Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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295. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a review due to take place to update the Primary School Assessment Kit, in view of the fact that there is an increasingly diverse range of languages in schools since its last update in 2006. [36324/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment. This has been particularly effective in the context of the pace and volume of newly arrived students fleeing the war in Ukraine and the ongoing increase in students, who require EAL supports to fully access the curriculum.

The Department has prioritised enhancing English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, recognising the critical role of language proficiency in successful integration and academic achievement. Schools are advised that the assessment of these pupils should be within a three-month period prior to that application date for EAL supports. There are presently over 1700 posts allocated to almost 2000 schools providing support in this area.

As part of the continuum of assessment practices, teachers of children and young people for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are advised to assess pupils’ language proficiency development using an assessment tool that is aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR). Assessments aligned with the CEFR place children and young people on a scale ranging from A1 (most basic) to C3 (native speaker fluency) across the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

The Primary School Assessment Kit (PSAK), developed by Integrated Ireland Languages and Training (IILT), a not for profit campus company of Trinity College Dublin which has ceased to trade, is the only assessment tool at primary school level aligned to the CEFR. Primary schools are advised to administer the PSAK as part of the continuum of assessment. The department’s ongoing work in this area is focused on how EAL provision can be supported, including the continuum of assessment practices and improvement of assessment tools for children and young people at school level. A review to update the kit is not planned for at this time.