Using the ESL Scales with EAL/D Learners

The ESL scales provide a detailed description of English language progression for EAL/D learners. In the English EAL/D Stage 6 Syllabus, the subject content has been mapped to the ESL scales to support teachers of EAL/D learners. Teachers should use the ESL scales in conjunction with the syllabus to address the needs of EAL/D students and to assist them to access English curriculum outcomes and content.

The ESL scales provide a description of English language learning progression typical of EAL/D learners. This progression is organised into strands of Oral Interaction, Reading and Responding, and Writing. Each of these strands is organised into level statements. The level statements range from Levels 1 to 7 for Reading and Responding and Writing and from Levels 1 to 8 for Oral Interaction. There are also beginner levels in Reading and Responding and Writing for students who are not literate in any language when they begin learning English.

EAL/D learners may be at any stage in the development of their English language skills and therefore any level on the ESL scales. Teachers can address the needs of EAL/D learners by determining their level of language on the ESL scales and then considering the ESL scales outcomes mapped to the English content.

The ESL scales outcomes mapped to the content have been selected to show the level of English EAL/D learners need in order to achieve the English outcomes. Teachers can use the outcomes and the relevant performance indicators in the ESL scales to plan and program for the language needs of EAL/D students. This should be done in conjunction with development of the knowledge, understanding and skills of the English syllabus content.

EAL/D, English as a Second Language (ESL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) frameworks such as the ESL Scales, the English as an Additional Language or Dialect: Teacher Resource and related materials can provide detailed information about the English language development phases of EAL/D students. These resources can be used by teachers in conjunction with the English EAL/D Stage 6 Syllabus to address the specific needs of English language learners in their classes and to assist students to access syllabus outcomes and content.