Best Practice

Practical strategies for assessing students who use EAL

How can we assess learners who use English as an additional language, taking into account their often diverse and distinctive language needs? Emily Curran offers some practical strategies, pointers and signposts to useful resources
Image: Adobe Stock

Assessment is a fundamental aspect of teaching and is well-addressed in schools. Assessing learners who use English as an additional language (EAL) though may be a new challenge for some teachers.

Carrying out EAL assessments during the autumn term can provide a baseline for the year which can be used to inform teaching. As such, this article outlines some strategies for conducting effective and holistic EAL assessments so that you can better understand your EAL learners, including their proficiency in English, curriculum knowledge, and home language proficiency.

Having a deeper understanding of these areas will inform planning and teaching, supporting you to ensure that your learners have the best chance of succeeding.

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