EAL Support and Funding

Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) – EAL students

The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) for Victorian government schools includes self-evaluation, review, planning, reporting and sharing exemplary practice across the system. Within FISO there are opportunities for documenting, setting goals and developing strategies for, and reviewing, EAL provision within the school.

The School Strategic Plan (SSP) and the Annual Implementation Plan for Improving Student Outcomes (AIP) emphasise the importance of setting goals for improved student outcomes and selecting key strategies to bring about improvement for all students.

EAL learners follow different pathways of English language learning from students for whom English is a first language. These pathways are described in the Victorian Curriculum F–10 EAL. The EAL curriculum and the department’s curriculum companion resources should be used as the basis for developing realistic and accessible goals and teaching programs for EAL learners.

Strategies to bring about improvement in the outcomes of EAL learners can be specifically outlined in the SSP and the AIP.

The SSP sets the strategic direction for the next 4 years for the school, expressed through goals, targets and key improvement strategies. It could include specific EAL aspects such as:

• how the school’s EAL program will be organised, developed and managed
• assessment and reporting policies for EAL learners
• staffing strategies
• monitoring and review of the EAL program.

The AIP describes how the key improvement strategies in the SSP, and other significant projects, will be put into operation during the year and how they will be monitored. It can include aspects tailored for EAL students such as:

• specific goals for the learning of particular groups and individual students
• the way in which student progress will be assessed and monitored
• professional learning plans.

It is recommended that EAL provision is also included in the annual school self-evaluation or as part of any review process undertaken.