Episode 55: Assessment for EAL Learners: Exploring The Bell Foundation Framework and Tracker with Katherine Solomon | Talking Their Language with Helen Bodell

Welcome to Talking Their Language with Helen Bodell, the podcast for educators, families, and school communities who are passionate about multilingualism, inclusion, and supporting children who use more than one language.

In Episode 55, Helen Bodell is joined by Katherine Solomon from The Bell Foundation to explore assessment for EAL learners and The Bell Foundation EAL Assessment Framework and Tracker.

Assessment can be a powerful tool for understanding and supporting multilingual learners, but assessing children who are learning English as an additional language can also present unique challenges. In this episode, Helen and Katherine explore how educators can use assessment to better understand pupils’ language development, identify their strengths and needs, and plan appropriate support.

Together, they discuss The Bell Foundation’s framework and tracker, exploring how these tools can help schools take a more structured and informed approach to assessing EAL learners and monitoring their progress over time.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why assessment is important for supporting learners with English as an additional language.
• The challenges educators may face when assessing EAL learners.
• An introduction to The Bell Foundation EAL Assessment Framework and Tracker.
• How the framework can help educators understand pupils’ language development.
• How assessment information can inform teaching, learning, and targeted support.
• The importance of recognising multilingual learners’ strengths alongside their areas for development.
• Practical ways schools can use assessment to monitor progress and support inclusion.

Effective assessment of EAL learners is about much more than measuring English proficiency. When used thoughtfully, assessment can help educators understand where a learner is in their language development, recognise the progress they are making, and ensure that appropriate support is in place.

Whether you teach EAL learners, work in an international or multilingual school, lead inclusion, or are looking for practical approaches to assessing language development, this episode offers valuable insights into how assessment can support both teachers and learners.

Meet Katherine Solomon

In this episode, Helen is joined by Katherine Solomon, Director of Programmes and Partnerships at The Bell Foundation. Katherine has extensive experience in EAL, teacher education and academic management in the UK and overseas, and holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and ELT. Her professional interests include EAL assessment and working with schools to develop effective and sustainable provision for learners who use EAL. 

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