Effectively implementing evidence-based strategies can result in improved outcomes for students from low socio-economic backgrounds including:

• higher rates of achievement in the top 2 NAPLAN bands
• an increase in the proportion of students achieving at or above expected growth in both reading and numeracy as measured in NAPLAN or a local measure, for example, progressive achievement tests
• a decreased percentage of students achieving in the bottom 2 NAPLAN bands
• increased value-add across the school
• increased Year 12 attainment.

A variety of qualitative data can also provide a rich source of information about the success of student engagement initiatives developed by the school.

Improvement measures

The determination of authentic improvement measures at your school could result in:

• higher levels of student attendance
  
• increased retention of students and pathways
• more active student engagement in classroom and extra-curricular activities
• increases in positive student behaviours across the school
• increased student expectations for success in Tell them from me (TTFM).

These improved student outcomes are monitored through your Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP). See the following examples of SIP improvement measures for students from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Strategic Improvement Plan

Strategic direction 1: student growth and attainment

These examples demonstrate that your students from low socio-economic backgrounds are included in your whole cohort. Any evidence-based initiatives that you successfully implement to reduce the impact of disadvantage will be reflected in the progress towards your system-negotiated and school-determined targets. For more information about improvement measures and effective strategies for literacy and numeracy, refer to the Literacy and numeracy webpage.

System-negotiated targets (examples)

• Between 62.4% and 65% (or above) of Year 3 and between 58.4% and 60.5% (or above) of Year 5 students achieve in the top 2 bands in NAPLAN reading.
• NAPLAN % of students achieving top 2 bands with the lower bound (or above) being achieved in 2022: Numeracy 72%, Reading 64% for both Year 7 and Year 9.
• NAPLAN - % of students achieving at or above expected growth in reading increases to 95% by 2022 in Year 9.
• NAPLAN - % of students achieving at or above expected growth in numeracy increases to 89% by 2022.

School-determined targets (examples)

• At least 95% of Year 3 students achieve Level 7 or higher in the Understanding texts sub-element of the Literacy Learning Progression. (Syllabus Outcome EN2-8b).
  
• At least 82% of Years 2-6 students demonstrate expected annual growth when comparing start of year to end of year scaled scores in the progressive achievement test (PAT) in reading.
• Reduce the percentage of Year 9 students in the Bottom 2 bands of NAPLAN reading from 10% (baseline) to less than 5% (using multiple 2 year combined data measure).
• The % of students in HSC Band 3 and under decreases from 54.8 to 40.
• The % of students in HSC Band 4 and over increases from 45.2 to 52.3.
• School Excellence Framework indicates improvement in teaching, professional practice, literacy and numeracy focus from sustaining and growing (S&G) to excelling.

Any strategic direction

System-negotiated targets (examples)

• Proportion of students reporting expectations for success, advocacy, and sense of belonging at school increases from 65% to 80%.
• Decrease proportion of students attending <80% of the time.
• Increase % of HSC course results in top 2 (or 3) bands to 60% from baseline of 53.5%.

School-determined targets (examples)

• An increase in Year 12 completion rates from end 2020 baseline data by a minimum of 15%.
• School Excellence Framework (SEF) indicates improvement in learning, curriculum, differentiation from delivering to sustaining and growing.
• Proportion of students in Stage 5 attending > 90% of the time increases from 88% (baseline) to 95%.
• SEF indicates improvement in learning, learning culture, high expectations from sustaining and growing to excelling.
• SEF indicates improvement in learning, wellbeing from sustaining and growing to excelling.
• Teaching and learning programs, in all key learning areas address literacy and numeracy.
• Teaching and learning programs show evidence of adjustments to address individual student needs, ensuring that all students are challenged and supported.

Reflective questions on improvement measures

• How have our improvement measures captured progress in literacy and numeracy for our students from low socio-economic backgrounds?
• How do our system-negotiated targets capture our students from low socio-economic backgrounds?
• Do our improvement measures for growth enable us to monitor learning for our students from low socio-economic backgrounds adequately?
• How do our improvement measures identify and monitor our students from low socio-economic backgrounds with additional learning needs or high potential?
• Have we constructed improvement measures that ensure we are measuring the impacts of our specific evidence-based initiatives for our students from low socio-economic backgrounds?
• Have we put processes in place that allow us to monitor the progress of improvement measures in achieving their intended outcomes?
• Do the determined improvement measures allow us to report effectively on student learning and wellbeing outcomes for students from low socio-economic backgrounds?