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Year 1 Phonics Check and changes to English Online Interview requirements

There are changes coming to Foundation and Grade 1 assessment requirements

English Online Interview and DATE decommissioned

This page no longer exists. The English Online Interview and DATE have been decommissioned. New literacy assessments, aligned with Victoria’s approach to teaching reading in F-2, are now available. For more information, visit Literacy page | Arc.

Victoria’s literacy assessment approach is changing to reflect the most recent evidence of how students learn to read.

In 2025, a new Year 1 Phonics Check will be introduced to Victorian government primary schools and become mandatory for Year 1 students from 2026.

Victorian government schools will no longer be required to use the English Online Interview (EOI) with Foundation and Year 1 students. The EOI will be fully decommissioned at the end of the 2025 year.

In 2025, this means:

  • for Foundation students, completion of the EOI will be optional
  • for Grade 1 students, completion is required of either
    1. the new Year 1 Phonics Check
    2. the Year 1 EOI

The Year 1 Phonics Check is a short assessment that provides information to teachers on a student’s phonics knowledge. It takes just 5-7 minutes for a teacher to complete with each student and involves Year 1 students using phonics knowledge to decode real and non-real words.

Further information about the Year 1 Phonics Check is available on this Arc page.

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