1999.

Presently, YALS has 15 schools as full members.

In December 2001, YALS became an Associate Member of EAQUALS,

In May 2002, the Ministry of Education gave official accreditation to the YALS inspection scheme.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• Managing Board of 5 member - the President, the Vice President, the Secretary and two members
• Supervisory Board in charge of finances
• Special interest groups for: admitting new members, public relations, organization of seminars and legal matters

QUALITY CONTROL - STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Is defined by the Code of Practice and it ensures the maintenance of set standards. In establishing our original version of quality standards we used apart from our own teaching experience, the ARELS - FELCO scheme, the British Council recognition scheme, as well as the Hungarian Chamber of Language School standards. On receiving permission from EAQUALS we adapted the format of our inspection scheme to comply with theirs.

Our visit to the QUEST Association in Romania, in 1999, greatly influenced our further activities, especially our direction towards contacting EAQUALS and introducing the EAQUALS standards to our inspection scheme.

One of the first steps undertaken to promote Quality Assurance among YALS members was a two day seminar conducted by Mr. Frank Heyworth, Secretary General of EAQUALS, held in May 2000, in Belgrade.

An informal meeting with Asenka Kramer from PRIMA - Croatia, who kindly shared their experience with us, was a valuable contribution to our further work.

YALS organized several professional events both for members and the wider professional community:

• a three day workshop for existing and potential YALS members, on public presentations and seminar organisation;
• a series of teacher training seminars dedicated to the development of the teachers both in the state and the private sectors;
• activities on promoting the European Language Portfolio, such as a seminar co-organised by YALS, the British Council and the Ministry of Education, conducted by Mr. Frank Heyworth, EAQUALS Secretary General, in October 2001;
• a seminar for members of YALS and other Yugoslav Associations, on the EAQUALS inspection procedure, conducted by Mr. Frank Heyworth, and co-organised by YALS and the British Council in February 2002.

THE INSPECTION AND ACCREDITATION PROCESS
The YALS Code of Practice stipulates that all schools applying for membership in YALS should successfully pass the YALS inspection. After becoming full members of YALS, all schools are re-inspected annually, which ensures maintaining high standards of language services whilst giving an insight into how much the member schools have improved. The new inspection scheme was agreed on in June 2000, after the visit of Mr. Frank Heyworth, EAQUALS Secretary General, who presented the EAQUALS standards and the idea of quality assessment of schools.
It is important to mention that YALS has two years experience in the quality inspections of language schools and is presently the only Association in Yugoslavia with an inspection scheme. The YALS inspection also represents an effort to regulate the language services market in this country, which is not regulated either by law or by institutions in charge.

INSPECTION CRITERIA AND GRADING
In 2001 the YALS inspection procedure and scoring system were changed, and the whole inspection was adjusted to the EAQUALS standards.
The inspection covers three main areas:

• Professional Standards
• Management and Administration
• Business Premises & Equipment.

Each of these areas is subdivided into several sub-categories, as illustrated in the Quality Criteria Summary

Assessment Criteria
The inspectors assess the school's activity in each sub-category, combining a percentage system of grading with assigning points (from 0 to 3) for each sub-category, as follows:

• 90 - 100 % positive answers - 3 POINTS
• 80 - 90 % positive answers - 2 POINTS
• 70 - 80 % positive answers - 1 POINT
• 0 - 70 % positive answers - 0 POINTS
  (see the YALS example)

The YALS member schools have to achieve 70 % pass in each segment of the inspection.

THE INSPECTORS
The YALS inspection is carried out by an inspection team consisting of two independent experts from the field, who cover the inspection of professional standards, and one member of the YALS Inspection Board who is in charge of the other two segments. To achieve the highest level of objectivity, YALS participated in a regional project on joint inspections. Thus, inspectors from neighbouring countries joined the YALS inspection team, and YALS inspectors participated alongside with peer inspectors from other national associations in collaborative inspections in Bulgaria, for instance. (see ELTeCS Project)

THE NEXT STEP
We have been very busy on establishing and developing uniform levels for young learners and adults. All member schools have uniform YALS levels adjusted to the CEF levels. Currently, YALS is working on developing placement and achievement tests for all levels, in accordance with the CEF scale of levels.

YALS members will continue to be pro-active in lobbying for the presence of the private sector in foreign language teaching in the new Education Bill which is being prepared by the Serbian Ministry of Education. We hope to be fully recognized as institutions of learning by the new Education Bill.

Forthcoming events will include participation in the annual EAQUALS conferences and regional projects, as well as cooperation with the local and regional associations.

We also plan training seminars, workshops and round table discussions.

WEB SITE: www.yals.co.yu