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EAL and assessments


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Just completing the end of autumn term progress charts.

We have 4 EAL children who can speak very little English at the moment. So I'm struggling to complete UTW areas of learning as the children don't contribute to discussions or chat with adults in English in class.

I'm confident that there English will improve dramatically by the end of the year. We've made a class "special events" book and we use this to chat with the children and encourage them to talk about special events in school.

But as things stand these children (on paper) don't look as though they are making progress.

Anyone else find this or is there something I should be doing?

Thanks

Gretna

^_^

 

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How does your school assess EAL children's development of English?

 

NB For the EYFSP You can assess all areas of learning except the CLL and literacy ones in the child's home language (Handbook p15). Para 1.8 of the statutory framework says the same for on-going assessment of EAL learners, so I would see this also means you can use home language assessment for all other AsOL.

Cx

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Not sure if this is any help to you, but you could perhaps make comments in the relevant areas for UTW - it would at least show that you are assessing. I can post it as a 'Word' doc if it's of use.

x

Yes please...to the Word! Are the Stages referred to in the document related to any other document, eg QCA, , or are they your own stages?

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How does your school assess EAL children's development of English?

 

NB For the EYFSP You can assess all areas of learning except the CLL and literacy ones in the child's home language (Handbook p15). Para 1.8 of the statutory framework says the same for on-going assessment of EAL learners, so I would see this also means you can use home language assessment for all other AsOL.

Cx

do you have any tips for how to achieve this catma? only i have 9 languages spoken in the setting and i do find this an issue...some of the parents do not speak English also so i cant even ask them to translate. Some things are obvious but UTW is the most difficult to find evidence for IMO.

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It's never easy! In a school EYFS setting I always had access to a wider range of support staff who generally came from the communities the school served so we had lots of different first languages and I have always worked in inner city multi lingual areas. I know this is not the case for many others!

I do think that it is not necessarily looking for everything in each age/stage band (whatever document you are using, but getting a sense of the age appropriate other skills that are comparable to any other child you are saying is in the same band. There are generally indicative statements in the bands which may not rely on a child's use of language so much but on adults close observations of their behaviours/responses. The 22-36 band of The World for example: "Enjoys playing with small-world models such as a farm, a garage, or a train track. Notices detailed features of objects in their environment." could be observed through the child's interests, fascinations, actions and responses. Similarly "Knows how to operate simple equipment, e.g. turns on CD player and uses remote control. would indicate a child in 30 - 50 technology, just as it might for anyone else.

Obviously the continuous provision has to enable the kinds of interactions that will allow children with little English, in a setting where English is the dominant language, to demonstrate those skills.

Otherwise, the usual links with parents and relatives is a source of assessment information where there is English spoken.

Whether you use Hilary Hester scales or A language in Common I do think it is important to remember that only the child's development in English language use is being assessed, not their global cognitive development or language development per se.

Cx

Edited by catma
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Hi this has been very useful and thanks for download but I can't open the word one can anyone else and it's me? Sorry xx

Maybe the fomat it is in, as it is a .docx file... maybe some kind person could repost it in an earler version of word, that may help..sorry do not have word to do it.

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