The DELF (Diploma in French Language Studies) is an official diploma issued by the French Ministry of Education to certify the French skills of foreign students and French people who come from a non French-speaking country. The DELF certification is valid for life and is useful for school records, as well as college and job applications. There are four independent DELF diplomas, corresponding to the levels A1 through B2.

Examinations for each fluency level are available for children, teens, and adults. The diploma awarded is the same, corresponding to the level of fluency; the only difference is in the content of the test, which is tailored to the interests of children, teens, or adults.

The Cultural Service of the French Embassy in Boston is organizing a FREE TRAINING course for potential examiners/scorers (examinateurs-correcteurs) of the DELF in New England. This training will enable teachers to hold examination sessions for the DELF at their schools, giving an international official credential to the students who would sit the exam. These teachers will be trained to examine and grade students for the DELF Prim, aimed at children aged 7 to 12, and for the DELF Junior/Scolaire, for children aged 12 to 17.

The course will take place from Wednesday, August 26 to Saturday, August 29 at the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences. It will consist of 24 hours of training and cover DELF levels A1 through B2.

Participation in the training would imply that the teacher's school is willing to implement the DELF exam in 2016 or 2017. In addition, please note that a minimum of 12 participants is required in order to hold this course.

Please sign up by completing this form. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, July 1.

The French Cultural Center is offering a 10-week immersion camp for children ages 3 to 12. Each week centers on a theme and involves a variety of special activities, including visits from exotic animals, puppet shows, cooking, theater, fashion, art, and perfume workshops. (Learn more here.)

For teens, the FCC offers two 2-week immersion camps in July and August for all levels of French speakers. Programming is divided between language and cultural discovery. (Learn more here.)

CAVILAM - Alliance Française is a private establishment of higher learning located in Vichy, in the center of France. CAVILAM (Centre d’Approches Vivantes des Langues et des Médias) was created in 1964 and joined the international network of the Alliance Française in 2012. The school is dedicated to the study and teaching of the French language.

CAVILAM offers courses and workshops for French teachers throughout the summer. These programs are designed to help teachers perfect their own French, become intimately acquainted with French culture, and learn the most effective methods to teach French and inspire the next generation of Francophones.

For more information on CAVILAM and all that it offers for teachers of French, click here.

Did you know that more than 1.3 million people in the United States speak French at home? Check out this map to see the precise distribution of French speakers in the U.S., as well as a fascinating commentary on the Francophone community by Fabrice Jaumont, education attaché at the Embassy of France to the United States. And click here for more information on linguistic diversity in the country from the U.S. Census Bureau.

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