BACK

Our primary students come from around the world, and we welcome and celebrate the diversity each student brings. We respect and encourage our students’ first languages as they learn English, and we believe that language acquisition should be an “additive” process. Since many of our students speak English as their second, third or fourth language, we call our program English as an Additional Language (EAL). 

How do we identify students? 

• Admissions 
• Home Language Surveys 
• Teacher referrals 
• English Language Proficiency Assessments

How do we assess students?

• New students take an initial EAL placement assessment upon arrival 
• Fall Language Assessment in late September/Early October 
• Spring Language Assessment will happen sometime between March-April (TBD)
• Ongoing academic language assessments
• Parent EAL service notification letters 
• EAL reports are given in the EAL section of the report cards two times a year

Our Primary EAL program has two main goals:

• To develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.
• To promote multilingualism and the importance of intercultural understanding in a respectful environment.

To provide service to our EAL students, the Primary School EAL teachers use the Newcomer program, Collaborative Model Support program, or both.

Newcomer Program

Students receive:

• Pull-Out lessons which are mostly for students at the beginner and low-intermediate proficiency levels. 
• Pull-Out lessons that are connected to their grade-level Units of Inquiry and other content areas.
• Pull-Out lessons that build upon their background knowledge which reinforces, supports and extends the classroom work.
• Their instruction from the classroom teacher along with their peers for most of the school day. Newcomer Pull-Out lessons with the EAL teacher happen during normal class time in collaboration with the classroom teacher.
• Small group lessons with the EAL teacher to target specific English language needs.

Collaborative Model Support Program

• EAL students learn alongside their classroom peers.
• EAL and classroom teachers regularly plan, team-teach and evaluate lessons for all students. 
• Teaching focuses on all aspects of language learning and making curriculum content comprehensible for all students.
• The Primary EAL teacher and mainstream teacher work together to evaluate each EAL student’s progress using a variety of on-going formal and informal assessments.
• EAL teachers may provide language support to all students (e.g. a whole class lesson, a team-taught lesson, or in a small group setting both in and out of the mainstream classroom).

The amount of time per day that EAL students receive support from an EAL teacher and the duration of the service (in the Newcomer and Collaborative Model Support programs) is dependent on each student’s level of English language proficiency. The EAL Department aims to provide a highly flexible and student-centered program that emphasizes the skills needed for EAL students to have equal access to the mainstream curriculum.

EAL Monitor

EAL students are monitored when they reach the advanced level of English proficiency and they are also meeting the grade level curriculum requirements at a secure level. EAL students are monitored for 6 months to a full school year to ensure that no further EAL support is needed for the student’s next school year. A student on EAL monitor status does not receive direct support from an EAL teacher.

Read more general information about our whole school EAL program at CIS.