Using data to improve school and student literacy and numeracy performance
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Punchbowl Public School is a low socioeconomic school in the south western Sydney region, New South Wales. It is a school in the National Partnerships on literacy and numeracy. Using the analysis of data to identify areas for further professional learning ensures that teachers make effective use of school and student data, including NAPLAN and other school based assessment tools. Here a strategy of a school analytical framework is used as a tool to guide whole school decisions for change management in the areas of leadership, student engagement, quality of teaching, and community involvement. The self evaluation processes encompass analysis of a range of school data, interpretation and use of student performance data for specific areas of school practice.
As part of the National Partnership our school is doing the Focus on Reading program. It involves a number of things. We’re doing a leadership component, we’re doing Focus on Reading, which is the DET reading program. We’re also having in class leaders as part of that program, supporting the teachers in their classrooms.
The school is funded to increase the professional development of the teachers with a focus on the individual learning needs of each student, to increase their reading ability.
We did a situational analysis of our NAPLAN, we did staff and student surveys, a range of data across the school, and it showed that we needed to focus on reading and comprehension in particular.
The program has changed the way I teach reading to my students, by giving me more direction. I’ve been asked to place my students on a comprehension continuum which has given me greater detail as to where my students are at and their abilities in reading. It demonstrated a huge range of abilities within my class, stemming from low ability to high ability. This has given me direction as to where I need to take these students, and what my role is in moving them along that continuum.
Right from the start all the professional learning has focused on data, the data we have on our students and our school. And it encourages teachers at every step to look at the data, to look at where their students are at, and to take where their students are at as the starting point for planning effective teaching and learning.
To begin the initial program we looked at what children’s thoughts were on what they thought reading was, and when they did it within school. We also looked at teacher data and demographic data, so situational analysis within our school. We’ve also looked at perceptions data, so teachers’ and students’ perceptions around reading.
Teachers have been asking themselves the essential questions, which have been, where are my students now? Where do I want them to go? How am I going to get there?
The main improvement I’ve seen in the reading in my students is the volume of reading that’s happening in my classroom. I had a number of students before who just didn’t read, whether it be at home or at school, who are now reading and enjoying their reading.
My favourite bit is when we go in our groups and we tell them what we have done, what we’ve read, and what’s happened in the book. It made me more successful in my reading.
We also skim and scam. We look for the important highlight words. So when we start reading, we know what it means. I really like it, I really like doing it every day.
The program has been wonderful at our school and my advice for other Principals would be ‘Be involved in the training and development with our staff’. I think it’s really important that as leaders we understand what we’re asking them to implement.
I would definitely recommend the program to others. It’s an excellent program that allows staff to work collaboratively. I’ve really enjoyed having other teachers come in and help me implement the strategies in the classroom, team teaching, all of those sorts of things. And I’ve seen a definite change in my students and their enjoyment of reading, and I would put that down to this program.
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