Benjamin Franklin offers English as an Additional Language (EAL) for students who qualify in grades K through 8. Students in grades 1 through 8 whose first language is one other than English are tested as part of the admissions process, when school starts in September or upon entry to BFIS during the school year to determine whether or not they are eligible to receive EAL services. Kindergarten students also benefit from EAL support within their regular classrooms, although they are not formally assessed nor identified on an individual basis until they enter 1st grade. Each identified EAL student is re-evaluated on a regular basis to measure growth in English and determine if the student is ready to exit the program. The LAS Links Assessment is our tool for measuring English language proficiency.

Admission of students in grades Nursery through 4th grade is not dependent on their level of English language proficiency. Admission of students in grades 5 through 12 is dependent on their level of English language proficiency. Therefore, before a student is admitted to grades 5 through 12, his or her English language proficiency must be assessed. Students in grades 9 through 12 must be proficient listeners, speakers, readers and writers in order to be admitted to BFIS. Although services were provided for students in grades 9 through 12 in the past, these services have been phased out for the 2008-2009 school year.

BFIS follows the inclusion model for EAL services. EAL specialists teach English through the content areas such as literature, science, social studies and math. EAL teachers may offer small group instruction in the EAL classroom when appropriate. However, the specialists will primarily work with EAL students in the regular classroom to offer English language development through small group instruction or collaborative teaching.

While social language is easy for students to acquire, specialized academic language is much harder for students to learn and use. Research shows that the inclusion model is a way to help students acquire academic language more efficiently. Research also shows that beginners often need a basic knowledge of English to allow them to build further vocabulary and language concepts. For students entering an English medium curriculum in higher grades, where the language gap between native speakers and English Language Learners is quite wide, small group instruction in the EAL classroom can allow students to master this basic knowledge and give them tools with which to approach the grade-level content. Most experts agree that it takes about one year to acquire the English needed for basic communication and an additional four to six years for students to be competent in academic English.