Data collection
Background information about students with English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) is collected on enrolment and maintained regularly. Schools are required to report using the LBOTE and EAL/D student data in ERN at particular times each year for the completion of the LBOTE census and the EAL/D data collection.
Maintain EAL/D in ERN
The Enrolment and Registration Number (ERN) process has been established for collection of student data at enrolment. Provisions have been made within the Maintain EAL/D function of ERN to support the updating of all relevant LBOTE and EAL/D student data. While ERN student data is primarily used to inform school programming and planning it also informs the allocation of resources to schools.
The Maintain EAL/D function can be used to update student EAL/D phase information and to check the accuracy and completeness of LBOTE and EAL/D student data.
ERN Maintain EAL/D does not permit access to any confidential information. Only relevant information to the LBOTE and EAL/D status of students can be accessed. The only change that can be made is to the EAL/D phase of students and the date of last assessment.
Access to Maintain EAL/D is provided by the principal, through the ERN Access Management Utility. Access must be granted by the principal before teachers can use this function.
Student EAL/D phase and the date of last assessment should be updated every 6 months. Schools review and update students' EAL/D phase data at the end of each year and prior to the mid-year EAL/D data collection.
EAL/D data collection
EAL/D teacher allocations are reviewed each year according to information provided in the EAL/D data collection. The data collection is conducted mid-year, due at the end of June.
Specialist EAL/D teachers are allocated to primary schools and high schools according to the relative need for EAL/D support. This support is determined by the numbers of EAL/D students and their phase of English language learning reported by schools in the EAL/D annual data collection.
EAL/D teacher allocations vary each year as the fixed number of EAL/D teacher positions are redistributed according to the information gathered through the data collection. Schools are informed of their EAL/D allocation for the following year by term 4.
EAL/D tracking tool
The EAL/D tracking tool (PDF 0.5 MB) allows schools to analyse progress of English language proficiency of individual or groups of students over time. Your school’s EAL/D tracking tool is found in the data collections website, accessed through the Staff Portal.