Policy last updated
19 November 2024
Scope
- Schools
- School councils
Policy
Policy
This policy outlines the operation of the Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI) in Victorian government schools.
Schools receiving TLI funding must:
- provide small group learning support to students who are performing below their age-expected standard in literacy and numeracy
- record and update information about which students are identified for TLI support by adding TLI tags on CASES21
- use the TLI group learning plan to record the delivery approach and learning goals for each group of TLI students, unless all students in the group have an Individual Education Plan in place
- measure student attainment using a standardised assessment tool at the commencement and the conclusion of the year in which students participate in tutor learning
- employ and record tutors on eduPay using the TLI code: 80026. Note that if tutors are being appointed from the school’s existing staff, their tutoring FTE must be re-coded to the TLI code: 80026 using a General Ledger (GL) override on eduPay. Refer to eduPay General Ledger Overrides (staff login required). For further assistance refer to the eduPay User (staff login required).
Details
The Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI) provides government and low-fee non-government schools with funding to employ tutors to deliver targeted small group learning support to students who are performing below their age-expected standard in literacy and numeracy.
This includes students identified as ‘Needing Additional Support’ (or exempt) in the reading and/or numeracy domains of NAPLAN or were in a year level that did not complete NAPLAN but have been identified by other assessments as achieving at significantly below the expected level for their age in literacy and/or numeracy.
Tutors work with small groups of students (generally up to 5 students) at a time. Tutoring can be delivered in-class, out-of-class, or in a hybrid model. The specific model of delivery is a school-based decision.
Tutoring must be delivered by a qualified teacher registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, or one of the other approved categories outlined in the guidance under Tutor arrangements. Tutor employment arrangements must be consistent with the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 (VGSA 2022) and relevant department employment policies.
TLI funding enables schools to provide students the equivalent of 2.25 hours of small group instruction per week for up to 2 school terms.
All Victorian government schools are working to embed the VTLM 2.0 in their teaching and learning programs from the start of the 2028 school year. Tutors are recommended to deliver small group tutoring in line with the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0), including using explicit instruction and synthetic phonics to teach reading in F–2.
Related policies
- Individual Education Plans (IEPS)
- Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support
- Recruitment in Schools
- Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0
- Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2
Contact
Schools can direct queries as follows:
- for queries about TLI in your school, contact your school’s education improvement leader (EIL) located in your regional office
- for general queries about the initiative, contact: tutor@education.vic.gov.au
- for queries relating to tutor HR and recruitment, contact the Schools Recruitment on: sr.tutor.recruitment@education.vic.gov.au or 1800 641 943
- for queries regarding funding, contact the School Financial Management Support Unit: schools.finance.support@education.vic.gov.au
- for information regarding VIT teacher registration for tutors, refer to the Victorian Institute of
- for queries about the tutor laptops contact: notebook@education.vic.gov.au
Guidance
Guidance
This guidance includes the following chapters:
- Tutor arrangements
- Student identification
- Program design
Tutor arrangements
Tutor arrangements
Tutors deliver small group learning support, with a focus on literacy and numeracy.
Tutors in government schools must be one of the following:
- a teacher currently registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT)
- a teacher with VIT Permission to Teach (teacher tutor) (employed as an education support (ES) class employee)
- a pre-service teacher (PST) (employed as an ES class employee) working under the supervision of a registered teacher
- a speech therapist or occupational therapist (employed as an ES class employee) tutoring in specific identified student needs
- a retired teacher who has re-registered with the VIT.
For more information about the eligibility requirements for tutors visit Victorian Government Tutor Learning Initiative – Victorian Institute of .
Tutors work closely with teachers and staff to:
- identify a student’s point of need, through diagnostic assessments
- define SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) learning goals (recorded in the TLI group learning plan template or the student’s Individual Education Plan) that can be achieved within a short, 5 to 8-week cycle of learning
- implement evidence-based, high-impact teaching strategies to progress learning
- regularly evaluate learning progress via formative assessments.
Employing tutors
Tutor employment arrangements must be consistent with the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 (VGSA 2022) and relevant department employment policies.
Government schools select and recruit tutors to work in their schools using their regular recruitment processes. Schools are supported in their recruitment through the Recruitment Online Portal (ROL) pool of interested tutors. Further information on registering interest through the ROL is provided at the Tutor learning initiative: information for prospective webpage.
Victorian government schools are not required to advertise tutor positions for the TLI on Recruitment Online. Instead, schools will be able to access the register of interested tutors through the Job Opportunities Pool in ROL to identify and shortlist suitable tutors for recruitment.
In the case that a school would like to appoint an existing employee through their regular, merit-based human resources processes, the school can use a General Ledger (GL) override on eduPay to assign the employee’s tutor portion to TLI code 80026 or action a higher duties assignment to a tutor classification where applicable.
Guidance and resources on the process for tutor appointments are available on Recruitment Online Help for (staff login required).
All tutors will be subject to the usual pre-employment check requirements that apply under the Recruitment in Schools guide.
The role and responsibilities of tutors should be defined according to their classification and range. Schools can refer to:
- Role and Responsibilities – Teaching Service: Classroom teachers for tutors employed as teachers
- Education Support Class – Dimensions of Work for tutors employed as education support class.
Recruitment assistance
Recruitment Online Help for (staff login required) includes a training tutorial video, frequently asked questions and instructions on how to search the talent pool and appoint applicants who have expressed interest in employment as a tutor.
Tutor laptops
Schools can nominate a tutor for a notebook under the Notebooks for School Staff Program the same way they do for their eligible school staff.
For any questions regarding notebooks for tutors please refer to Notebooks for School Staff Program – notebook@education.vic.gov.au
Student identification
Student identification
The TLI is recommended for students who:
- have been identified as ‘needs additional support’ (NAS) or Exempt in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in the domains of reading and/or numeracy
- were absent from NAPLAN, and who, based on other assessments, are achieving at significantly below the expected level for their age in literacy and/or numeracy
- were in a year level that did not complete NAPLAN but have been identified by other assessments as achieving at significantly below the expected level for their age in literacy and/or numeracy.
In the latter instance, schools can use the following means to identify students:
- English Online Interview
- Mathematics Online Interview
- Abilities Based Learning and Education Support
- On-Demand Testing in English and
- Digital Assessment Library
- Reading and Vocabulary Assessment Tool for students with English as an Additional Language
Schools are recommended to notify the families of those students selected for participation in tutoring and the support their child will receive. See template correspondence to families at: Information for families – templates.
Schools must keep records of all students receiving TLI support through CASES21. Students assessed as NAS or exempt in the 2023 and 2024 NAPLAN sittings are pre-identified by the department in CASES21. Students who were absent from, or in a year level that did not complete NAPLAN will need to be manually recorded in CASES21 by schools as receiving TLI literacy and/or numeracy support. The department will additionally tag students in mid-2025 based on the 2025 NAPLAN sitting.
For more support navigating CASES21 you can see: School Administration Systems: Resources.
Program design
Program design
Key considerations in the design of a school’s tutoring program include:
- mode of delivery
- alignment of TLI to VTLM 2.0, including the teaching of synthetic phonics
- student learning needs and goals
- assessment
- collaboration
- reporting to parents and carers
- ongoing refinements.
Schools may choose to use a portion of their TLI funding to appoint a TLI coordinator to oversee the implementation and monitoring of the initiative in their school.
Mode of delivery
Tutors work with small groups of students (generally up to 5 students) at a time. Tutoring can be delivered in-class, out-of-class, or in a hybrid model. The specific model of delivery is a school-based decision.
In-class support
In-class support can include:
- providing intensive, ongoing small group or individual student learning
- teaching mini lessons to a small group of students (or individual students, where appropriate) to support skills required in the whole-class setting.
When using an in-class model, consideration may be given to:
- opportunities for students to participate in the whole-class introduction and close of a session, and then be supported with a small group activity in the middle of the lesson
- opportunity to timetable dedicated classes to support the identified students. The intervention should be in addition to the students’ existing English/mathematics classes
- timetabling students to attend a literacy or numeracy session immediately prior to their usual classroom lesson to preview vocabulary, skills or concepts, enabling students to be better prepared to access content.
Out-of-class support
Out-of-class support can include:
- students being withdrawn from the classroom for small group or individual learning which has been differentiated to their point of need
- students attending an additional scheduled session for small group or individual learning differentiated to their point of need
- students attending a session immediately prior to a classroom lesson to preview vocabulary, skills or concepts, enabling students to be better prepared to access content
- students remaining in the classroom during introductory instruction, engaging in application activities in a separate space with the tutor during the middle of the lesson, and returning to class at the conclusion of the lesson to share in whole-class reflection.
Using an out-of-class model can allow for more explicit teaching of core literacy or numeracy skills, that might not directly relate to the content being taught in class.
Where sessions take place out-of-class, it is recommended that students do not regularly miss the same subject, or their regular literacy or numeracy sessions to ensure continuity of learning across the curriculum.
Hybrid support combines or adapts the above approaches.
Alignment of TLI to Victoria’s teaching and learning reforms
All Victorian government schools are working to embed the VTLM 2.0 in their teaching and learning programs from the start of the 2028 school year. Tutors are recommended to deliver small group tutoring in line with the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0), including using explicit instruction and synthetic phonics to teach reading in F–2.
Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0
The revised VTLM 2.0 is informed by contemporary evidence about the way students learn and the most effective teaching practices and approaches to achieve strong learning outcomes for students.
The VTLM 2.0 has explicit teaching practices at its core. Evidence demonstrates that explicit teaching practices are most effective at delivering strong learning outcomes for the majority of students, including priority cohorts.
For further information, refer to VTLM 2.0.
Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2
The VTLM 2.0 is reflected in the department’s new position on Victoria's approach to teaching reading F–2. This statement outlines the approach to teaching reading in the early years of school that is supported by the strongest evidence, implemented in many Victorian government schools that are achieving strong reading outcomes and is expected to be implemented in all Victorian government primary and specialist schools from 2025.
For further information, refer to the department’s publication Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2 .
Student learning needs and goals
Tutoring through TLI is intended to build upon and be integrated with existing supports as part of a whole-school approach to learning intervention.
Schools should set learning goals for each group of TLI students and establish a clear intention for each tutoring cycle.
Some students in TLI may have complex learning and other needs and will therefore have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which outlines key information including their literacy and numeracy learning goals.
If not all students in a TLI tutoring group have an IEP, then the tutor is required to develop a TLI group learning plan or equivalent to capture the delivery approach and learning goals for each group of students receiving support.
Tutors can of course develop a TLI group learning plan, even if all students have a pre-existing IEP.
For more information, visit:
- Diverse Learners
- Learning Difficulties Information Guide – Numeracy
- Learning Difficulties Information Guide – Literacy
- Deciding if a student has a learning difficulty in
- Deciding if a student has a learning difficulty in .
Assessment
Schools must measure student attainment using a standardised assessment tool at the commencement and the conclusion of the year in which students participate in tutor learning.
ACER statewide licence
Schools are strongly encouraged to use the Adaptive PAT-R (Reading) and Adaptive PAT-M (Mathematics) assessments which are free to government schools in 2025 and can be accessed via the PAT Online Assessment and Reporting .
Schools with existing state-wide accounts with the PAT Online Assessment and Reporting System in 2024 will have their access automatically renewed for 2025. Government schools who have not yet signed up to access the free PAT state-wide licence, can sign up at PAT Statewide Licence – .
The adaptive PAT-R and adaptive PAT-M are usually used to compare learning growth over a time interval of 9 to 12 months.
English Online Interview and Mathematics Online Interview
Primary schools are also strongly encouraged to consider having tutors complete the English Online Interview and/or the Mathematics Online Interview for students in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 at both the start and end of the year.
Other assessment tools
Other high-quality standardised assessment tools recommended for use in the TLI include:
- Digital Assessment Library – schools are strongly encouraged to use the English and Mathematics assessments for Years 2 to 10, developed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. This includes Mathematics Focus Assessments to support measurement of learning over short teaching cycles
- Abilities Based Learning and Education Support assessment tools
- Reading and Vocabulary Assessment Tool for students with English as an Additional Language
The National Numeracy Learning and National Literacy Learning are also useful resources to map student's developmental progress.
Collaboration
Tutoring occurs within a whole-school approach to learning and wellbeing, and it is recommended that, where appropriate, school leaders assist tutors to engage with staff including:
- classroom teachers
- Literacy and Numeracy Leaders
- Curriculum Leaders
- Navigator Program staff
- Flexible Learning Option staff
- Koorie Engagement Support
- Multicultural education aides
- Program for Students with a staff.
Reporting to parents/carers
Schools may include information in the regular written reports to parents/carers about what additional learning support was delivered as part of the TLI program and what student outcomes were achieved.
Schools may also invite tutors to directly contribute to written reports by providing a short comment on:
- a student’s participation and engagement
- information on progress and achievement of learning goals set within the initiative.
For information on general reporting requirements, refer to Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10.
Ongoing refinements
Schools and tutors can use the TLI Implementation Continua (the Continua) to reflect, self-evaluate, and track their progress regarding TLI implementation.
The Continua includes 6 dimensions unpacked across 4 levels of proficiency to support school self-assessment and the setting of developmental goals.
The Continua can be used by schools to:
- self-evaluate their current TLI implementation and small group learning practice and understand what improved practice looks like
- engage in reflection, inquiry and conversations about improving TLI implementation.
Resources
Resources
Professional learning
The department offers free after-school professional learning webinars throughout the year to support the implementation of TLI in government schools. These can be accessed through the TLI Arc channel, with the schedule updated throughout the year.
For more information, refer to: Tutor Learning Initiative Professional .
Useful resources
TLI Group Learning Plan template , which is used to capture the delivery approach and learning goals for each group of students receiving support.
The TLI Implementation Continua , which schools and tutors can use to reflect, self-evaluate, and track their progress regarding TLI implementation.
Information for families – templates
Schools can choose to use this template letter to families of students that have been identified to receive additional support through the Tutor Learning Initiative.
The templates can be modified to include information about the school’s selected practice approach, frequency of small group tutoring sessions and curriculum focus. Schools should consider whether this letter requires translation into a language other than English or if the English version requires tailoring to best meet their local context and community’s needs.
Tutor Learning Initiative – What works? Implementation insights
The Tutor Learning Initiative – What works? Implementation insights is designed to support school leaders and tutors to learn more about the positive impact of the TLI in 2021 and ‘what works’ when implementing the initiative. Along with outlining critical factors for success, it also provides an opportunity for school staff to reflect and consider any TLI implementation improvements that they may wish to make in 2025.
Key insights from the implementation of the Tutor Learning Initiative
The department commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to evaluate the first year of implementation of the Tutor Learning Initiative in 2021. The evaluation demonstrated many positive impacts of the initiative and the key insights are available for download.
Useful links
The following resources provide additional advice and context:
Reviewed 04 October 2021