Targeted Literacy and Numeracy Intervention – Small Group Learning

Literacy and Numeracy Early Intervention Program

The Literacy and Numeracy Early Intervention Program (LNEIP) provides government primary schools with funding to deliver targeted small group learning support to students in Years 1 – 6 who are performing significantly below their age-expected standard in literacy and numeracy. This is in recognition of the importance of early intervention to support students build foundational skills of literacy and numeracy.

LNEIP is to be delivered with the approach to teaching reading F–2 and Victoria’s approach to teaching mathematics at its core. It is recommended that schools consider the LNEIP as part of planning for implementation of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0).

Schools receiving funding under the LNEIP must:

• provide structured, small group learning programs in both literacy and numeracy. The programs must be taught using a documented sequence of lessons designed to support the specific learning gaps of participating students
• provide small group learning support to all students across Years 1 to 6 who ‘need additional support’ in literacy and/or numeracy
• record information about which students are identified for small group learning support
• provide each identified student with a minimum of 32 hours of timetabled small group learning support per year, across up to 2 terms (in groups of up to 5 students)
• measure attainment for each participating student using a standardised assessment tool at the commencement and the conclusion of the year. Students must be assessed for each of the programs in which they are participating (that is, literacy and/or numeracy).

Student selection and funding

• Students in Years 1 to Year 3 – the school identifies students who are achieving one or more years behind their age-expected standard in literacy or numeracy.
• Students in Years 4 to 6 – all students assessed as ‘Needs Additional Support’ in one or both NAPLAN reading and numeracy domains. These students will be pre-tagged by the department in CASES21.
• Broadly speaking, the LNEIP funding model uses the percentage of ‘needs additional support’ students in Years 4 to 6 and assumes the same proportion of students in Years 1 to 3 ‘need additional support’.

Program requirements

Provide structured small group learning programs in literacy and numeracy

Schools must provide a structured small group learning literacy and numeracy program with a documented sequence of lessons to address learning gaps of the identified students.

Schools should consider their small group learning program as part of planning for implementation of the VTLM 2.0 and approach to teaching reading F–2.

Teachers delivering small group learning are encouraged to refer to the VTLM 2.0 to inform their delivery of small group learning, including using explicit teaching practices and systematic synthetic phonics to teach reading in F–2. Teachers delivering small group learning are also recommended to draw upon guidance on supporting students with diverse learning needs as relevant. Refer to the Resources tab for further guidance and useful links.

Provide each identified student with 32 hours of timetabled small group learning support per year

Schools must plan to provide each identified student with a minimum of 32 hours of timetabled small group learning support per year, delivered across up to 2 terms (equivalent to 2 hours per week for a total of 16 weeks) in groups up to 5 students.

Schools must deliver small group learning using one or a combination of the following approaches:

• separate sessions timetabled to coincide with the student’s regular literacy and/or numeracy lessons
• separate sessions timetabled in addition to their existing literacy and/or numeracy lessons (note that it is recommended that students are not consistently removed from the same class)
• sessions within the student’s existing literacy and/or numeracy lessons (that is, the teacher attends the mainstream classroom to work intensively with a specific group of students).

Schools are recommended to work towards a higher frequency of short sessions and timetable small group learning to optimise the most effective learning times for primary school students.

Measure student attainment twice per year

Schools must measure student attainment using a standardised assessment tool at the commencement and the conclusion of the school year in which students participate in small group learning.

Standardised assessment tools recommended for use in acquitting this requirement include:

• Year 1 Phonics Check
• Mathematics Online Interview (MOI), for students in Foundation (at the start and end of the year) and for Year 1, Year 2, and at-risk students
• Fractions and Decimals Online Interview (FDOI), for students in the upper primary levels
• Digital Assessment Library (DAL) – schools are 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 (ABLES) assessment tools, to identify and monitor the learning readiness and progress of students with disability and diverse learners
• Reading and Vocabulary Assessment Tool for students with English as an Additional Language (RVEAL), to measure EAL students’ reading and vocabulary skills and knowledge in Years 3 to 10.

Report progress 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 LNEIP and what progress was made.

Schools may also invite teachers delivering LNEIP 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 reporting requirements, refer to Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10.

Record information about identified students

Schools must keep records of all students receiving LNEIP support through CASES21.

Students assessed as ‘Needs Additional Support’ in one or both NAPLAN reading and numeracy domains of the 2024 and 2025 NAPLAN will be pre-identified by the department in CASES21.

Students who were absent from, or in a year level that has not recently completed NAPLAN, and through assessment informed professional judgement have been identified as one or more years behind their age-expected standard in literacy and numeracy must be manually recorded in CASES21 by schools as receiving small group learning support.

If students are transferring to a school, the school will need to identify them manually (NAPLAN pre-identification will not transfer with them). Schools must update CASES21 throughout the year if additional students are added to the small group learning program.

For support using CASES21 please refer to: Software and Administration Systems: Resources.

Contact

Schools can direct queries about the LNEIP as follows:

• for queries about LNEIP in your school, contact your school’s senior education improvement leader (SEIL)
• for general queries about the initiative, contact: small.group.learning@education.vic.gov.au
• for queries regarding funding, contact the School Financial Management Support Unit: schools.finance.support@education.vic.gov.au