Pilot EAL Programme
Executive Summary
Assessment used
For our main assessments, we used KSATs 10-minute online tests for ease of use for J, as this was the first time J had been formally assessed. These 10-minute tests were administered in sets of three for both English and Maths. They generated random KSAT questions from both English and Maths curricula. We will continue to use these tests as interim tests to check on overall progress. However, next term depending on J’s progress with her acquisition of academic English, we will use more formal KSAT testing as our summative assessments, especially for Maths (we already use this resource for English Reading Comprehension).
Assessment Strategy
From our baseline assessment, we identified the specific areas of focus that we needed to approach first.
Core Subject Progress
See Education Plan
See our scheme of work and lesson diaries
Provision: Monday, Wednesday and Friday
English
Since English is J’s fourth language, we needed to use her first language, French as a scaffold for the acquisition of academic English. This meant that although we covered other areas in our learning scheme, we thought that the following English language competencies would be useful as initial tools for accessing both English and Maths curricula:
• Reading Comprehension – general importance for accessing text in both English and Maths questions
• Interrogatives – introducing quantities and introducing maths problem solving using words
• Making Sentences – building and using vocabulary
• Punctuation – helping to write sentences
We chose to create and assess interventions with scores that helped us to evaluate progress in these specific areas.
Maths
For Maths, we chose the following as important initial areas of study (alongside other curriculum learning), identified by the baseline assessment:
• Fractions
• Telling Time and Finding Duration – an extension of Fractions and is a Life skill
• Problem solving using words – requiring specific development of academic English vocabulary
Like we did with English, we chose to create and assess interventions with scores that helped us to evaluate progress in these specific areas.
Headline Assessment Scores
English
We found that the greatest gains made were in her acquisition of academic English language skills. In her main KSATs 10-minute online tests, she made the following gains
between her baseline and summative tests:
• Test 1: 45%, +5% increase
• Test 2: 50%, +25% increase
• Test 3: 60%, +25% increase
The tests were randomised. To see the areas J had difficulty with (due to topics not yet covered), read here
We can break down these general scores to look at progress with the specified competencies
• Reading Comprehension: 70%
• Interrogatives: 100%
• Making Sentences: 100%
• Punctuation: 90%
To see how specific interventions led to the scores above, read here
Maths
We found that J’s greatest areas of difficulty were with Maths because of the double whammy of understanding the academic English used in the questions and the mathematical concepts themselves. In her main KSATs 10-minute online tests, here are her gains and apparent losses between the baseline and summative tests:
• Test 1: 50%, +17% increase
• Test 2: 33.3%, -8.3% decrease
• Test 3: 41.7%, -16.6% decrease
The tests were randomised. To see the areas J had difficulty with (due to topics not yet covered), read here
We can break down these general scores to look at progress with the specified competencies
• Fractions: 79%
• Telling Time and Finding Duration: 87%
• Problem solving using words: 50%
To see how specific interventions led to the scores above, read here
Note with a 50% score for Problem solving using words, we can see that English language is still a significant challenge for J.
Strategies moving forward
As can be read in our scheme of work and lesson diaries, we intend to do the following:
• Increase the use of a English to French dictionary to accelerate academic vocabulary acquisition (see, week 3 English)
• Continue with the focused use of the Reading Comprehension to not only improve general comprehension but to model different uses of language e.g. punctuation (see, week 5 English)
• Increase the use of reflective learning to develop independent and critical learning, where J is more aware of her own learning process and is able understand her mistakes and how to correct them for the future (see, week 6 English)
• Curriculum focus for next term to be discussed in INSET. Our scheme of work and lesson diaries will be updated accordingly.
PSHE Progress
See Education Plan
Provision: Tuesday and Thursday
This term, our sessions covered three main areas:
• Introduction to UNICEF Children’s Rights. Read here
• A Visit to a local IT company – Apprenticeship Opportunities. Read here, here and here
• Chat about future GCSE choices. Read week 3: Maths, here
Strategies moving forward
• Increase participation in KS3/4 classes in order for J to get a greater feel for what she is aiming for.
• Encourage personal goal setting, college preparations and career planning.
• Encourage independent learning
We are pleased to report that since working with us for three half terms, J has since gained a place at college to study KS3 Maths, English and French.
Report: English as an Additional Language, Proficiency in English and rate of progression: Pupil, school and LA variation. Read here.