Smarter schools national partnerships

Sustainability

Whilst the whole-of-school reviews resulted in strategic and action plans for each of the seven CMaD schools over the life of the National Partnership it is the intention of the AISSA that actions are sustainable beyond the partnership. Key elements that were the focus of improvement with an intention of sustainability are:

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  curriculum design and management (including the Australian Curriculum)
  
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  pedagogy, assessment and reporting
  
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  embedding understanding by design (‘backwards mapping’) and learning intentions in to a whole-school approach to learning
  
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  continuing focus on 21st Century learning approaches
  
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  strategic approach to the deployment of ICT
  
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  staff professional learning as identified through staff appraisal
  
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  community engagement through the establishment of playgroups incorporating parenting education; initially funded through CMaD funding but then to be maintained by the schools.
  

The SA Catholic sector was conscious of learning from the models being implemented in all three of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships.

In particular, in the case of the National Partnership – Communities Making a Difference, the construction of professional learning into the future was informed by the effectiveness of the professional learning communities approach. The most immediate benefit of this professional learning approach was that groups of teachers undertaking practice-based inquiry were afforded more opportunities for developing shared understandings, and for engaging in professional discourse, about teaching and learning. These contributed to increased capacity of school leaders and teachers to collect and analyse educational data and to make more informed decisions on the implications for, and evaluation of, the learning programs they design for their students.

The express requirement for principals’ deep engagement in their school community with reform strategies and clearly visible, active leadership of learning are being featured in professional learning for principals and aspiring leaders of CESA CMaD schools.

Consistent with the sector’s long-standing commitment to capacity-building, significant investment of the sector’s own resources will need to be directed towards these emerging priorities, just as the historically productive partnership between Australian Government agencies and the SA Catholic sector will continue to be important.

Sustainability and capacity building are key elements built into DECD CMaD programs. Professional development for leaders, teachers and the school community is an essential part of each relevant program ensuring the skills and knowledge are sustained beyond the life of each program. Where possible professional learning communities have been established between schools, leaders, teachers and school community members to ensure the learnings are sustained and have a wider influence.

A purpose built online student support system enables the ongoing recording, tracking and analysis of the targeted support young people receive as a result of the CMaD National Partnership. This information system not only provides greater accountability on how the CMaD funding is being used to target disengaged young people but also enables schools to determine what targeted support is most effective for each particular student leading to greater tailoring of support and improved educational outcomes for each young person.

Section 4 – Literacy and numeracy

Overview

The South Australian Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership (LN NP) has been working towards achieving sustained improvements in literacy and numeracy outcomes for students in participating schools.

During the facilitation phase of this National Partnership, the 78 Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools, with a total enrolment of 25,579 students in 2011 including 686 Indigenous students, have focused on either literacy or numeracy teaching and learning. Half of the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools are located in regional South Australia. The majority of students are primary school students (which includes Year 7).

School communities determined the year levels and student cohorts that were the priority for that school. Some schools directed their efforts to specific student cohorts in particular year levels while other schools adopted a whole-of-staff professional learning approach to improvement.

The three schooling sectors, Independent, Catholic and Government, each developed a model of in-school literacy or numeracy key teacher or specialist coaching support, tailored to suit the different sector contexts and scale of implementation required. This provided school-based professional learning which resulted in:

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  increased use of assessment tools and data, such as the early numeracy interview
  
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  greater consistency of practice in effective pedagogies
  
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  the adoption of more strategic and whole-school approaches to literacy and/or numeracy improvement.
  

More than 86% of teacher respondents to a survey conducted by one sector indicated that they had tried new strategies to better meet their students’ learning needs as a result of this professional learning.

Identifiable benefits are:

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  greater in-school professional collaboration between teachers
  
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  an increased aptitude in teachers’ use of data to inform their students’ learning
  
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  increased support provided through professional learning networks.
  

An important aspect of the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership was to create opportunities for principals to strengthen their educational leadership in literacy and numeracy.

Outcomes for students included increased confidence and enthusiasm for learning, as well as improved results on a range of assessment tools. While more time is needed to maximise the impact of the reforms, there are some promising trends in NAPLAN results for 2011, especially for younger students. These include the following:

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  In ‘numeracy’ schools, Year 3 and Year 5 students’ results indicated there was an improved trend from 2008 to 2011. Additional analysis of 2011 results shows more than a third (39%) of Year 3 classes, numeracy means were equal to or greater than the overall South Australia mean, compared to only 25% in 2008.
  
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  ‘Literacy’ schools also showed a pattern of improvement in Year 3 scores, with almost half (46%) of all Year 3 classes in 2011 having a mean equal or greater than the overall South Australia mean.
  
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  In addition, evidence indicated an improvement in NAPLAN spelling and grammar results across other year levels contributing to improved literacy performance.
  
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  Indigenous students in particular are showing improved outcomes from the partnership, with an increase in the total means across all year levels since 2008, and a steady movement towards the total mean achieved by all Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership students, and all South Australian students.
  
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  Since 2008, the number of Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership Year 3, 5 and 7 students below national minimum standard has decreased by 19%, from 426 to 347.
  

Parents’ engagement in their children’s learning was strengthened through strategies to increase their knowledge and understanding of contemporary approaches to literacy and numeracy teaching and learning.

Throughout the facilitation phase of this National Partnership, the three schooling sectors worked collaboratively under the direction of the South Australian National Partnerships Council - Schooling (a Ministerial advisory committee) on monitoring implementation, meeting the reporting obligations and evaluating the three Smarter Schools National Partnerships.