°®¶¹ÉçÇø

At Citipointe Christian College (CCC), approximately 1 in 4 students in Years Prep to 6 will not be native, English language learners. These students, being possibly bi-lingual or multi-lingual, will have English as a language in addition to their home language or languages. The 4 English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) teachers develop programs in the four macro-skills of English – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. At CCC, these EAL/D programs reflect consideration of each year level’s academic objectives.

In Semester 1, Prep students who have been observed to have low levels of speaking and listening skills, are recommended for the Prep Intensive program. This withdrawal program provides up to 10 x 40-minute lessons in speaking and listening each week to develop the necessary skills to engage in classroom learning. At the end of Semester 1 these students are assessed and considered for inclusion in the Semester 2 Prep intensive program which provides 8 x 40-minute lessons in reading and writing and 6 x 40-minute lessons in speaking and listening.

Year 1 to 6 students who are beginners in social English in the school setting, may be recommended to attend the Year 1 to 6 Intensive English program with up to 8 x 40-minute lessons in reading and writing and 6 x 40-minute lessons in speaking and listening. This alternative program, presented in small groups, focuses on development of foundational English language skills, use and knowledge.

Other students who are intermediate to near native English language users in the playground and in their mainstream classes, may be recommended for up to 4 focused English lessons per week. These students may attend 1 x 40-minute Reading and 1 x 40-minute Writing lesson instead of languages.  They also may attend 1 x 40-minute Listening and 1 x 40-minute Speaking lesson, where they will be withdrawn from class. In all these classes, the students will be taught in small groups.

The process for entry into these programs is as follows: upon enrolment at CCC, new EAL/D students in Years 1 to 6 will have a general English language review according to the national standards Bandscales, produced by the National Languages and Literacy Institute Australia (NLLIA), for Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.

Each semester, included as part of their child’s class report, parents of EAL/D students will also receive an EAL/D progress report according to the Bandscale Levels 1 to 7, developed by NLLIA. In addition, students are monitored for twelve months or more, once they leave the EAL/D program. This is to ensure students exiting the program, transition successfully to the demands of the mainstream classroom academically and socially, when they no longer have direct EAL/D teacher support. Similarly, EAL/D regularly liaise with the Student Support Department and Learning Extension staff where necessary and report back to class teachers, regarding individual EAL/D students.