Reporting for students where English is an additional language

The progress of EAL students in learning English should be reported against the stages of the EAL standards rather than the levels of the English achievement standards.

Reporting on EAL student progress

The English language learning progress of EAL students should be assessed against the stages of the EAL standards.  The EAL standards are also known as the EAL Companion to the AusVELS The EAL Companion is current for 2018.

Indicators of progress, that highlight the understandings required by students to progress through the standards outlined in the EAL Companion, are provided in the EAL Developmental Continuum P - 10

The length of time during which a student will be assessed against the EAL standards depends on many factors, such as the existing English language proficiency of the student, the number of years of schooling completed, level of literacy in their first language and background experiences.

If a teacher’s assessment of an EAL student against the English achievement standards places the student well below their peers, and the student still requires substantial support in learning English as an additional language, then teachers should continue to use the EAL standards.

It is not appropriate for an EAL student to be assessed against the English standards in one mode, such as Speaking and Listening, and the EAL standards in other modes. While the oral language proficiency of an EAL student may appear to correspond to that of their peers, as students progress through the year levels, the demands of the curriculum become more complex, and these students can struggle to cope with the academic requirements of the English curriculum.

Once an EAL student has reached the ‘at standard’ level of their respective A, B or S stage in all three modes of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing and Writing, they can be transferred to the Victorian Curriculum F-10 English for assessment and reporting purposes.

Information about the typical pathways which EAL students might follow through the EAL Standards into the English Standards is provided in the EAL Standards and the English Standards

Teachers should use a range of assessment data and strategies to inform their judgements regarding EAL students’ progress. For more information about the assessment of EAL students, see: Tools for Enhancing Assessment Literacy for teachers of English as an Additional Language students (TEAL)

Report format for EAL students

For other curriculum areas, the format of the report for EAL students can be modified to reflect their achievement and progress. This will be determined by the school, in partnership with parents and carers.

As students begin to demonstrate appropriate knowledge and understanding of the curriculum content and they can express their understanding of ideas and information well enough in English, the same reporting format and approach as for other students can be used.

Explaining a report to parents if they do not speak English

To help parents understand where their child is on their learning pathway, how much progress their child has made in the last semester, and to conceptualise how their child will progress over time into the English achievement standards, teachers can show parents and carers the stages diagram on page 6 of the EAL Companion to the AusVELS This diagram illustrates the stages of the EAL standards and the ways in which they relate to the English standards.

Interpreting services are available for communicating with parents and carers who require assistance in understanding their child’s progress. See: Use an Interpreter or Translator