Definition
This statement addresses the quality of the LBOTE dataset using the dimensions outlined in the NSW Department of Education's data quality management framework: institutional environment, relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence, interpretability and accessibility. It provides an overview of the dataset's quality and highlights any known data quality issues.
Data Quality
- Institutional Environment
The annual Language background other than English (LBOTE) data collection enables verification of LBOTE data early in the year for subsequent collections and data extractions, including the EAL/D and Mid-Year Census collections. LBOTE data assists school staff to identify students who may require English language assistance and to determine the language provisions needed to facilitate communication with parents. LBOTE data is also used for state and regional and curriculum planning. Information on LBOTE status of students is also provided outside DoE e.g. to ACARA for MySchool website student background data and for the National Report on Schooling in Australia.
Data on LBOTE characteristics of students in government schools are collected from the administrative enrolment system ERN. Data from the collection for all schools is maintained by the Education Statistics and Measurement Unit in the Department of Education (DoE).
- Timeliness
The LBOTE collection is undertaken every year in March to maximise accuracy of enrolment data and to enable other collections in the year to draw on quality assured data.
- Accessibility
LBOTE data is available at https://data.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/nsw-education-enrolment-of-lbote-students-in-nsw-government-schools-by-sa4-groupings
Each school is provided with a historical record of its data as part of the collection process.
- Interpretability
Since 2015, NSW has provided LBOTE information from this collection for the MySchool website.
- Relevance
Content:
LBOTE data is collected from all government schools, including preschools, distance education centres, intensive English centres, and schools for specific purposes (except hospital schools).Definition:
Language background other than English (LBOTE) is defined as students in whose home a language other than English is spoken by the student, parents, or other primary caregivers.Data items:
Number of LBOTE students by gender, grade level, and language background. Nationally agreed definitions and methodology are used in the collection.- Accuracy
The source of LBOTE data is information provided by parents/carers/students on the enrolment form. Initial data is entered on the Enrolment Registration Number system (ERN) and is validated with each successive annual LBOTE collection.
In accord with ACARA data collection principles, parental information is respected, including parental choice not to provide information.
Response rates:
Schools are accountable for their data and principals are required to sign off final dataCensus:
An initial data harvest is undertaken on the census date and schools have the opportunity to review data, amend as necessary in the ERN system and request a re-harvest of their data as needed. This improves data accuracy in the source system (ERN) and ensured issues resolved in one year will flow through to following years. Possible anomalies are investigated with each school (e.g. unusual language groups; language background ‘unknown’; significant variations from previous years).- Coherence
LBOTE data is collected consistently with the nationally agreed definitions and process set out in the ACARA Data Standards Manual (DSM 2022 edition) for schools and school systems. Language backgrounds are coded according to the current ABS Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL: ABS 1267.0 – released 28/03/17)