Curriculum Support Programs

NUMERACY INTERVENTION

Numeracy Programs at Mount Ridley College are targeted programs designed to meet the specific needs of the students involved and are in line with the Victorian Curriculum. Students involved in Numeracy Programs are timetabled to ensure minimal disruption to their other academic subjects and while in the program, students are exposed to a variety of ways of learning numeracy skills, though activities such as, but not limited to, small group work, hands on tasks, problem solving and discussions. Numeracy Programs at Mount Ridley College are designed to support and challenge students at their point of need.

Numeracy Intervention is provided in years P-2 in the regular Mathematics classroom. An additional staff member is allocated to each classroom one hour per fortnight to provide additional support to students with their number fluency and assist students in building their confidence with numbers.

Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Initiative (MYLNS) – Year 8 and Year 10 Intervention Program

Mount Ridley P-12 College is committed to assisting our students develop the literacy and numeracy skills they need to succeed in their senior school years and prepare them to thrive in future work and study. Our long term focus is for students to score well in their Year 12 General Achievement Test (GAT) which will be mandatory for all students, VCE and VCAL, from 2022.

The Victorian Government, ‘Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support Initiative’ commenced in 2019 to provide intensive literacy and numeracy teaching support towards achieving these goals. Students are identified by the Department of Education via their NAPLAN results. MRC has inducted additional students in need, particularly newly arrived EAL students who are exempt from NAPLAN, and students who performed well below the Victorian Curriculum Standards for Year 10.

This initiative builds on the hard work that schools are already doing to improve outcomes for all students. The literacy component of the program runs for two hours per week, both in class, smaller groups or one-on one, to complement what students are doing in their regular classes, focus on improving core literacy skills and overall results. In numeracy, the program runs for two hours a week as a withdrawal program that targets gaps in student’s numeracy skills and understanding. We conduct regular diagnostic testing that informs Literacy and Numeracy Intervention Teachers of the best way forward for each individual student; which results in an Individual Education Plan for each student.

Specialised teachers running the program are receiving intensive training directly from the Department of Education and support from regional Student Achievement Managers. The Victorian Government plans to extend the program to Junior Secondary Years (7-9) in the coming years, to ensure every student receives the best in educational opportunities; towards the best chance of success in their Senior Years and beyond.

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL)

The number of eligible EAL students in Victoria is growing by about 4.6 per cent a year and this is reflected at Mount Ridley College. This increase has been guided by a number of factors such as Commonwealth Government immigration policies, refugee and humanitarian programs, asylum seeker number and interstate movement through children being born in Australia from EAL language backgrounds.

EAL students are taught by teachers with a background and knowledge in EAL teaching and methodology and are supported by Multicultural Aides from our largest language areas, who work both in the classroom and in communicating with parents informing them of matters relating to the education of their children.

Eligibility for an EAL program is determined through a number of factors and includes:

• Holding of a relevant visa
• Speaking a language other than English as their main language at home
• Time in country

Some students may be eligible to attend a Language School which provides intensive English Language teaching and learning for a number of terms and prepares the student to successfully participate in the learning programs of our school.

Our local English Language Schools include the Broadmeadows and Craigieburn campuses of the Collingwood Language School and Hume Central English Language Centre. We have established close partnerships with all English Language Schools and work collaboratively to refer eligible students and liaise with English Language School personnel closely when our students return.

At present targeted EAL students from Prep to Year 8 have EAL teachers undertaking in class support in their classes alongside the mainstream teachers on a rotating basis.

In addition to mainstream English classes, Year 9 students undertake EAL lessons instead of LOTE.

Students from year 10-12 have separate, specific EAL classes in lieu of regular English.

Students in Prep-Year 10 are assessed through the new P-10 EAL Curriculum using relevant content descriptors from Pathway A, B or C depending on the student’s English level. Year 11 and 12 EAL English is part of the Victorian Certificate of Education and is assessed differently using the EAL VCE Study Design.