Smarter school national partnerships

Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

The CMaD NP has provided support to Indigenous students throughout 2012. 2012 NAPLAN results for reading for Indigenous students in the 223 CMaD NP schools, revealed a positive trend with a steady shift of students from the lower proficiency bands (those below the National Minimum Standard) into the middle/ upper proficiency bands from 2010 to 2012.

Specific strategies and programs for Indigenous students implemented through the CMaD NP in 2012 included:

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  Consideration of the specific priorities and needs of Indigenous students as part of the Independent sector diagnostic review and school improvement planning process, reinforcing high expectations and community involvement.
  
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  Pursuing an agenda of improved wellbeing and learning outcomes for all students, including Indigenous students, through individualised learning plans in the Catholic sector.
  
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  Providing intensive family support and integrated regional service delivery to students through the DECD Aboriginal Turn Around Team, including crisis intervention
  
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  Supporting 116 Aboriginal students from remote and isolated communities in far north South Australia who came to Adelaide to continue their schooling through the DECD Witja program.
  
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  Providing individualised targeted support through:
  
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    the ICAN Flexible Learning Options enrolments: 778 students;
    
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    community and secondary mentoring: 242 students;
    
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    Aboriginal student mentoring: 1,495 students,
    
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    Learning Together: 43 people (adults and preschool children), and
    
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    VET scholarships: 102 students.
    

The importance of family and community voice and involvement in Aboriginal students’ schooling has also been recognised and in DECD this is being strengthened through the Aboriginal Voice initiative, which has conducted consultative forums, workshops and professional development days; and the new Passport program.

Links are also being made with Closing the Gap initiatives. For example, a school in the Catholic sector, involved in both the CMaD NP and Closing the Gap, focused its professional learning in literacy on exploring how an individual’s identity and literacy are linked. At all year levels, through a variety of experiences with the reading and creation of print, visual and digital texts, students were encouraged to explore and express their identities and were engaged in dialogue about the important value of their individual identity to the community and to the world. This focus culminated in digital stories and short films being screened at an organised community viewing. Primary school students spoke of appreciating the rigour and creativity of this literacy learning.

Support for other disadvantaged student cohorts

A range of strategies and programs for other cohorts of students have been implemented through the CMaD NP, such as: the AISSA in-school specialist support program; support for secondary students who are refugees in the Catholic sector; peer mentoring between ‘new arrival’ students in primary and secondary school; and the Multi Lit program for students refusing to attend school.

Students with a disability are also being supported with the inclusion of nine special schools amongst the CMaD NP schools and through individualised support, for example, 20% of ICAN FLO enrolled students have a recognised disability.

Evaluation

All three sectors are evaluating aspects of their CMaD NP initiatives and findings available in 2012 are included in the discussion of each of the initiatives in this section. Findings have also been used to inform ongoing implementation and refinement.

As well, a cross sector SA National Partnerships Council - Schooling led evaluation focussed specifically on the school review processes, found that these had added value by assisting schools to focus more clearly on key priorities for immediate action, to better target change strategies and to implement change at a faster rate. Increased use of whole of school approaches, particularly for literacy and numeracy was an important outcome that schools attributed to the review processes.

Sectors have also continued to support initiatives to share learning through professional networks and other forums. One example during 2012, was the forum organised by CESA and attended by 156 delegates from across the three schooling sectors. The Forum, entitled ‘Change: Making it happen in your school and system’, focussed on learning about school and system reform, exploring how to bring about change in teacher professional practice, examining policy drivers and strategies that work in bringing about sustainable reform of schools and systems.

Sustainability

Consideration of the sustainability of the reforms being implemented through the CMaD NP has been a priority. During 2012, the sectors took active steps to support schools to implement evidence-based strategies to achieve school improvement through structural and cultural change. Particularly important has been establishing collaborative, school-based professional learning communities, focussed on improving teaching and learning and providing targeted professional development, for example in better usage of student data.

School leadership teams in CMaD NP schools were supported through the provision of professional development and expert assistance and advice to enable them to provide effective instructional leadership and lead change in their schools. As well, improved in-school support was provided at multiple levels, including the training and development of school support staff.

Sectors are using the findings from the review and evaluation of initiatives to inform planning for the sustainability of ongoing reform that will continue to improve student learning outcomes and achievements into 2013 and beyond.