Assessing Proficiency In English

1. Partners on the pathway to a positive future for children and young people Assessing Proficiency In English EAL networks Autumn 2018 www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

2. The story so far… • 2016 – DfE introduced measures of proficiency in English into the school census • Jan 2017 – schools were required to submit data on EAL pupil’s proficiency in English for the 1st time • Dec 2017 – published report relating to the collection of this data • Jan 2018 – schools were required to submit data on EAL pupil’s proficiency in English for the 2nd time • June 2018 – DfE announced they were removing this requirement from the school census www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

3. Published data www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

4. Published data Accompanying tables break this data down further into each area across the country. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-nationality-country-of-birth-and-proficiency-in-english www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

5. Your reaction Discussion: If there is no requirement from the DfE to report information on an EAL pupil’s proficiency in English should a school continue to complete these assessments? Try to think of 2 reasons for continuing and 2 reasons to stop. www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

6. National Perspective There is a general consensus that: “ proficiency in English can provide essential information about an EAL learner’s likelihood to succeed in school and potential need for support” (Strand & Demie, 2005, Strand, Malmberg & Hall, 2015; Strand & Hessel, 2018) www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

7. Research base • English as an Additional Language, proficiency in English and pupils’ educational achievement: An analysis of Local Authority data (Prof. S. Strand, A.Hessel. 2018) • School approaches to the education of EAL students – Language development, social integration and achievement. (M. Arnot, C Schneide, M. Evans, Y. Liu, OI. Welply and D. Davies-Tutt. 2014) www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

8. Research base • Language development and school achievement – Opportunities and challenges in the education of EAL students ( C.Schneider, M. Hu,M. Evans, M. arnot, L. Fisher, K. Forbes and Y, Liu) • Educational Outcomes of Children with English as an Additional Language. (J. Hutchinson, 2018) www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

9. Research base English as an Additional Language, proficiency in English and pupils’ educational achievement: An analysis of Local Authority data (Prof. S. Strand, A.Hessel. 2018) Focused on three areas of how Proficiency in English impacted on pupil achievement in education. www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

10. Do groups of EAL pupils differ in their proficiency in English? What mattered most for EAL pupils’ degree of English proficiency was not their gender or FSM eligibility, but their age. The low levels of fluency in English in the early years suggest that language support would be most warranted in Reception and KS1. Early support would be particularly beneficial since the earlier a pupil catches up with their language skills, the earlier they can access the curriculum. In later years, support may be needed for fewer pupils, but is still warranted, particularly for pupils who are new to the country. If the aspiration of the school system is to provide full access to the (English language) curriculum to all pupils, language support would still be needed for one in six EAL pupils at KS4 www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

11. Is EAL pupil’s proficiency in English linked to their educational attainment? • EAL pupils with different levels of English proficiency vary greatly in their achievement. • EAL pupils’ attainment increases linearly with greater English proficiency, indicating a strong link between fluency in English and overall educational achievement. • EAL pupils with strong proficiency in English typically score well above the national average for monolingual English speakers, bit those with lower proficiency tended to score below. www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

12. How much of EAL pupil’s attainment can proficiency in English explain? www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

13. Research base School approaches to the education of EAL students – Language development, social integration and achievement. (M. Arnot, C Schneide, M. Evans, Y. Liu, OI. Welply and D. Davies-Tutt. 2014) This report focused on • Identifying the contribution that primary and secondary schools make to addressing the language development, social integration and academic achievement of EAL students. • To understand school practice regarding these areas in primary and secondary schools from the perspective of school management, teachers, children and parents and thus, highlighting the potential of such practice to address the diversity of school population in a constructive way. www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

14. Research base Language development and school achievement – Opportunities and challenges in the education of EAL students ( C.Schneider, M. Hu,M. Evans, M. arnot, L. Fisher, K. Forbes and Y, Liu) Recommendations relating to measurement of Proficiency in English: • Flexible initial assessment • Assessment procedures/diagnostic tools www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

15. Next Steps • Liaise with SLT to communicate the key messages around the importance assessment of Proficiency in English. • Decide which Proficiency in English assessment scale your setting will use • Build this into the schools usual assessment timetable • Train staff • Moderate judgements • Use the data www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

16. Remember to ask your PSS teacher for support Terri Cawser(terri.cawser@birmingham.gov.uk) www.accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk