[eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment

From: <Sara.Green at rbkc.gov.uk>

http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/esl/esl.html is a good place to start.

-----Original Message-----
From: Luan Porter [mailto:luan.porter at hotmail.com] 
Sent: 10 September 2007 18:26
To: eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk; graham.smith737 at ntlworld.com
Subject: RE: [eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment

HI
I'm new to this mailing list.
I've been following this discussion with some interest.
The 'Stages of English' (ie 1-5) were introduced in Scotland just 2 years 
ago. Since this time we (ie the EAL practitioners) and mainstream colleagues

have been required to use them to make an annual return on all bilingual 
pupils (that's the theory at least). Obviously there are some 'challenges' 
with these stages and I'm about to have another look at LIC but would also 
like a recommendation of where to find out more about the Australian 
assessment systems you speak of, and also to ask in which LEA would I find 
best practice in this area?

Many thanks
Luan

(Headteacher of City of Edinburgh EAL Service)

>From: <Sara.Green at rbkc.gov.uk>
>Reply-To: For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic 
>andlinguistic minorities <eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
>To: <graham.smith737 at ntlworld.com>,<eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
>Subject: RE: [eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment
>Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:10:50 +0100
>
>I would agree with you totally on the point about us having a national 
>system for EAL assessment that is on a par with some of the Australian 
>systems, but while time on LIC (and Hilary Hester's EAL assessment) does 
>not help teachers to recognise, meet the distinctive needs of EAL learners 
>or develop
>their professional skills, I do think that the process in some LAs for 
>assessing and moderating EAL across schools to ensure consistency does, and

>is worthwhile. Where there is a consistent and visible pattern of under 
>attainment year on year for all EAL learners not yet fully fluent in 
>English (in
>all phases of schooling when analysed by their EAL 'stage')when compared to

>other groups of pupils, such data, even when at a local level, is still 
>powerful.
>
>Sara
>
>Sara Green
>Head of Language Development Service
>Family and Children's Services Kensington and Chelsea
>Isaac Newton PDC
>108a Lancaster Road
>London W11 1QS
>
>Tel: 020 7598 4817
>Fax: 020 7598 4808
>
>Email: sara.green at rbkc.gov.uk
>www.rbkc.gov.uk/eal14to19
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Graham Smith [mailto:graham.smith737 at ntlworld.com]
>Sent: 07 September 2007 10:18
>To: Green, Sara: FCS-SchDiv; eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk
>Subject: RE: [eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment
>
>Recognising and meeting distinctive needs is about teachers' professional
>skills. I'd rather spend money on developing those skills than collecting
>stages of English.
>
>In the end most people I suspect would agree that the solution we want is a
>national EAL assessment system that is more like the ones available in
>Australian states than LIC. In its absence we have to pragmatic decisions
>about limited resources.
>
>Graham
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sara.Green at rbkc.gov.uk [mailto:Sara.Green at rbkc.gov.uk]
>Sent: 07 September 2007 08:57
>To: graham.smith737 at ntlworld.com; eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk
>Subject: RE: [eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment
>
>I do wonder why cost/expense and time taken to assess needs have become the
>issues rather than what is educationally justifiable and necessary for what
>is a hugely significant pupil population in UK schools, especially when we
>consider how much funding and time has been invested in other forms of
>assessment and moderation for different groups of children since 1988?
>Surely the issue we ought to be considering is not just who EAL beginner 
>and
>advanced learners are from how long they have been in the school system
>although this is a start, but what their distinctive/additional language
>development needs are and how we can meet them. If you don't use an
>assessment mechanism that recognises/identifies these distinctive needs 
>that
>we all know second language learners have, and take the time that would be
>allowed to ensure consistency in all other forms of assessment (NC, SEN, FS
>to
>name a few...) then how on earth can teachers really know what EAL needs 
>are
>and how best to support their learners ?
>
>Sara
>
>Sara Green
>Head of Language Development Service
>Family and Children's Services Kensington and Chelsea
>Isaac Newton PDC
>108a Lancaster Road
>London W11 1QS
>
>Tel: 020 7598 4817
>Fax: 020 7598 4808
>
>Email: sara.green at rbkc.gov.uk
>www.rbkc.gov.uk/eal14to19
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
>[mailto:eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Graham Smith
>Sent: 06 September 2007 22:10
>To: 'stuart.scott'; 'For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from
>ethnicandlinguistic minorities'
>Subject: RE: [eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment
>
>While we expect and encourage schools in Islington to use LIC (yes, I know
>what its imperfections are but they are no greater than the many versions 
>of
>Hilary Hester I've seen in use), we no longer collect EAL data (of the 
>stage
>or level variety) centrally because we don't have a use for it.
>
>EMAG is distributed to primary schools on the basis of ethnic minority
>groups most at risk of underachievement and mobility and to secondary
>schools on the basis of the prior attainment of ethnic minority pupils plus
>a bit for mobility.
>
>Neither stages of English nor LIC have ever given us very reliable
>information across the borough about either progress or need. Collecting
>them requires a lot of bureaucracy in schools and centrally. We decided it
>was better to spend our time concentrating on teaching and learning.
>
>What we do do is  interrogate PLASC and our language census (included in
>PLASC from next year) very rigorously and use all of that data when looking
>at GCSE and SATs outcomes.
>
>The one thing I've always worried about is having accurate figures and the
>number and location of beginners. I found in all the boroughs I've worked 
>in
>that Hester and LIC are too inconsistently interpreted or that the
>bureaucracy involved in gaining a degree of consistency is too expensive.
>What we now do in Islington is use a combination of language data and UPNs
>from PLASC to pinpoint beginners. UPNs are increasingly reliable (i.e., you
>no longer get a new one every time you use school). The ninth and tenth
>digit of each one say when the pupil started UK schooling. So we know, for
>example, which Lingala speakers have been in UK schooling for one year, two
>years, three years etc. At school level you need to know about months not
>just years, but at LA level years are fine. I think you get better quality
>information and do less work to get it this way.
>
>
>Graham Smith
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
>[mailto:eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of stuart.scott
>Sent: 06 September 2007 09:47
>To: eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk
>Subject: [eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment
>
>Many of you will probably remember the article in the EMAU newsletter
>and will have read Nicola Davies's response in the new section of the
>NALDIC website. I have pasted it here to jog your memories since this
>all happened just before the summer break.
>
>"The recent EMAU Newsletter from the Department for Children, Schools
>and Families (DCSF)contains a rather odd article entitled 'EAL
>Assessment Reminder'. This article notes that Recent feedback from
>local authorities and EAL practitioners suggests differences in
>approach when assessing pupils learning EAL. Whilst the majority of LAs
>have adopted the QCA steps, we're told that others are still using
>other scales as the basis for EAL assessment.
>
>Rather than question why, nearly eight years after the publication of
>A language in common and despite considerable pressure to adopt the QCA
>steps, many EAL practitioners still question whether these are 'fit for
>purpose' and continue using EAL stages, the EMAU has chosen instead to
>remind practitioners that they 'do not support alternative scales'.
>
>The Summer 2007 EMAU newsletter can be downloaded from http://www.
>standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/resources/emaunewsletterjuly07.
>pdf "
>
>I mulled over this, and here are some thoughts I want to share, and
>will welcome your comments.
>
>I have never been an enthusiastic supporter of Language in Common, and
>like Nicola doubt it fitness for purpose for several groups of EAL
>learners, but be that as it may, I think there are other pressures
>around which are likely to make it difficult for EMAG teachers who are
>using Language in Common with the pupils it may be best suited for  to
>use it effectively. I think these pressures may be skewing EAL
>assessment.
>
>LIC steps are not welcomed by the folk, who do the counting for LAs.
>(I am reminded of the Count in Sesame Street here!). They use Excel
>type software and need numbers not words. Currently these 'Counters'
>are pressuring heads for numbers because the DCFS is pressuring LAs for
>numbers. This is tied into all the work going into Raise on Line and
>online target setting.
>
>DCFS are promoting P scales heavily at the moment and providing lots
>of data software support to back this up. P scales as you well know are
>specifically designed for children with special needs. They break down
>development into very small chunks cross a wide range of indicators to
>help to identify specific special needs eg autistic children. P scales
>are numbers and fit on spreadsheets. They are not suitable for
>assessing bilingual learners unless of course the bilingual learners
>also have special needs.
>
>Currently there is not a clear correlation between Foundation levels
>and NC levels.
>
>What is the result of all this pressure?
>
>LAs are pressuring schools to use P scales for any child pre level 1.
>So very young summer born children who are not yet working at level
>one, and would be best assessed on foundation stage levels are having P
>scales attached to them to satisfy the 'Counts'.
>
>And so are pupils learning English.
>
>Is this happening in your school/authority?
>
>Best wishes, Stuart
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Collaborative Learning Project, 17 Barford Street, London N1 0QB
>Supporting a cooperative network of teaching professionals to develop and
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