[eal-bilingual] EAL and assessment

Assessment of EAL, as Nicola says, has always been difficult and frequently 
turned into an admin exercise. The only assessment that helps a teacher is a 
profile telling him/her what the child actually knows, in their first 
language and English, and what they need to learn, preferably including what 
they need to learn next. The four levels used in England for many years were 
seriously limited, as they ignored the needs of children who had passed the 
basic level, and the current NC levels are even more restricted. The idea 
that children will make the same progress as native speakers once they get 
beyond level 1 is a typical piece of QCA bunkum, and ignores the fact that 
these children's first language will continue to exert an influence 
throughout their school career. We need a professional approach based on 
direct observation of children with different first languages. We are 
unlikely to get it with these people in charge. John Bald, independent 
consultant. 