EAL Handbook

Whitby Mission Statement

Whitby inspires a passion for learning and empowers each child to take responsibility as an open-‐‐minded, principled citizen in a global community.

Handbook Purpose

This handbook provides current operational guidelines and background information to effectively implement the English as an Additional Language (EAL) program at Whitby School. It is a working document requiring revisions to keep contents accurate and current. This handbook also adheres to the school’s Language Policy and forms part of the Language Policy implementation.

The Aim of the Whitby EAL Program

The English as an Additional Language Program at Whitby is committed to providing a developmental language education that will prepare students for success in their mainstream classroom, with access to the classroom curriculum. This will ensure that we meet the challenge of our mission for each child.

Beliefs about Language Learning

We believe that:

Every teacher is a language teacher, and we all assume responsibility for the education of English Language Learners (ELLs).
The responsibility for students’ language development is shared not only among teachers but also with parents and the students themselves.
Language development is the process by which a student learns and applies language skills. Learning language, learning about language and learning through language, at appropriate age and developmental levels, provides the most supportive learning environment for language development. Meaning is acquired when language is applied holistically across the several domains: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing. As students work with a variety of texts, and in several contexts, along the developmental continuum, their accuracy in the application of language skills develops.
Language acquisition is the process for learning and becoming proficient in a language, other than a person’s mother tongue, and is affected by a variety of factors that are unique to each student, such as:
- Acculturation process
- Age
- Classroom environment
- Cognitive Abilities
- Comprehensible input (i+1)
- Curriculum
- Instruction
- Literacy level in mother tongue
- Mother Tongue and additional languages known/spoken at home
- Motivation
- Personality
- Value of student’s culture in host country
Language acquisition follows developmental stages and must be seen as a continuum along which a student progresses at his/her own rate. The general progression shows most students develop basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) within the first two or three years of language instruction; the acquisition of cognitive academic language (CALP) can take from 5 to even 10 years in order to achieve peer-‐‐levels of proficiency in academic English.
In order for a student to acquire language, s/he must be exposed to language, in all domains, and in meaningful contexts, through carefully planned scaffolding, and at a level just above his/her current proficiency. Literacy levels in the Mother Tongue will generally transfer to allow the student to acquire literacy in the additional language.
Maintaining and/or developing literacy in a student’s Mother Tongue is an important variable in helping English Language Learners achieve significantly higher rates of academic achievement.
Developing a student’s Mother Tongue supports not only academic achievement but also encourages full participation and high self-esteem in the community of learners.
While literacy and language are correlated, the acquisition of each requires different skills and teaching and learning experiences.

EAL Admissions, Program placement, Exit & Monitoring

Identification Procedure & Placement

All applicants are required to complete a Language Survey indicating their proficiency in their mother tongue, English and other languages. Admissions will notify the EAL department of all applicants who show languages other than, or in addition to, English.

During the admissions process, the EAL department is responsible for screening all applicants for whom English is not their mother tongue and/or only language to determine a student’s phase of English proficiency. According to the student’s assessment results, as well as,information from the student’s previous school, she/he will be placed with the appropriate level of English language support.

EAL Admissions Policy

For Primary through 6th grade:

Whitby accepts applications from students at all levels of English language acquisition up to the start of the school year of Grade 7, with the understanding that families are encouraged to maintain the child’s proficiency in the mother tongue.

For all applicants for whom English is not their only language, the students will be assessed to determine their English language proficiency.

For applicants in Primary through Lower Elementary, the Admissions department will contact the EAL department to review the application and conduct an interview with the student and parents, whenever possible. The student will be placed with the appropriate level of English support, as needed.

Applicants in Middle Elementary through Middle School, will be assessed for their English proficiency level with the following assessments:

WIDA Assessment for English
An introduction statement from the student to be included in the application
An interview
An on demand writing prompt

Once an applicant’s English phase has been identified, the EAL department and Admissions will determine the appropriate placement for him/her.

Grade 7 and 8 students whose Mother Tongue is not English will be screened by the EAL department, according to the application procedures, to determine placement, based on whether Whitby can adequately prepare the student to be successful in the mainstream.

Middle School students placed in the English as an Additional Language program may be asked to maintain study in their Mother Tongue to satisfy IBMYP requirements.

Students’ grade-‐‐level placements will be determined by the school through the admission process.

EAL Program

The EAL Program is designed for students who are acquiring English as an additional language to their mother tongue. The goal of the program is to prepare students to become academically proficient in English and successful in their mainstream classes. EAL students receive specialized instruction in English language acquisition from a qualified EAL instructor.

Primary and Lower School Program

Primary 3 students and Lower School EAL students in phases 1 and 2 will attend English Language Acquisition classes in place of Spanish. Concepts from PYP units of inquiry will be reinforced in these classes, while strengthening and building on students’ existing language skills across the domains of language acquisition: reading, writing, oral language, and viewing language.

Lower School EAL students in phases 1- 4 will receive language support in their classrooms. The EAL teachers will work with classroom teachers of EAL students to plan lessons, modify assessments, and model and incorporate strategies for teaching EAL students.

Middle School Program

Middle school EAL students in phases 1-2 will attend MYP English Language Acquisition classes in place of MYP English Language and Literature. These classes will follow the MYP Language Acquisition framework for teaching, learning, and assessing, while strengthening and building on students’ existing language skills across the domains of language acquisition: reading, writing, oral language, and viewing language.

Middle School EAL students in phases 1 - 4 will receive language support in Science, Individuals and Societies, Mathematics, and/or Design, based on student and teacher schedules. The EAL teacher will work with teachers of EAL students to plan lessons, modify assessments, and to model and incorporate strategies for teaching EAL students.

Meetings between EAL and Classroom/Subject Area Teachers

In addition to strengthening and building language skills, there is a focus on enhancing the student’s self-esteem and confidence in both the use of English and in functioning in a new learning environment. To this end, meetings between the EAL teacher and the classroom/subject area teachers occur regularly to discuss and document the EAL student’s linguistic and acculturation process. Further, communication with parents of EAL families regarding the student’s progress will include classroom/subject area teachers, and, in specific cases, members of the leadership team. These meetings also foster our belief that every teacher is a language teacher and teachers, students, and parents are responsible for this development.

EAL Exit Criteria

In making the decision to exit a student from the EAL Program, the following will be considered:

EAL student performance and work are evaluated by the EAL teacher, the classroom/subject area teachers, and the Head of Section to determine whether the student demonstrates adequate English proficiency to participate successfully within the mainstream classroom.
- Decisions for exit may be based on some of the following
- Language Acquisition Phase Continuum
- Classroom observations
- Formative and summative assessments
- Progress Reports
Evidence must show that the student has met the aims of Phase 4 on the Language Acquisition Continuum.
The length of time that an EAL student has been in the program may also be considered. When a student is exited from the EAL program, documentation of the exit date will be included in the student file in the form of a parent letter.

Monitoring Procedure

Phase 5 and 6 English Language Acquisition students who are not receiving direct academic and language support from an EAL teacher, and EAL students who have recently exited the EAL program, will be monitored to ensure their academic success.

The EAL teachers will monitor student progress, monthly, in cooperation with classroom/subject area teachers by:

Reviewing the teacher’s collected classroom performance and student work samples
Conversations with the student and teacher
Reviewing of Conference Notes, Progress Reports, and Report Cards at each reporting period. Documentation of monitoring should be kept in the student files. The EAL teacher will maintain an updated list of monitored students. This list will be made available to faculty.

The Role of the EAL Department

With regard to students and teachers, the Whitby EAL department has the following roles within the school:

to provide direct instruction related to language proficiency
to aid teachers in differentiating content instruction with in-‐‐class support
to maintain up to date lists of EAL students’ phase levels
to determine accommodations on standardized assessments
to provide professional development for all staff in best practices for EAL students.

Reporting Procedures for EAL Students

Lower School

EAL students receive Conference Notes, Report Cards, and Progress Report comments that reflect their effort, growth and understanding in each content area.

Growth in their language acquisition is reflected in the Language Arts comments. The EAL teacher works with the classroom teachers to write the Language Arts reports.

Students receiving support in English language acquisition classes, in place of Spanish, will receive reports from the EAL teacher.

Middle School

Phase 3-6 students should receive marks in all MYP subject areas, with the understanding that differentiation and strategies in the classroom are provided to ensure EAL students’ success on tasks and assessments.

Phase 1-2 students may receive ‘EAL’ support noted on their reports, in place of a number mark, in subject areas where a student’s English language proficiency inhibits his/her ability to meet task and assessment aims. This may apply to one or more criteria in each subject area.

Internal Assessment Accomodations

The EAL Teachers will work with classroom/subject area teachers regarding accommodations for individual students on assessments. Examples of this support can include:

researching and/or showing understanding in a student’s mother tongue
instructions or modifications on specific tasks for individual criterion.

Standardized Assessment Accomodations

As per the Whitby School Test Accommodations Policy documented in the Learning Support Handbook, specific test accommodations can be applied to support EAL students as they take standardized assessments at school. Dependent on the phase of English acquisition, an EAL student may not be required to take or may be provided additional time and support to take external standardized assessments that are designed for English Mother Tongue learners. The aim of such accommodations is to ensure that all students are fairly tested under conditions that do not limit or inhibit an individual’s participation in spite of learning differences.

The decision related to accommodations for EAL students will be made in cooperation between the EAL department, the testing coordinator, the classroom teacher/advisor, and the Head of the Lower/Middle School. The accommodations will be communicated clearly to the student and the student’s family.

Mother Tongue Development

We believe that maintaining and developing language skills of our learners, whose mother tongue is other than English, is vital. Developing a child’s mother tongue can accelerate the acquisition of English and increase academic achievement across the curriculum. It also enhances self-‐‐esteem and promotes international-‐‐mindedness. Language learning not only permeates all areas of learning, but it is also crucial for emotional and social well-being and to maintain cultural identity. Whitby’s EAL Coordinator works with parents to find teachers for the Mother Tongue Program. Classes are offered during WECCP and Co-Curricular time with fees varying by the number of sections offered and students enrolled in the program.

For Middle School students studying in the English as an Additional Language program, Mother Tongue courses may be required to satisfy MYP requirements. School-wide, we support the Mother Tongue development by

Strengthening book selection for language learners and speakers of languages other than English in our library and classrooms
Promoting the importance of maintaining and developing the MT
Promoting the importance of maintaining and developing the MT

EAL Professional Development

At Whitby, every teacher is a language teacher, and we all assume responsibility for the education of our English Language Learners. To support our teaching staff, the EAL teacher will:

Offer professional development on a range of EAL-related topics such as language acquisition research, stages of language acquisition, and acculturation
Support classroom teachers with strategies for EAL differentiation
Set student goals with classroom teachers
Facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration in curriculum planning
Help find materials for in-class support

Parental Involvement

Whitby School believes that regular contact with parents is essential in establishing a bridge of communication between families and the school community. Becoming part of the school community encourages parent confidence and engagement in their child’s academic and social development.

Once a student has been identified as needing EAL support, the EAL department will communicate with parents to explain what form that support will take. In both the Lower School and Middle School, ongoing communication will include:

Parent-teacher conferences
Email/phone call exchanges and updates (e.g., information on student performance, including both concerns and praise; information on units of study; student’s individual needs; parent questions)
Teacher availability to discuss the child’s need
Parent information sessions

In addition, the EAL teacher will encourage both classroom teachers and parents to make the most of enriching and celebrating the cultural diversity of the school community. The EAL teacher will recommend strategies to parents to support each child’s language development and English fluency.

Policy Review

This handbook was reviewed during the 2022-2023 school year. It will be reviewed every three years to reflect best practice and the needs of the Whitby School community.