Vientiane International School

Admission Enrollment Process

After completing a school application form and providing former school report(s), the student attends an assessment and interview meeting with Student Services, administered by either the EAL or SEN coordinator.

We meet the student and have an informal chat to establish a rapport and get a feeling for English language skills. Then,  for Preschool and Prep age children we do activities such as looking at books together, drawing a picture and number skills. For primary students, we do an oral, reading, writing and maths assessment. For High School students we follow the same process as Primary, except that they do the mathematics assessment in their first week at school, in the mathematics class.

The procedure is to evaluate the student's general skills in English literacy and numeracy as well as their social and communication skills, and to identify specific learning needs and abilities. 

An example of what the assessment may include:

• An evaluation of his/her previous school report(s) and application form
• An oral interview
• A writing sample (the length is determined by the students age and ability)
• A reading test (may include phonics and word recognition or a PROBE for approximate reading age level, comprehension and fluency)
• A numeracy screening test (numerical awareness, basic number facts and operations, and/or problem solving, depending on student's age)

The results determine grade placement and inform class teachers and support staff of the student's learning abilities. EAL or SEN needs may be highlighted during the initial assessment and if further diagnostic testing may be necessary prior to enrollment.