Pioneering ESOL assessment for FE: In partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College

FlashAcademy® teamed up with Belfast Metropolitan College to create an innovative ESOL assessment tool for the Further Education (FE) sector.

In this case study, we’ll take you behind the scenes of our two-year collaboration and explore how Leap, our digital assessment tool, came to life. Designed to make ESOL diagnostic and placement assessments smoother and more efficient, Leap is the result of close teamwork and a shared vision for improving ESOL education.

Finding an FE ESOL assessment partner

Belfast Metropolitan College is the largest Further and Higher Education college in Northern Ireland and one of the largest in the UK. With circa 1,400 students and 20 ESOL tutors, the college understands first-hand the growing need for ESOL support.

The student profile in the ESOL department at Belfast Metropolitan College has seen significant change. With a growing number of international students, many of whom are asylum seekers and refugees, the range of skill levels has become more diverse. Tere McBurney, Curriculum Area Manager, ESOL & Modern Languages, at Belfast Metropolitan College, tells us that intakes have comprised students with ‘spiky’ profiles, meaning that their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills are graded at different levels.

Some new arrivals in the ESOL department will be highly academic individuals, in need of formal certification to enable them to go on to further education and employment. Whereas other students can speak English, but they can’t write it. In some cases, students can’t write in their home language or in English. The college also receives students who have left traumatic situations and are dealing with culture changes on top of language barriers.

Recognising the diverse needs and abilities within the ESOL student body, it became clear that a new approach was needed to assess these students in an efficient way. Determined to address these challenges, Tere McBurney and Kika Hoppe, ESOL Assessment and Enrolment Coordinator and Lecturer at Belfast Metropolitan College, spent a year researching tools and resources. Their goal was to find a solution that could help the college carry out bulk diagnostic and placement assessments, ensuring students are enrolled in the right course for their level from the start and saving their tutors critical time.

Their research led them to meet Rob Anderson, Head of Enterprise at FlashAcademy®. They quickly identified the two organisations shared a vision of inclusivity and innovation – and the journey began.

Designed by FE, for FE

Before Belfast Metropolitan College found FlashAcademy®, the college’s ESOL assessments, enrolment and diagnostic tests were conducted face-to-face, using paper forms. This was a lengthy, resource-intensive and time-consuming process.

Tere emphasises the ESOL demand at the college, “We have a huge range of needs across our ESOL students. For that reason, we knew we needed a solution that was more time-efficient and flexible, while also offering reliable record keeping. Another goal we aimed to achieve was transitioning from paper-based testing to a digital solution, in line with the college’s broader sustainability agenda. We spent about a year back and forth looking at a variety of different providers that could give us a snapshot profile of the student’s reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Eventually, we met Rob at FlashAcademy® and that’s when everything started. We realised that we could develop a product together, one that boasts flexibility and is bespoke to meet the needs of our students.”

Meet Leap: An innovative, digital ESOL assessment developed in partnership

The two-year partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College played a crucial role in advancing FlashAcademy®’s award-winning core assessment platform. FlashAcademy®’s language learning experts worked closely with the college’s team to gather feedback at every step to create a tool bespoke for the FE sector. With over 1,200 questions designed to keep students engaged, the DfE’s Adult ESOL Core Curriculum has been embedded into the tool.

Flexibility is key for colleges, and that’s why Leap facilitates students to take assessments either in person or remotely, moving away from time-consuming, paper-based forms. The assessment adapts to each learner’s proficiency level using reading and listening questions that adjust in difficulty based on their responses.

Leap provides teachers with valuable time-saving opportunities by auto-marking listening and reading skills, delivering quick and accurate results for ESOL tutors. This allows tutors to focus more on teaching and less on grading. With the Teacher Dashboard, they can easily track individual student progress, assess class performance, or monitor entire cohorts, all while providing clear evidence of accountability. This streamlined process frees up time that can be better spent on supporting students’ learning needs.

Like any new venture, the development of Leap came with its challenges. From securing government funding to refining the platform, each step reflected the dedication of Belfast Metropolitan College’s ESOL coordinators and lecturers, whose input has been invaluable. FlashAcademy® remained committed to swiftly addressing feedback, ensuring the creation of a tool that can save tutors time and accurately places students from their very first intake.

Looking ahead

We are proud of our ongoing two-year partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College and remain committed to our collaborative work on ESOL assessment. As we continue to refine our efforts through to March 2025, we remain focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for the college and its students.

Reflecting on the partnership, Rob tells us, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Belfast Metropolitan College. We have learned a great deal from the ESOL team and their knowledge, feedback and experience has been invaluable throughout this ongoing journey.”

Tere concludes, “Honesty, trust, flexibility and adaptability have been the core principles of this project. The communication and collaboration has been excellent and the team have really engaged with us at the college. Together, we are determined to develop a product that is beneficial to, not only us as a college, but also to the wider FE sector.”

Interested in taking the leap to streamlined, digital ESOL assessment? Find out more at flashacademy.com/leap.