Research shows that it can take EAL pupils around 2 years to develop a conversational level proficiency in a language. Jim Cummins developed the idea of BICS (basic interpersonal communication skills) and CALP (cognitive academic language proficiency) to demonstrate the difference between conversational English language, and the language proficiency required to succeed in a school setting. The differences between these two kinds of language proficiency are evident in a comparison of a 6-year-old and a 13-year-old native English speaker. Large differences are found in their ability to read and write English and in depth and breadth of their vocabulary, but there is much less difference in their conversational proficiency. EAL learners can reach peer-appropriate conversational EAL proficiency within around two years, but it takes around 5-7 years for them to acquire academic proficiency in English.
This distinction is important because it impacts what a child can be expected to do in lessons and the amount and style of support they needs to progress. The fact that it can take so long to learn English means that it is unreasonable of us to expect students to meet "age related expectations" or the same assessment targets as their peers. Not only is it unrealistic but it can be demoralising for the student, their families and also for the class teacher who may feel progress is slow. The reality is that learning a language and chasing a moving target in a school setting is a difficult thing to do so to support teaching we need to know where they're starting from and how to move them forward.. This is why it is so important to assess EAL learners using a specific formative assessment that baselines their starting point and track progress in language over time.
Other assessments that are not specifically designed for EAL learners such as CATs Tests or Reading Age Tests can lead to further confusion as they are often culturally unfamiliar to the student or they are testing skills the child does not yet possess in the first language - using a computer keyboard or reading for example. As such children can be assessed as having a reading age in English of 5 or 6 years when they are much older and then deemed to be best placed in a lower ability group or set. The reality is that the child is unlikely to have difficulty reading, they just don't have the vocabulary yet and the text may be obscure to them culturally. Initial assessments that assess against established EAL assessment frameworks and specifically assess EAL proficiency are necessary for children arriving in to the school.
The best kind of assessment for EAL learners is one that is standardised, this means it is the same each time and can track progress easily over a period of time. EAL STAR assessment does this, we are proud to have developed the only EAL assessment framework on the market that is intuitive and knows when a child is struggling thus ending the test at the right point for their proficiency. This better support those newer to English by testing skills without undue stress. When they resit the test 6 weeks later you will be able to see how much further they progress through the test and the improvement in accuracy within their answers too. This means that language targets can easily be set for students and shared with teachers, making their learning journey more personalised. EAL STAR is also aligned with the DfE proficiency scale A-E, as well as broadly linked to the Bell Foundation assessment level descriptors. Knowing student levels from effective initial assessment means appropriate targets can be set and tracked, that link to language proficiency progress rather than age related targets and website is also a great source of information.
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Jim Cummins explains the rationalise, research and key aspects behind BICS and CALP:
