Assessing Multilingual Learners for SpLDs (Online): ELTwell
Overview
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Date(s)21 Mar 2024 - 21 Mar 2025
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Cost£190.00
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ProviderELT well
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Delivery typeDistance
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Course levelAdvanced
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Course summary
This course takes participants through the process of identifying SpLDs in learners who are using English as an additional language, highlighting key issues that may be different from assessing English-speaking (monolingual) people.
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CPD credit hours5 hours
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Course themesReviewing principles of psychometrics, statistics, assessment and underlying theory, SpLD testing methods, interpretation, report writing, feedback and test materials
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AudienceAssessors, Support, Assessment centres, Training institutions
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SASC CodeSASC-20240318-100
Description
This course takes participants through the process of identifying SpLDs in learners who are using English as an additional language, highlighting key issues that may be different from assessing English-speaking (mono-lingual) people. By the end of the course, participants will have the tools and knowledge needed to distinguish between difficulties caused by the English-learning process, and those that are due to underlying cognitive differences (neurodiversity).
On enrolment, each participant will receive a full set of the CAML materials (Cognitive Assessments for Multilingual Learners) appropriate to the age group they are working with. The sessions are presented on a Moodle platform, with a user-friendly interface. Support is available via email or zoom at any time. From the date of enrolment, the course is open for 2 weeks, and can be completed at any point up until then.
After a short welcome and orientation section, participants work through the 5 sessions at their own pace. These cover:
- collecting vital background information,
- evaluating existing or potential literacy practices,
- assessing memory,
- speed of processing and phonological processing
- interpreting the data and giving appropriate feedback.
In each session there is a video to watch, a short task to guide thinking, and some additional materials to look at.
Each stage of the process is exemplified by case study material, which builds towards the final session, when participants are required to make a judgement about the cognitive profile of one learner, and complete a report memo setting out the key features of their cognitive profile, and making some recommendations to inform teaching.
This final task must be submitted in order to demonstrate achievement of the course requirements and receive a certificate of participation. There is also a requirement to complete the online feedback section in order to finish the course.
Learning outcomes
Participants will:
- have an understanding of the social, cultural and linguistic issues that arise when assessing learners from diverse language backgrounds.
- show an appreciation of the importance of using background information to interpret performances on assessment tasks.
- develop a wider repertoire of communication strategies for multilingual situations, and be able to set up and administer tasks with learners who do not have a high level of proficiency in English.
- have the tools and knowledge needed to distinguish between difficulties caused by the English-learning process, and those that are due to underlying cognitive differences (neurodiversity).
Course prerequisites
Completion of a recognised course in working with learners with a SpLD.