English Online Interview

Foundation and Grade 1 students complete the English Online Interview assessment in Term 1 each year.

The English Online Interview (EOI) is an online tool for assessing the English skills of students from Foundation to Level 2 that includes 4 modules. It assesses students across the 3 modes of English in the Victorian Curriculum F-10 – Reading and Viewing, Writing and Speaking and Listening.

The interview is one-to-one between a teacher and student, using texts and downloadable resources to complete a module. Teachers record each student's responses directly onto the online system. This data is used to generate reports that provide an overview of student achievement and information to inform program planning and resource allocation.

The EOI is on the Insight Assessment Platform(opens in a new window).

Assessment requirements and mandatory period

The EOI is mandatory for Foundation (Prep) and Grade 1 students in Victorian government schools and must be undertaken within a department-defined timeframe in Term 1 of each year.

In 2024, the mandatory assessment period for both Foundation and Grade 1 students is weeks 1-6 of Term 1 (Tuesday 30 January 2024 – Friday 8 March 2024).

The change to the timing of the assessment period so that Foundation and Grade 1 students align is in response to feedback in 2023 that teachers would like the option to assess Grade 1 students from the start of term and to avoid overlap with NAPLAN.

Module 1 is recommended for the start of Foundation. Module 2 is recommended for the start of Grade 1. However, teachers have the flexibility to choose the most appropriate module for individual students.

Using the EOI after the mandatory period

Modules 2, 3 and 4 of the EOI are available for use from the beginning of Term 2 for the remainder of the school year for teachers to assess individual students' literacy abilities. Teachers should refer to the EOI guide for further information about each module.

Enhanced EOI implementation and supports

The EOI has been enhanced with additional phonics items to complement the existing items on phonological awareness and phonics. The enhanced assessment provides teachers with more data about students’ phonics knowledge which can be used to identify students who need support in the decoding aspect of reading early, before reading problems become entrenched. The assessment also provides data about students’ broader literacy development.

The enhanced EOI implementation and supports(opens in a new window) page provides further information, including updates to the Literacy Teaching Toolkit and new virtual professional learning that is available for Grade 1 teachers in Term 1, 2024.

EOI access

The EOI is accessed on the Insight Assessment Platform(opens in a new window).

The EOI is designed as an assessment to be administered by a qualified teacher, to support teacher knowledge of student capabilities and areas for explicit teaching. It also provides an opportunity for teachers to interact one-on-one with each student and foster a positive relationship. Due to privacy considerations, only classroom teachers and school leadership can access the EOI modules and data. School leadership have administration access where they can see the entire student cohort and classroom teachers have access to students in their class.

The practice site for Insight Assessment Platform provides a clear sense of how the EOI works and can be accessed on Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority's(opens in a new window) website.

EOI resources

The resources below support the use of the EOI.

EOI kits

In order to complete the EOI, teachers need a hard-copy EOI kit which contains all the texts required for modules 1-4 and information about the resources used in each module.

It is recommended that each class has one EOI kit. New schools in 2024 have been sent EOI kits prior to the school opening. Schools can request additional EOI kits by emailing studentlearning@education.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window).

EOI guide

The EOI guide includes advice and instructions for setting up and administering the assessment. It also includes information about:

  • each module and the areas of literacy assessed
  • scoring and how the scoring is aligned to the Victorian Curriculum
  • exemptions
  • interpreting EOI reports.

Please note the EOI guide has been updated ahead of the 2024 mandatory period.

English Online Interview guide
PDF 2.43 MB
(opens in a new window)
English Online Interview guide
Word 2.49 MB
(opens in a new window)

EOI braille texts

Braille texts have been developed to support teachers to administer the EOI to blind students. Braille texts for each resource can be found on the English Online Interview braille texts(opens in a new window) page.

EOI technical support

Technical assistance is available for schools via the services portal(opens in a new window).

When lodging a services request, provide as much information about the issue as possible including name, school and campus number. Screenshots displaying error messages should also be provided where possible.

For general, non-technical enquiries, including in relation to EOI kits and EOI use to support literacy teaching and learning, email studentlearning@education.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window)

Visit the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s FAQs(opens in a new window) for information on administering and using the Insight Assessment Platform.

Insight Assessment Platform support

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority provides schools with information and support regarding the Insight Assessment Platform here: Pages - Platform support - Government schools (vcaa.vic.edu.au)(opens in a new window)

This webpage provides links to the practice space, user guides and support for the CASES21 Portal.

EOI and the Diagnostic Assessment Tools in English

The EOI and the Diagnostic Assessment Tools in English(opens in a new window) (DATE) are the 2 early years literacy assessment tools provided on the Insight Assessment Platform to assess literacy learning in Foundation (Prep) to Grade 2. To complement the additional phonics items added to the EOI, new phonics items have also been added to the DATE. Use of the DATE is optional and provides further data on student ability to assist teachers to differentiate teaching according to student need.

For more information about DATE see Diagnostic Assessment Tools in English(opens in a new window).

EOI and EAL students

The EOI may not be suitable for students who are learning English as an additional language. For more information regarding the exemption policy see the EOI guide(opens in a new window).

EOI and students with disabilities

The EOI may not be suitable for students with disabilities. For more information regarding the exemption policy see the EOI guide(opens in a new window).

Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) is an assessment and reporting suite that allows teachers to identify and monitor the learning readiness and progress of students with disabilities. The literacy components of ABLES may be more suitable for these students. For more information see the Abilities Based Learning and Education Support webpage(opens in a new window).

For more information on how to support students with disabilities and/or diverse learning needs please see the Diverse Learners Hub(opens in a new window).

Updated