
An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Evaluation of English as an Additional Language (EAL)
REPORT
Beaufort College
Navan, County Meath
Roll number: 72010I
Date of inspection: 12 November 2008
Evaluation report on English as an additional language
Whole-school support and provision for EAL
Summary of main findings and recommendations
Report on Provision of English as an Additional Language (EAL)
This report has been written following an evaluation of provision for students learning English as an additional language (EAL) in Beaufort College. It presents the findings of the evaluation of provision, teaching and learning of EAL and makes recommendations for the further development of EAL in the school. The evaluation was conducted over three days during which the inspector visited support and mainstream lessons and observed teaching and learning. The inspector held meetings with the principal and with groups of teachers and students, and reviewed school planning documentation, teachers’ written preparation, and students’ work. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal, deputy principal and EAL teachers. This report forms part of the evidence base for a forthcoming composite report on EAL provision in primary and post-primary schools, intended to inform Department of Education and Science policy and to promote good practice in schools. The board of management was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report; a response was not received from the board.
Beaufort College is a co-educational school and it is included in the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) action plan. Programmes offered for junior and senior cycle students comprise the Junior Certificate; the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP); the established Leaving Certificate and the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programmes. It operates an open and inclusive enrolment policy and aims to achieve “a balanced intake that reflects the community it serves”. In fact, the newcomer population of Navan and its environs is disproportionately represented in the school, forty-one percent of whose students do not have English as their first language.
Beaufort College has an allocation of five whole-time teacher equivalents or 110 hours per week for EAL support. That allocation is used in a number of ways. These are: the formation of an intensive course in English; timetabled EAL lessons and administrative and meeting time for EAL planning. Resources are used in a targeted way, such that they are directed where needs are greatest, and are used flexibly to ensure that the needs of EAL students are being met. The school is committed to ensuring that all students have appropriate access to the full range of programmes and subjects provided. It has established organisational and support structures to achieve this, including the development of a core EAL teaching team and the integration of that team with the student care system. The school’s concern for EAL students is evident in these very positive developments.
The EAL team, comprising five members, has worked with the school’s EAL students for a number of years and has developed considerable experience and expertise in relation to EAL support provision. Two team members have co-ordinating responsibilities and are not involved in delivering the EAL support programme directly. Two of the three teaching members are qualified teachers and both have training and experience in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) as does the third member. Since TEFL courses provide training in communicative and social language acquisition only, members of the teaching team have also benefited from training provided by Integrate Ireland Language and Training (IILT) and from the support available to them through membership of the English Language Support Teachers’ Association. Their planning and teaching is informed by a concern to ensure EAL students’ access to the school curriculum. A sixth teacher provides assistance to sixth-year EAL students in preparing for certificate examinations.
The school’s enrolment procedures are clear and are applied equally to all enrolling students. Incoming first-year students sit pre-entry assessments in March prior to entry. Students enrolling in fifth year are interviewed by the principal and the guidance counsellor. The school reported that, in some instances, the enrolment process gathers little information about EAL students’ educational and language background. The school referred specifically to the failure of many students to provide school reports from their home countries or to provide English translations of these. In discussion with school management, key challenges related to this were identified. These include concerns about child protection issues for EAL students, specifically in relation to determining legal guardianship of some of the students attending the school.
EAL students are assessed using a blend of materials developed by IILT and those provided in the primary school assessment pack, together with the Cambridge Placement Tests. An interview facilitates the assessment of students’ oral proficiency. Students enrolling late in first year are assessed in the same way and those enrolling in fifth year are also assessed. One of the strong features of the admissions process in the school is the availability of translations in Russian, Romanian, Lithuanian and Polish of an information pack provided to all incoming first-year students. This facility is designed to ensure that parents and prospective students feel welcome in the school. EAL students are offered the same subject choices as are the other students in the school. Restrictions in subject choice arise only where a student enrols after the formation of classes. Placement in a class group is determined by the age of the student and his or her proficiency in English. Students are generally admitted to either first or fifth year. It was reported that guidance with regard to subject and programme choices is provided to incoming first-year and fifth-year students by the guidance counsellor. To support this work, it is suggested that handouts on the implications of subject choice in relation to third-level and further education options could be prepared in students’ home languages. The website www.euroguidance.net may be of some help in this regard.
The school has adopted a stepped approach to EAL support and students are prioritised for particular levels of support based on their initial assessments. The provision of EAL support is flexible and varied and may include an intensive language course, special classes and in-class support. This flexibility is excellent practice and is in accordance with the advice to schools in Circular 53/2007. The first level of support is the least intensive and is targeted at those students with good English, many of whom are also studying Irish. These support classes are timetabled against Religious Education and Information and Communications Technology classes (ICT) and at lunchtime. The second level includes these lessons but also includes support classes which are organised at the same time as Irish lessons. Students receiving this level of support are exempt from the study of Irish. The third level of support provided is the most comprehensive and is designed to meet the needs of those students who present with very little English. They are placed on an intensive language course, which runs from November through to the end of the academic year. This course is delivered through classes held for the first three lessons each morning, after which students attend lessons on the mainstream curriculum. Students in this group will also receive the support available at each of the other two levels.
This stepped approach to support delivery has a lot of advantages, particularly for those students at both ends of the proficiency continuum. Students who have been assessed at A1 and A2 are provided with at least twenty EAL support lessons per week, fifteen of which are designed to provide them with the basic interpersonal communication skills needed to negotiate school life. Those students whose proficiency in English is very good have the opportunity to benefit from three or more lessons each week which focus on the language challenges presented by the curriculum they are following and the work in their support lessons is led by the students’ needs. However, there are some difficulties posed by this system of support delivery and regular monitoring and review of its effectiveness is recommended. The review could take account of the fact that the wide range of proficiency levels evident in class groupings at the second level poses particular challenges to the support teacher, who must differentiate work in these classes to ensure that all students benefit. Also, while the rationale for the provision of the intensive English course very commendably draws on the commitment to maximising EAL students’ access to the full curriculum, the operation of the course does involve a degree of compromise. For example, class contact time in each of their mainstream subjects is reduced for EAL students because of their attendance at support lessons each morning. On-going review of these arrangements will ensure that they continue to provide effective support to EAL students. Current disadvantages are offset, for example, by the constant and careful monitoring of EAL students’ progress through the intensive course evident in the school. As a result, students on the intensive course are fully integrated into mainstream classes as soon as their proficiency levels allow and there is no pre-determination that individual students remain on the course until the end of the school year.
At the time of the evaluation, two small dedicated EAL rooms were in use. Both had limited information and communications technology (ICT) resources and were cramped. However, there were plans in place to knock them into one and to create a larger classroom. Once this is realised, a supportive print-rich environment should be created and, as resources allow, the ICT equipment should be updated so that EAL students and teachers can access the wide range of support materials available on the internet. Textbooks, vocabulary lists, IILT teaching materials and bilingual dictionaries are available for students’ use. EAL teachers have also created an impressive array of resources for use in EAL lessons.
School management has accessed and facilitated a number of EAL-relevant in-service courses for the whole staff. These include training in the implementation of the ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ programme; multi-culturalism and a presentation by a local organisation dedicated to fostering a multi-cultural community in County Meath. However, given the high percentage of EAL students enrolled, management and staff stressed a need for subject-specific EAL continuing professional development (CPD) for the whole staff. They reported that recent in-service relating to the Junior Certificate School Programme had been particularly helpful and that many of the teaching strategies suggested for use on this programme were acknowledged by teachers as supportive of EAL students.
At the time of the evaluation, a school library was being developed under the JCSP Demonstration Library Project. In conversation with the inspector, some EAL students indicated that they were losing touch with reading and writing in their home languages. It is suggested that the new school librarian could source dual language books or books in students’ home languages through the local library. Sites such as www.world-newspapers.com and www.onlinenewspapers.com can also provide useful material.
College documentation and observation of practice during the inspection visit indicated a very good standard of planning for EAL support. A number of relevant policies—admissions, pastoral care, guidance, code of behaviour, intercultural and inclusion policy, for example—have been developed. Translations of some of these policies and of related documents are available, for example, the school rules are available in Russian, Romanian, Lithuanian and Polish. The intercultural and inclusion policy was developed in the context of school development planning and is a short document which focuses on expressing the school’s commitment to welcoming and providing for all the students in the local community. It is scheduled for review this year and it is recommended that it should be developed to include a description of the roles and responsibilities of senior management; of the guidance counsellor, the EAL teaching team and the two EAL co-ordinators, one of whom is the home-school-community liaison (HSCL) officer. This latter role facilitates the integration of the EAL support structures with the student care system in the school and this should be reflected in the policy document. The contribution and responsibilities of all mainstream class teachers should also be clarified. An outline of the language proficiency assessment procedures and a description of the EAL supports offered should be included. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) publication Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School may provide some help with this review.
Regular, effective, EAL team meetings are appropriately documented. These meetings allow for discussion of students’ progress through the support programme. Practical arrangements for conducting assessments and for the organisation of the intercultural week are also facilitated at the meetings. EAL team members have clear roles, designed to draw on the professional strengths of each teacher. One of the co-ordinators focuses on the administrative arrangements for EAL students, including maintaining records of assessment tests, management of their school records and placement in class groups. The second co-ordinator, the HSCL officer, liaises with parents throughout the students’ time in Beaufort College to ensure that they have an understanding of school organisation and rules and to work with them in addressing any difficulties students may experience. The EAL teachers administer language proficiency assessments; make recommendations about the level of support required by individual students; plan an appropriate support programme and deliver that programme through the intensive course and withdrawal classes. The professionalism of the members of the EAL team and their enthusiasm for their work were very much in evidence during the evaluation.
A very good EAL department plan has been developed, outlining programmes of work for all EAL support classes. The intensive EAL course offered focuses on the attainment of communicative English in the context of the school and draws on school documents like the code of behaviour and notices like the canteen menu as resources for teaching and learning. The withdrawal support programme outlined in the department plan draws on the IILT curriculum framework and focuses on learning outcomes related to the acquisition of the language of instruction. There is a commendable emphasis on helping students meet the language demands posed by a range of subjects on the school curriculum. The planning documentation for both forms of support clearly identifies the knowledge, ski lls and learning outcomes that EAL students should acquire on a staged basis. As these are reviewed, it is suggested that language learning outcomes should be expressed in the context of mainstream subjects.
Planning for EAL students by mainstream subject departments is developing. It was reported in the school that a strong curriculum focus in EAL lessons was found to be very effective last year where it was supported by subject departments who provided the EAL teachers with materials and guidelines for teaching. The mathematics department, for example, provided useful teaching material. Some subject departments have developed policies regarding the targeted support of EAL students within their subject, for example, the home economics department. Subject planning practices such as these support a co-ordinated approach to language support so that the work done in the language support class is aligned with and complements language development strategies used in the mainstream class. Planning for the needs of EAL students is good practice and one that should be introduced by all subject departments. It is also recommended that all subject department plans should include a clear statement about the use of students’ home languages and of bilingual dictionaries in the classroom. The current intercultural and inclusion policy suggests that only English should be spoken. In that regard, it is suggested that, where a number of students share a home language, peer-tutoring can be used to support EAL students as they come to grips with the cognitive and academic demands of the curriculum. It is good practice to accompany this tutoring with explicit teaching of the necessary subject-specific vocabulary by the class teacher.
Communication between the EAL teachers and mainstream class teachers was reported in the school to be very good. The progress of EAL students is discussed at every staff meeting and there is regular informal contact between the EAL team and year heads. However, while class teachers are aware of the ladder of referral used in the school to indicate difficulties being experienced by EAL students—through the tutor to the year head and then to the care team—it was not clear that teachers are always aware of support interventions which are agreed as a consequence. It is suggested that consideration should be given to the development of a feedback mechanism which ensures that mainstream teachers are informed, as appropriate, of the decisions made by the care team.
Individual EAL teachers have developed termly schemes of work for students at different levels of English language proficiency corresponding to IILT’s benchmarks. These were clearly written and had an appropriate focus on language learning outcomes. In all cases, teachers had prepared a wide array of teaching and learning resources which were filed in shared folders.
Five EAL support lessons and four mainstream lessons were observed. Teachers’ individual planning was of a high standard and effective teaching and learning resulted. Measures to support the inclusion of all students were evident in both support and mainstream lessons. These included pair and small-group work with good distribution of EAL students, careful explanation of procedures and the affirmation of students’ efforts.
The four mainstream lessons observed were evaluated from the EAL perspective. In each, expectations of the learning to be achieved were clear and were shared with students. Teachers were adept at identifying and teaching the key vocabulary which would be used in the lesson. For example, one lesson opened with revision of a list of subject-specific terms which had been learned previously. Very good use was made of ICT to provide visual clues to language learners and there was an appropriate emphasis on correct pronunciation. In another lesson, the concept ‘though’ was explored by the class before they encountered its use in a text and students were provided with a glossary to which they could refer as the lesson progressed. The effectiveness of pre-teaching vocabulary was evident in the ability of students to engage with the lesson content. In both these classrooms, the environment was particularly supportive, with good visual resources, including key word lists, on display.
Visuals and repetition were used in the majority of lessons to support and reinforce learning. However, there is scope to use ICT more often to support EAL students. Possible uses include summarising in bullet point format the key ideas in lesson materials; accessing audio-visual support resources and the provision of illustrations which clarify concepts and, where relevant, cultural context. The internet is also a rich source of images which can be used to ensure that visual aids used in class reflect the diverse cultures of the school.
Pair work and group work was used in most of the mainstream classes and it was organised to ensure the integration of EAL and non-EAL students. For example, in a lesson observed the composition of work groups was determined by the teacher, resulting in careful placement of students so that all students were encouraged to participate orally and to contribute to the class. Groups included EAL students with varying levels of proficiency in English. While the lesson was delivered in English and students were strongly encouraged to use English in their group discussions, this arrangement allowed students who shared the same home language to support each other by explaining the task to be achieved. The benefit of allowing limited home language use in the classroom is that it can help develop EAL students’ understanding of the conceptual content of the work and support their engagement with the material being studied. At the same time, classroom discussion in English provides EAL students with opportunities to assimilate the language models of fluent English speakers.
In the lessons observed, teachers mediated meaning effectively through modelling and demonstration. This was evident, for example, in a practical lesson. The EAL students in this class had achieved level B1 proficiency and were confident following the general instructions to the class. Where additional help was needed, the teacher circulated to provide students with individual guidance. The teacher demonstrated the step in the task to be completed during the lesson and encouraged all students to ask for clarification.
The support lessons observed were very well prepared. Students who had been assessed at A1 level had just begun the intensive support course, having spent the first half-term settling into the school. The group included both first-year students and fifth-year students and there was a strong focus in these lessons on the use of English as it is encountered in the curriculum and in school life. Very good use was made of school material such as the canteen menu to help EAL students navigate school life and to build school-referenced vocabulary. Whole group instruction was used to introduce new vocabulary and sentence forms and students were invited to rehearse the pronunciation through repetition. There was limited communication between students in the lessons observed, and this is explained by the fact that the course had only just begun. The teacher’s planning notes indicated that more frequent opportunities to use English to converse with one another will arise as the course develops.
The range of students in the other support classes visited was also quite varied. Class groups included those who were attending the intensive course and those who had good English but who had an exemption from Irish. The recommendation to monitor this model of provision made earlier is repeated here. Such a review process should ensure that support provision is determined by the level of student need, rather than the exigencies of the timetable. Teachers handled the challenges posed by this arrangement very competently and the material covered focused primarily on particular aspects of language, for example, paragraph construction or question attack skills. Students generally worked on set tasks independently in these lessons, assimilating subject-specific terminology in the process. This allowed the teacher to provide support on an individual basis where difficulties were being experienced. Whilst this arrangement facilitated differentiation of instruction, it also curtailed opportunities for students to develop and practise their oral skills. It is suggested that the employment of a range of teaching strategies which ensure plenty of opportunities for talk should be included in the support plan for all EAL students.
Visual cues and vocabulary webs were used to good effect in the support lessons observed and teachers modeled appropriate strategies for tackling the range of tasks covered. In one support lesson, for example, the teacher helped students to identify the topic sentence in paragraphs and decipher meaning from contextual clues. As the lesson progressed, students applied these strategies to their work. There was an appropriate emphasis on pronunciation in another lesson, where a round-robin format was used to reinforce learning.
There was evidence of good student learning in all the lessons observed. Students communicated effectively with their peers during group work and were confident when responding to their teachers. The student portfolios maintained by the EAL teachers indicated progression in proficiency in written work, though the quality of the work reflected the range of language support needs presented by students. In many cases, first and second draft work evidenced the commitment of students to improve. However, in many instances, EAL students struggled to develop their ideas adequately in writing. It is suggested that greater use, in both EAL support and mainstream classrooms, of graphic organisers, tables, writing frames and other directed activities related to texts would be of help to students. The resources section on the Junior Certificate School Programme, www.jcsp.ie and the EAL section on the NCCA’s “Action” support website, available through www.ncca.ie, can provide support to teachers in this regard. A third website which may be helpful is the English language support section of the Trinity Immigration Initiative website (www.tcd.ie/immigration).
EAL students’ progress is carefully monitored through a variety of means. In-class assessment is differentiated to meet the language learning needs of EAL students and homework is set and marked regularly in mainstream classes. The school reported very good, though often informal, liaison between mainstream teachers and the EAL support team. It is suggested that this could usefully be supplemented by the use of a feedback sheet to be used by mainstream teachers. In this way, those teachers can monitor and report on the progress of EAL students following their re-integration into mainstream lessons on completion of the intensive course.
The EAL teachers administer language proficiency tests annually to monitor the progress made by all EAL students receiving support. They jointly publish an annual report to management, detailing the needs of students for on-going support and they have developed a system to prioritise provision for those who most need it. In this way, assessment determines the support offered to EAL students on an on-going basis and informs appropriate progression to and within mainstream classes.
In the EAL support classes, assessments of the students’ progress are carried out regularly. The English Language Proficiency Benchmarks are applied effectively to measure students’ progress and a profile of EAL students’ progress is available in their language portfolios. EAL coursework draws on curriculum materials and assignments are set on completion of each module. In the copies examined, it was evident that feedback on their written work focuses appropriately on language acquisition. EAL students’ progress in the intensive course is assessed daily. Very good use is made of a teacher-designed report form to chart their learning across the four language domains. This report is presented in an easily understood, highly visual format and is sent home to parents each day. This is in keeping with the excellent EAL evaluation practice evident in the school. Through the use of such reports, the language portfolios and the inclusion of a report on EAL lessons in school progress reports ensure that EAL students and their parents are provided with clear information about their developing language skills in English. However, the school reported that there are particular difficulties communicating with a significant number of parents who do not speak English and this has limited the effectiveness of the school’s strategies to provide information to parents.
Beaufort College has a well-developed student care system. A school care team has been established, bringing together key personnel in the school to address students’ needs. This team meets weekly and EAL students’ needs are discussed in the same context as are the needs of other students. The team comprises the principal, the guidance counsellor, the learning support department, year heads and the school’s HSCL officer, who is also one of the EAL co-ordinators. By bringing together a range of specialist expertise on this team, the school facilitates the development of integrated support for all students, including EAL students.
All class groups in the school are assigned a tutor and a year head and these teachers play a key role in ensuring that EAL students settle into the college. Where difficulties arise, relating either to the academic progress or social integration of EAL students, there are clear procedures in place for identifying and implementing an appropriate intervention. This may involve referral either to the learning support department, the EAL department or the guidance counsellor. It was reported in the school that it is difficult to assess the special educational needs of EAL students and that the learning support department has been working with the local NEPS psychologist to address the challenges being experienced. The Department of Education and Science Circular Letter 99/2007 contains some information on a range of tests, including non-verbal tests, which may be useful in this regard. Currently, EAL students are supported solely through the EAL programme, where careful profiling and targeted support address learning needs.
All enrolling EAL students are interviewed prior to the commencement of the school year. The purpose of the interview is to ascertain their previous educational experiences and their support needs. The guidance counsellor provides information and guidance to EAL students and their parents at this time to guide their subject choices. Where students enroll after the commencement of the school year or after option bands have been generated, the guidance counsellor meets with each to determine how the curriculum choices available can best meet the needs of individual students.
The school actively promotes and encourages the participation of EAL parents in school activities. The HSCL has a particular remit to support students and their families in accessing the school’s services. Very good attention has been paid to inviting the parents or guardians of EAL students into the school and to become involved in their children’s education. A particular strength of the school’s inclusion measures is the operation of a dedicated support group for parents of EAL students in the school, operated by the HSCL. It was reported that this has been fairly successful in bringing parents into the school and familiarising them with key school personnel and procedures. This year, parents of EAL students attended the annual general meeting of the parents’ association for the first time and have become members. The school has also established links with a number of external bodies, for example, Cultúr, to support parents and EAL students.
During the evaluation, school management, members of the care team and the EAL team highlighted the need for translation services. Although the school has translated a significant number of school documents into five languages, the inability to communicate in a face-to-face setting with some parents is a source of frustration. It has limited the extent of their involvement with the school and with their children’s education. It was reported as a particular difficulty at enrolment, at parent-teacher meetings and where issues arise relating to students’ attendance and behaviour.
The physical school environment reflects respect for diversity. School photographs on display reflect an inclusive and diverse school population. The success of measures taken in the school to actively encourage EAL students to participate in extracurricular activities was evident also. EAL students’ successes on the sports field and in the many school clubs are celebrated in photographs and in the local media. The school estimated that in excess of sixty percent of EAL students are involved in the extracurricular programme. An intercultural week is arranged annually and during an interview EAL students spoke very positively of their experience of this event. They reported that it had been an enjoyable event which reinforced their sense of inclusion in the school community. EAL students are actively encouraged to participate in the students’ council, where they comprise fifty percent of the membership.
The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:
· Beaufort College operates an open and inclusive enrolment policy and aims to achieve “a balanced intake that reflects the community it serves”. The school has established organisational and support structures
to ensure that all students have appropriate access to the full range of programmes and subjects available.
· The EAL team, comprising five members of staff, has worked with the school’s EAL students for a number of years and has developed considerable experience and expertise in relation to EAL support provision.
· The school has adopted a stepped approach to EAL support and students are prioritised for particular levels of support based on initial and ongoing assessments.
· School management has accessed and facilitated a number of EAL-relevant in-service courses for the whole staff.
· A very good EAL department plan has been developed, outlining programmes of work for all EAL support classes. The programme outlined in the department plan draws on the IILT curriculum framework and
focuses on learning outcomes related to the acquisition of language of instruction.
· Some subject departments have developed policies regarding the targeted support of EAL students within their subject.
· Teachers’ planning for individual lessons, in both support and mainstream classes, was of a high standard and effective teaching and learning resulted.
· Teachers mediated meaning effectively through the use of visual cues, repetition, modelling and demonstration. Where additional help was needed, the teacher circulated to provide students with individual
guidance.
· There was evidence of good student learning in all the lessons observed.
· EAL students’ progress is carefully monitored. Daily progress reports for those on the intensive course, the maintenance of language portfolios and the inclusion of EAL lessons in school progress reports ensure
that EAL students and their parents are provided with clear information about their developing language skills in English.
· A school care team has been established, bringing together key personnel in the school to address students’ needs.
· A particular strength of the school’s inclusion measures is the operation of a dedicated support group for parents of EAL students in the school.
· A range of activities is organised to promote inclusion and celebrate cultural diversity.
As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
· As resources allow, the ICT equipment should be updated so that EAL students and teachers can access the wide range of support materials available on the internet.
· The intensive course should be regularly reviewed to ensure that the benefits to students outweigh the impact on their access to curriculum.
· As the intercultural and inclusion policy is reviewed, it should include a description of the roles and responsibilities of senior management; home-school-community liaison officer (HSCL); the EAL administrative
co-ordinator; the guidance counsellor; the EAL teaching team and class teachers. Assessment procedures should be specified and a description of the EAL supports offered should be included.
· Subject department planning should be developed to include clear statements about the function of students’ home languages and the use of bilingual dictionaries in the classroom and it should include planning
for explicit teaching of the language of instruction relevant to the subjects being taught.
A meeting was held with members of the EAL teaching team, the principal and deputy principal following the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.
Published April 2009