The Transition EAL Program is specifically for students who have experienced little or no prior schooling in their own language and who are no longer eligible for the New Arrivals Program. This program aims to support students integrating into their mainstream classrooms, something older children can find difficult if they have never been students before.
The program builds on the literacy foundation work taught in the New Arrivals Program but also provides a broader curriculum similar to that provided in the classroom. A major focus is also to develop independent work habits and routines required by students to function effectively in larger classes. The program provides additional support with specific tasks, research skills and revision work linked to their mainstream classroom curriculum. Additional assistance is given to develop homework and time management strategies.
Numeracy skill development requires many older students being taught basic number concepts using manipulatives and concrete aides similar to those used in the early years of schooling. Place value, patterns & counting, time, measurement are some examples of the maths concepts these students have missed out on, along with the language of maths. Therefore, the EAL Transition Program includes numeracy as a literacy genre.