Teachers use data to check and understand where their students are in their learning and to plan what to do next. Effective analysis of student data helps teachers identify areas where students’ learning needs may require additional attention and development.
Data available in Scout and Schools Online as well as school-based assessment and observation of student learning can be used to inform teaching practice that supports students’ literacy and numeracy development in preparation for the HSC minimum standard.
PLAN2 enables teachers to record observations of students’ literacy and numeracy progress using the National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions. PLAN2 analysis supports schools to determine students’ current strengths and needs and determine next steps in literacy and numeracy learning.
Teachers can view School Discoveries that explore the effective use of data to inform teaching at Macarthur Girls High School (staff only) and Elizabeth Macarthur High School (staff only).
Narrator:
NSW High Schools are using several tools and strategies to develop students’ literacy and numeracy skills. These will support students’ preparation for the HSC minimum standard online tests.
Macarthur Girls High School, has 5 interconnected drivers of continuous improvement in the teaching of literacy and numeracy.
Firstly, there has been a cultural shift to literacy and numeracy growth being everyone’s responsibility.
Each student has a ‘learning profile’ that guides conversations about how to grow their literacy and numeracy skills. It includes learning goals and assessment results and is prepared by a stage team.
Secondly, classroom teaching and learning programs are differentiated, regularly adjusted, and refer to strategies that are accessible on a school designed web app.
Thirdly, teachers are provided with time to plan for their teaching.
The next year’s timetable is finished by the end of Term 3 so teachers know who will be in their classes. The student learning profiles are also ready at this time. Teachers have time in faculties to talk about students and their learning and to adjust teaching and learning programs.
Fourthly, school structures support staff to know their students well.
Roll call is renamed ‘PRIDE time”. It gives teachers and students 30 minutes of dialogue about growth and development every day and student goals are constantly reviewed.
Parents are given a formal report and participate in a learning conversation about student progress.
Lastly, when it comes to professional learning, the school’s approach is depth not breadth.
The school professional learning plan is streamlined to focus on the concept of knowing your students and how to support their literacy and numeracy skills.
All 5 elements ensure Macarthur Girls High School continues to plan for growth through knowing their students well, providing staff with extensive support in knowing their students and how to teach literacy and numeracy.
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Narrator:
New South Wales high schools are using several tools and strategies to develop students’ literacy and numeracy skills. These will support students’ preparation for the HSC minimum standard online tests.
At Elizabeth Macarthur High School support for students at risk of not achieving the HSC minimum standard starts early.
In Year 7, classroom teachers find evidence in work samples to support the student information from transition meetings and a range of assessments.
This data combined with observations of student literacy and numeracy behaviours based on the learning progressions, is used to develop a class scope and sequence.
All Year 7 and 8 classes have an extra lesson each week with one of their class teachers and a learning and support teacher the content of which is determined by the class scope and sequence.
These lessons use explicit teaching and commence with clear learning intentions.
The students then practice the skill working on small whiteboards to encourage experimentation and receive feedback from their teachers.
Students further practice and are assessed in this skill using a differentiated online program in Google Classroom.
The learning and support teacher updates the table of observable behaviours created for each student, which is discussed with the students after which they give a self-reflection of their progress.
Students are then encouraged to use and apply the skill in everyday classwork.
This intervention is sustainable, because as more teachers team-teach with the learning and support teacher, they are becoming familiar with the learning progressions and explicit literacy teaching strategies.
It also provides the school with the learning information to be able to have a conversation with parents.
We know your student really well.
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Illustrations of practice on the HSC minimum standard resource website provide models of data-driven teaching practice in different subject areas and contexts to support students’ literacy and numeracy development for the HSC minimum standard.