Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

[Tessa Barber]

Dear All,

I am looking for some clarity on the conditions for exam access arrangements for EAL students. I am told that EAL students who have been in the UK for less than 2 years are eligible for 25% extra time and access to a bilingual dictionary. Is this correct?

There are some students who are now NOT allowed this extra time and dictionary because they have now been in the UK for over two years. Does anyone know if there would be another way for them to be eligible for these arrangements. It was pointed out, by an EAL student in year 11, that she still needs extra time and there are some non EAL students who are eligible and she would still like to have the same opportunities. Any ideas?

Any advice, information, help would be appreciated!

Many thanks,

Tessa Barber

Head of EAL, Hornsey School for Girls

[CATHARINE DRIVER]

The rules about extra time are set by the exam boards. I remember arguing with them once that it goes against all our knowledge about how long it takes to learn a second language...to no avail. By all means have a go with them yourself. 

I would also suggest that you refer any such student to the SENCO to do a reading processing speed test (and maybe writing too) Your student may be able to get additional time that way. In my previous school we were successful in getting the extra time for dozens of EAL students in this way...even up to 4 years after their arrival in UK. At that time I was able to run the relevant tests myself. I think now the rules have changed and they have to be done by someone with a specialist qualification.

Interestingly, I have just done some EAL training in a private school ( sold my soul?) and it amazed me how many of their ( non EAL) students get extra time/scribe etc (it was a highly selective school). They simply had an excellent SENCO and support team and resources and time to make sure every avenue was explored for every student. 

Catharine

Catharine Driver
Language and Literacy Consultant and Trainer
07801 268 125
http://www.ealconsulting.co.uk/

----Original message----
From : barber...@gmail.com
Date : 19/11/2014 - 15:37 (GMTST)
To : eal-bi...@googlegroups.com
Subject : [EAL-Bilingual;3534] Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

--
This group is managed by NALDIC, the UK's EAL Professional Association. Please visit our website for further information: www.naldic.org.uk
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "EAL-bilingual" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to eal-bilingua...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to eal-bi...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/eal-bilingual.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/CAMo4-wL3qf%3DsdFWO_TCMaMbSXKudQz%3DpJKRD7ikvAET-Fyz9Xw%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Diane Leedham]

I believe too that a significant weapon in one’s armoury for this, is the evidence you can bring to the table regarding existing additional support provided/used on a day to day basis. This can include use of bilingual dictionaries for example. The key lever seems to be regularity/established practice so you need to get all staff on board, not only providing access to the additional support but tracking its use. The more it’s provided/used the more likely it is that you can substantiate a case for it in exam conditions. I believe this is also true for SEN needs generally.

 

It slightly smacks of ‘unto those who have shall be given more’ in exactly the way that Catharine describes .. but it’s a possibility

 

I did training in a private school a couple of weeks ago and my soul is definitely unspotted when it comes to social equity.  Whatever raises the profile of our kids on the agenda ... powerful advocates are useful wherever they are found

 

Diane

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/22022698.72676.1416428644336.JavaMail.defaultUser%40defaultHost.

[Helen Rowe]

I am interested to read this as I have struggled with exam access repeatedly. Last year we tried hard to get extra time for a UASC who had been in the country for 3 years but had no previous education and was illiterate in his first language. In the end he got nothing as the school went by the  JQC regulations which state that candidates must have “an impairment in their first language which has a substantial and long term adverse effect. A candidate does not have a learning difficulty simply because their first language is not English, Irish or Welsh". It seems very unfair and this pupil would certainly have scorred very low on a reading/writing test but school did not want to go down this route . I think that the rules for access arrangements have become much more rigorous in the past couple of years. I'd be interested to hear other schools experiences of this issue and how they have managed to get extra time etc for their EAL pupils.

Helen

 

 

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/018101d0043b%24451d15e0%24cf5741a0%24%40com.

[Diane Leedham]

Talk about a proverbial Catch 22  ... a route to additional time is to identify an ‘impairment in first language’ ie label as SEN.  

 

Which of course has additional implications for the school and contradicts everything we normally work against (except in very specific circumstances) .  

 

Deeply frustrating to have to wrestle with such arbitrary rulings, completely unrelated to any reputable model of SLA theory.  

[Ann Horton]

I have also struggled with this, especially when students come from countries where there are different versions of the same language, so that if the dictionary you have does not cover that particular version, it is useless. Then there is the issue of somewhere like D.R. Congo, where the student's first language may be Lingala, for example, but they will have been educated in French. Which dictionary (if any?) will be of more use?!

And I also had a problem with a student from Somalia who came to us illiterate halfway through year 9. Although we got an educated Somali to confirm this, the SENCO refused to support me, saying that the Somali was not an expert, it would take too long to get the English assessment / access application process in motion, the girl in question was just very low ability etc etc.

In the end she took all her exams with no extra support, but succeeded in getting a G in both maths and science, which I count as one of the most significant achievements of any of my EAL students, especially as she bunked lessons for a lot of year 10 to try to hide the fact she could not read!

There does seem to be no way of getting help for those students who are just outside the 2 year limit, but who clearly still need the extra time, as we all know. I'm going to have the same problem again next year, as I have a couple of Spanish students who arrived in year 9. I do think that the rules have become more rigorous, and you do need to have the SENCO  and anyone else possible on your side!

Ann

---

From: Helen Rowe <helenr...@gmail.com>
To: Diane Leedham <dale...@gmail.com>
Cc: Catharine Driver <catharin...@btinternet.com>; Tessa Barber <barber...@gmail.com>; "eal-bi...@googlegroups.com" <eal-bi...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 8:19 AM
Subject: Re: [EAL-Bilingual;3538] Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/CAJF%2BFZqW57K2kwObsufytUUhGB0UQATM%2Bj%3D93P3Ljy%3DuTcNPDA%40mail.gmail.com.

[CATHARINE DRIVER]

I think we ( i.e. NALDIC ) need to tackle the JCQ itself and provide them with a number of case studies - and the research evidence about how long it takes to learn a second language.

This would be with the aim of lifting the 2 year rule on use of dictionary and extra time.

We might also be able to provide discrimination in some way.... especially as dyslexic students are entitled to help even though they have no language impairment. 

EAL learners who are orally fluent (after 3 years say) but cannot read well are in exactly the same position as a dyslexic child. 

so lets get together some test case with a few sample candidates like this....and maybe Di and I can then discuss where to go next??

My success with this in the past was all down to having a very strong working relationship with both the SENCO and the LA SEN lead. Alas, I cannot use these contacts any more, but I think my contact at the private school I mentioned might be helpful too as she has all the testing qualifications. 

Just had another thought...what about a petition through change.org? 

Catharine

Catharine Driver
Language and Literacy Consultant and Trainer
07801 268 125
http://www.ealconsulting.co.uk/

----Original message----
From : dale...@gmail.com
Date : 20/11/2014 - 09:33 (GMTST)
To : aehor...@yahoo.com, helenr...@gmail.com
Cc : catharin...@btinternet.com, barber...@gmail.com
Subject : RE: [EAL-Bilingual;3540] Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

If colleagues can spare their valuable time to  continue sharing these snapshots on this thread , I have an idea of how to begin to raise the profile of the issue .. though this will be of no help or comfort to you or  the poor kids doing their exams now I realise.  

 

But if we don’t begin to address hearts and minds beyond our own domain then nothing will change. As Frank mentioned recently ... Joe Lo Bianco reminded us that  ‘stats and stories’ are powerful  levers. 

 

From: eal-bi...@googlegroups.com [mailto:eal-bi...@googlegroups.com]

Sent: 20 November 2014 09:19
To: Helen Rowe; Diane Leedham
Cc: Catharine Driver; Tessa Barber; eal-bi...@googlegroups.com

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/1806683937.3024576.1416475166292.JavaMail.yahoo%40jws106106.mail.bf1.yahoo.com.

[Diane Leedham]

I think timing is crucial. A petition only works once people are educated and ‘softened up’ a bit to care.   Hence my hearts and minds comment.  It’s still startling how often SLT and those who should know better continue to describe EAL as a homogenous group.  We still have much to do on this at a national level, despite sterling efforts of many individuals locally and EAL Nexus Seminars etc .  

 

But I quite agree that there is need/opportunity for a strategic , several pronged response to poor/inappropriate  exam access arrangements and that this should nominally come via Naldic  ...  .. however we as individuals square the circle of finding time for it.    Case studies are a great idea, Catharine.   I am connected to quite a lot of SEN networks on twitter (sorry!)  and I think we could find fruitful ground for partnership there

[Helen Rowe]

I would certainly like to see something done about this injustice. I have great sympathy for many of the SENCOs I work with as they are under a lot of pressure to abide by the rules, however unfair they seem. Trying to change  the rules and educating the JQC rather than encouraging SENCOs to bend/break them sounds like the way to go.

[Christiana Rose]

I very much agree with that. Despite increasing numbers of pupils, the exam regulations have become tougher and tougher over the years, both for GCSE and for SAT tests. It's not so many years ago that MFL students were allowed to use bilingual dictionaries in their written exams, which just goes to show how crazily confused people are about how languages are and should be learned!
 
Another problem I had was with modular exams, where some of the papers were taken within the two year limit, and some outside it. When I spoke with JCQ they had no answer for this anomaly, and I think schools just did whatever they thought best...

I think some case studies presented to JCQ would be great!

Christiana Rose

---

Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:01:57 +0000
From: catharin...@btinternet.com
To: dale...@gmail.com; helenr...@gmail.com; aehor...@yahoo.com
CC: eal-bi...@googlegroups.com; barber...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: RE: [EAL-Bilingual;3541] Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/29366978.34943.1416495717994.JavaMail.defaultUser%40defaultHost.

[C.Hrynyk]

We follow the access arrangements system that Catherine suggested in first her email yesterday. This year we have still been able to secure 25% additional time for the majority of our neediest EAL learners, including some who have been in the UK for more than 3 years. 

 

We work closely with our Additional Needs dept who carry out writing speed/processing tests and we then provide a brief additional statement to explain the 'processing difficulties' experienced by each student. A member of that team has attended a course which qualifies her to run these tests and she is very understanding of our students' needs.

 

In the past, we were able to request different access arrangements for different exams: bilingual dictionary and extra time for most exams; extra processing time for English, where bilingual dictionaries weren't allowed. We now prefer the vast majority of EAL learners to have additional processing time because this applies to all their exams. If any recently-arrived students don't qualify for processing time, we then look at additional time for bilingual dictionary use - but usually as a last resort: from our experience, most students benefit far more from the extra time than from the dictionary itself.

 

I don't know the details of the writing speed/processing tests that are used, but please get in touch with me directly and I'll get the information for you.

 

Carol

---

From: eal-bi...@googlegroups.com [eal-bi...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Helen Rowe [helenr...@gmail.com]

Sent: 20 November 2014 08:19

To: Diane Leedham

Cc: Catharine Driver; Tessa Barber; eal-bi...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [EAL-Bilingual;3538] Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/CAJF%2BFZqW57K2kwObsufytUUhGB0UQATM%2Bj%3D93P3Ljy%3DuTcNPDA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Diane Leedham]

On the one hand I whole heartedly applaud your tenacity and persistence. Your kids are lucky to have you . That’s an awesome (though absolutely appropriate) result.

 

On the other .. what a cock eyed ‘system’ we have,  in which this is the only route to take.   ‘ Processing difficulties’ indeed.  The case study campaign seems even more pressing. 

 

Diane

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/E49C19D3CF7C8C42A1EE858D4AED91865301FC3006%40MC4CSF-BSFEMB04.bsf.ad.manchester.sch.uk.

[Tessa Barber]

Wow, this is quite a response to my initial email 2 days ago! Many thanks to you all for your advice, I have taken the recommendations to the exam and SEN team in trying to get our EAL students ( who have lived in the UK for more than 2 years ) to continue being eligible for access arrangements through using the writing / processing speed tests.

This has all bee incredibly useful!

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/003001d00563%2486aab520%2494001f60%24%40com.

[Ann Horton]

Sorry - can't seem to find Carol's direct address (Yahoo has been having "issues" for a couple of days now, and I think some e-mails have gone missing!), so apologies for whole-group e-mail.

Please e-mail me details of the tests, Carol - it sounds like a great idea. As you say, it's the extra time they need, whether with or without a dictionary.

Ann

---

From: Diane Leedham <dale...@gmail.com>
To: 'C.Hrynyk' <c.hr...@abrahammoss.manchester.sch.uk>; eal-bi...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 8:17 AM
Subject: RE: [EAL-Bilingual;3546] Exam Access Arrangements for EAL students

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/003001d00563%2486aab520%2494001f60%24%40com.

[Tessa Barber]

Thanks again all, for your ideas and advice. Unfortunately I have not been able to secure any access arrangements for our EAL students who have been in the UK for more than 2 years, as I am told by our SENCO it would be against JCQ regulations for EAL students to change their access arrangements based on processing speeds, as the tests for these our based on processing speed in the first language.

It's a shame, but will have to accept that for now. Any more inspiration regarding this issue, please share!

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/eal-bilingual/171997547.3746100.1416596922583.JavaMail.yahoo%40jws10664.mail.bf1.yahoo.com.

[Helen Rowe]

This is the problem I have encountered. I do understand the SENCOs point of view - not everyone feels so gung-ho that they are prepared to break the rules and they are under a lot of pressure. The other issue is that in order to bend the rules you have to claim that the EAL learners have a processing problem which goes against everything we know about language acquistion and the confusion between SEN and EAL that I am always at pains to point out! I think the way to go wwould be to raise awareness of this injustice and campaign to get the JCQ to change the regulations.