Admissions> Requirements > EAL

EAL Admissions Policy

In Grades EC – 5, knowledge of the English language is not a prerequisite for enrollment at H.I.S. When an EAL student is admitted to the school, the EAL department will administer the Language Assessment Scales (LAS) test to determine the student’s level of English language proficiency. Students may then receive additional support in English, depending on their individual needs.

In order to be enrolled in Grades 6 – 8, students whose mother tongue is not English will be given an English proficiency assessment by the EAL department which will include an oral interview, a writing sample, the  Language Assessment Scales (LAS) or a similar proficiency test and a content based assessment. Assuming that the applicant has a strong academic record, they can be admitted to Grade 6 or 7 without prior knowledge of English.  Enrollment of these students will be contingent upon recommendation by the EAL department and approval by the administration. At Grade 8 level, the student will need to earn scores that indicate at least a low/intermediate level of proficiency in order to be recommended for admission to the school.

For entry into high school-level grades, there is a minimum English language competence requirement. HIS offers the IB Diploma Program, in which students must be able to speak, read, and write in English at or near the grade level for which they are applying in order to be successful. The applicants will be given a placement test to assess their level of proficiency. To be enrolled in Grade 9, the student will need to earn scores that indicate at least a low/intermediate level of proficiency in order to be recommended for admission to the school. To be enrolled in Grade 10, the student will need to earn scores that indicate at least an intermediate level of proficiency in order to be recommended for admission to the school. Students enrolling in Grades 11 and 12 must be at an advanced level of proficiency in order to be recommended for admission.

Based on the result of their English language proficiency tests and a recommendation from the EAL department, EAL students in the High School may be required to take an EAL course.