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POLICY STATEMENT:ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND DIALECTS

PREPARED BY:{Insert Name}

APPROVED BY COUNCIL: {Insert Date}

REVIEWED:{Insert Date}

RATIONALE:
All students have the right to be taught to communicate effectively in Standard Australian English, to understand how the English language works, to think in and learn through English and to be given access to the cultural understandings it carries. EAL Learners are not only learning Standard Australian English but are expected to learn in and through English across the curriculum.

AIM:

To improve the speaking and listening, reading and writing of English of students who are learning English as an Additional Language. To empower students through developing skills in communicating in Standard Australian English (the language used in the key institutions of Australia).

GUIDELINES:

  1. An EAL student is defined as one who has come from a Language Background Other Than English, and requires additional support in learning English as a second or additional language. This can include migrants, refugees or international students. Funding is allocated to schools to provide EAL programs for students who:
  • come from a language background other than English
  • speak a language other than English at home as their main language
  • have been enrolled in an Australian school for less than five years
  • attract Student Resource Package (SRP) funding
  • were born in Australia of migrant parents who enter school with little or no English
  • have had all or some of their schooling in Australia, and whose home background includes at least one language other than English
  1. {Insert School} is a culturally diverse learning community that values the languages and cultures of its community members. The majority of our students have a Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE). The languages spoken by our students include Arabic, Assyrian, Turkish and Urdu.
  2. All educators at RRPS are responsible for meeting the language learning needs of the EAL students in their classes.
  3. Teachers facilitate culturally inclusive classroom environments and teach programs and provide assessment opportunities to enable students to access their learning areas.
  4. EAL Leaders will provide staff with ongoing professional development throughout the year during Whole School Forums. The EAL Leaders will attend relevant professional development as it arises and inform interested staff about upcoming professional development.
  5. Multicultural Education Aides (MEAs) and Educational Support Staff (ESs) work with students in small groups where possible, to assist students to complete tasks assigned by the teacher.
  6. School administration staff, the school’s Wellbeing Officers and teaching staff are responsive to diversity among students, and endeavour to communicate effectively and appropriately with EAL students and their families.
  7. The School will follow an agreed Enrolment Process: Parents complete RRPS Student Enrolment Information form (with school administration staff, interpreter). A parent-teacher-student conference to be held within two weeks of enrolment, to complete the EAL Student Profile (with interpreter).
  8. Teachers will use the student profile to gather information on the child’s social, cultural and linguistic background in order to contextualise assessment data.
  9. When looking at English language proficiency, it is crucial to determine how children are able to use English. The demands of social interaction are much less than those of the academic English used in the classroom. The demands of speaking and listening are different from those for reading and writing.” (taken from New Arrivals Excellence Programme Guidance Primary and Secondary- National Strategies 2007)
  10. The assigned EAL teacher will conduct initial assessments of listening, speaking, reading, writing and mathematical skills, to determine the student’s level of English as well as the student’s levels of achievement across the curriculum. These assessments can include:
  • informal assessment (eg. chatting with student about weekend, drawing, story)
  • observing the student in different settings (eg. classroom, specialist, playground)
  • formal assessment (eg. letter name/sound recognition, running records, English Online Interview, Maths Online Interview etc.)
  • previous school records (if they have had prior schooling)
  • assessing knowledge and understanding in mathematics, science etc. through the child’s first language
  1. Students will be assessed throughout the year according to the RRPS assessment schedule.
  2. The EAL Continuum will be used for monitoring student progress throughout the year and to inform teachers of the individual needs of the EAL student for future planning.
  3. All EAL students will receive an EAL report each semester, using the EAL continuum. This continuum is the fairest way of assessing the EAL student. Progress across the stages is not time or age defined. The EAL Continuum provides a detailed explanation of the process of English language acquisition and enables the teacher to more effectively monitor and plan for the student’s learning needs. The EAL student is eligible to be assessed using the EAL Continuum for up to 7 years.
  4. Before an EAL student is transferred to a VELS English report, the “Checklist for transferring students from EAL continuum to VELS,” must be completed (located in T: drive, EAL Program folder).
  5. EAL Leaders will offer support to all staff regarding teaching strategies, assessment, resources, reporting, welfare and any other EAL matters as they arise.
  6. The Student Wellbeing Officers will offer support to staff, students and their families regarding issues involved with transition into school life (RRPS, language school, secondary school), settlement and any other matters as they arise.
  7. The school will provide translating and interpreting services (MEAs, interpreters) for parent-teacher-student conferences, interviews, newsletters, notes and other information channels.

Evaluation:

This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s internal policy review system through feedback from staff. It will also be reviewed as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.

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