four year school strategic plan commenced 2009 and …

Waterford West State School Strategic Plan 2010-‐2013 1

FOUR YEAR SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN COMMENCED 2009 AND REVISED 2011

NAME OF SCHOOL: WATERFORD WEST STATE SCHOOL

NAME OF PRINCIPAL: Di Carter

ADDRESS OF SCHOOL: JOHN STREET WATERFORD WEST STUDENT FTEs AS AT DAY 8: 584 SCHOOL CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND & KEY PRIORITIES TO BE ADDRESSED Waterford West State School has 584 students (2011 Day 8 numbers) of which 12% are indigenous, 3% are Students in Care, 6% have verified disabilities, approx 19% are receiving additional learning support, and many cultures are represented. Many of our students have complex backgrounds and live in impoverished households with a range of family structures. The recent history of Waterford West was characterised by instability in the Administration of the school which has been rectified in 2008-9 with the substantive appointment of a Principal, Deputy Principal, Head of Curriculum and Business Services Manager. In 2008, Waterford West embarked on a partnership with the Queensland University of Technology, led by Professor Alan Luke and Dr Annette Woods, in recognition of the work that had so far been done in regard to the education of socially and economically disadvantaged students and Indigenous students. The school had at the time, an Acting Deputy Principal and an Indigenous Teacher-Librarian who had undertaken the QUT Indigenous Education Leadership Institute’s Stronger, Smarter, Leadership program at Cherbourg with Dr Chris Sarra in March 2008 and a full-time permanent Indigenous Liaison Officer. The Teacher-Librarian has since been transferred. The QUT Project “You Are Learning (URL)” was born out of this and was funded by ACR in October 2009. This project is a single school project ($500,000) using print and digital multi-literacies to engage students in improving student outcomes in literacy. (see attachment 2 for more information) The reform methodology that drives the strategies at Waterford West State School is based on the classroom teacher as the “significant other”, as the single most significant force in the improvement of student outcomes. Therefore, all initiatives focus on pedagogical reform, on driving significant change in classroom practice to focus on creating a community for improved student success where the relationship between how teachers teach and what students have learned is pivotal. The strategies that form the structure of this plan are all linked to intensive support, investigation, modification, innovation of classroom practice. Our partnership with QUT is evidence of the drive to provide an engaging innovative curriculum matched with engaging innovative teaching practices. The groundswell of reform of classroom practice, supported by operational arrangements, external partnerships, high performing teaching practitioners and high quality learning experiences, is the foundation of our strategies.


Key priorities Literacy and Numeracy Improvement – engagement in URL and LL4LL Literacy projects – 3 year projects for literacy improvement through the implementation of structures that enable individual student tracking and specific targeted intervention. Engagement in First Steps In Mathematics and Deadly Maths to reform the teaching of numeracy to include a more diagnostic approach and more kinaesthetic pedagogical approaches. Implementation of construct of PAC meetings (Planning and Assessment Conversations) (See Attachment 4) to monitor that the expectations around classroom practice match pedagogical practice and to build teacher confidence.

Closing the Gap: employment of an Indigenous Cultural Studies teacher to supplement the current URL project (see Attachment 2 for explanation of community links) and the work done by the Indigenous Liaison Officer and a site-based member of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute.

Improving Attendance: more effective tracking of attendance and the implementation of a campaign to address late arrival and early departure through community liaison.

Student well being: developing links with the Community Well-being Centre established by Every Child Counts. School based Social and Emotional Programs include lunch time programs to build student social skills and leadership capacity.

Family and Community Engagement: Enhanced links with the Yugumbir people and Durithunga Community and non-Indigenous community through after hours programs for students and parents and in-school programs for parents such as “Using the Web with your child”.

Building Workforce and leadership capacity: implement a staff based and student based leadership density development program through mentoring and appointment of key teachers and for students led by the Principal. Appoint a Deputy Principal to lead and embed reform strategies in conjunction with the current DP


COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CONSULTATION PROCESS UNDERTAKEN

The implementation process for the National Partnerships Agreement at Waterford West State School:

Timeline Actions

1. Term 3 Information sessions for all stakeholders to brief the community about the key initiatives involved in the National Partnership Agreements and the potential impact on the school –

• Administration team • P & C • Teaching Staff, • Non teaching staff, • community representatives, • LCC (includes QTU rep and QPSU rep) • Indigenous community held in individual sessions to allow for effective responses to questions (QTU representative at 3 of the sessions)

2. Term 4

Week 1 - 4

Individual forums where community stakeholders can have input into the identification of priorities, the selection of strategies and the allocation of resources.

• Administration team (Oct 5) • P & C (Oct 14) • Teaching Staff (Oct 6) • Non teaching staff (Oct 15) • Community representatives (Oct 27) • LCC - includes QTU representative and QPSU representative (Oct 14) • Indigenous community (Oct 12)

3. Term 4

Week 5

Meeting of NPS Working party (Nov 4) with representatives from community, P & C, staff to identify and collate common themes in the identification of strategies across all consultative groups


4. Term 4

Week 6 -7

Draft plan formulated

Draft budget formulated

5. Term 4

Week 6 - 7

Consultation with EDS

6. Term 4

Week 8

Presentation of plan to consultative groups

OUTCOMES These will be taken from the State Implementation Plan

• All students are successfully engaged in learning.

• Young people are meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy achievement are improving.

• Schooling promotes the social inclusion and reduces the education disadvantage of children, especially indigenous children.

• Australian students excel by international standards.

• Young people make a successful transition from school to work and further study.

• Community confidence in the capability of schools

NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP KEY REFORM AREAS: 1. Incentives to attract high-performing principals and teachers 2. Adoption of best-practice performance management and staffing arrangements that articulate a clear role for principals 3. School operational arrangements which encourage innovation and flexibility 4. Provision of innovative and tailored learning opportunities 5. Strengthened school accountability 6. External partnerships with parents, other schools, businesses and communities and provision of access to extended services ATTACHMENT 1: WATERFORD WEST TARGETS 2009 ATTACHMENT 2: SYNOPSIS OF URL (YOU ARE LEARNING) PROJECT WITH QUT ATTACHMENT 3: LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT PEDAGOGICAL REFORM ATTACHMENT 4: CURRICULUM CONVERSATIONS CONSTRUCT


SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN Outcomes Strategies

Process Milestones

& Timeframes

Estimated School Funding

Contribution

Estimated NP Funding

Contribution

Total Budget Allocation

1. Young people are meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy achievement are improving. Australian students excel by international standards

1. Implementation of URL – “You are Learning” – QUT partnership Years Prep - 4

Implement all facets of QUT project: • Implement in class coaching and

mentoring by site-based QUT Officer; • Identify Professional Learning for Staff

• Collate site-based baseline data • Implement PD opportunities (for all

staff) • Implement after-hours school project • Implement digital multi-literacy

teaching strategies • Implement multi-media project in

partnership with QUT, Durithunga Community Centre

a. OCT 2009 Professional learning in Functional grammar, comprehension strategies, using Garage Band and Blogging and other literacy engagement strategies in response to student and teacher interests and needs and .4 Multi-media teacher appointed

b. OCT 2009 First of the parent workshops conducted in Power-point and “Using the Web with your child”

c. NOV 2009 Baseline data collection from year 1 students

d. FEB 2010 Professional learning program developed in response to student interests and teacher need

e. FEB-DEC 2010 QUT on-site mentor will coach staff and drive professional learning in conjunction with QUT specialists in digital multi-media – yearly for 4 years (see Attachment 2)

f. 2011 – Year 5 tracked in terms of digital proficiency, program continues with year 4

g. On-going PD provided by team in identified areas of need

140,000

NA 140,000


Outcomes Strategies

Process Milestones &

Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


2. Implementation of the Regional (Literacy Lessons for Logan Learners) LL4LL project consultation from an academic for a period of time to assist in the development of a professional development program based on an identified need

a. 2009 – 201 3 year project on-going and reviewed at the end of each year

b. Torch testing developed as base-line data for years 5-7 in 2009 used to build the Data wall and identify teaching strategies for identified deficiencies in knowledge and understanding of teaching comprehension. Tracking will continue throughout 2010.

c. Teaching strategies implemented through Teacher sharing sessions conducted by HOC

d. HOC conducts rolling-meetings and has PD in master classes in pedagogy

e. Learning walks implemented and used to drive pedagogical change

f. Learnings around high impact teaching methods implemented at whole school level

877,000

877,000

2. The number of Teacher-Aides increased to allow 1 per double teaching space to run a specific school-developed program with individual or pairs of students – employment of a total of 13 Teacher-Aides to implement targeted support.

3. Teacher-Aides will report directly to the DP Student Engagement who will direct the program and review end of 2010

a. Term 4 2009 Plan to develop Teacher-Aides with specific training discussed with Teachers and Teacher-Aides and has their support

b. Term 1 2010 Teacher-Aides will be specifically trained in a school based program for individuals and groups with small numbers of students identified form the NAPLAN middle bands

c. Progress will be tracked and plan reviewed at the end of Terms 2 and 4 2010

d. PLIP Reading continues with fewer teacher-aides with one per double teaching space

240,000 1,080,497 1,320,497


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


4. 2011 – 1.2 teachers employed to

implement a personalised writing program to improve performance in writing spelling grammar and punctuation in NAPLAN focussing on years 5 & 7 in term 1 and extending to include years 4 & 6

e. Learning support targeted to focus on writing for 2011 in semester 1 and writing and numeracy in semester 2

f. Review at end of year to plan for 2012

4. Key teachers in Mathematics will be appointed – Key teacher will have extra non-contact time to build leadership density Key teachers will also investigate the use of Mathletics across the school and develop an implementation plan

a. Key teachers will undertake First Steps in Mathematics and Deadly Maths to lead Professional Development in 2010

b. Key teachers will develop assessment tools to track the progress of individual students on a Week 9 each term basis (this structure exists in a rudimentary fashion but needs tools to make it effective) – this may be done through “Mathletics”, Pat Maths or some other diagnostic means.

c. New plans in Mathematics and Numeracy will be written 2011 and implemented

14000 14000

5. Key teachers in Science will be appointed – Key teacher will have extra non-contact time to build leadership density

a. Key teachers will be appointed in term 1 2010 to drive professional learning with teachers

b. Key teachers will map a whole school plan for the teaching of Science Semester 2 2010

c. Key teachers will develop a system and set of tools for tracking student progress in Semester 1 2010

d. On-going mapping will review progress by end of 2010

e. 2011 new draft Science plan written in accordance with ACARA and implemented

Extra non-contact time (1 afternoon session for Key Teacher per week)


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


6. Personalising learning:

• Teachers will undertake PD - regional initiative

• All stakeholders will ensure that expectations meet pedagogical practice

a. Partnership with Every Child Counts and NP initiatives to implement Personalised Learning project

b. PD will be offered in 2010, undertaken as presented, implemented and reviewed for impact at the end of 2011

c. 2011 development of individual learning goals for all students

40,000

40,000

7.Data Analysis and use: Teachers will interface with data from a variety of in-school and external data during year level planning meetings and track individual student performance on charts in a transparent professional environment to drive pedagogical reform Data such as: • Week 9 data each term using school

developed assessment tools in literacy and numeracy

• Tracking of reading levels on data walls each term and at SF junctures – electronic and visual representations

• Data will be reported directly to Principal from HOC and DP (Curriculum Reform) to review strategic responses

a. Construct of Curriculum Conversations with DP implemented in 2009 to be continued each semester in 2010 – structure to identify whole school needs, patterns and strengths and deficiencies in pedagogy to ensure collective responsibility

b. Construction of data walls across the whole school in Literacy and Numeracy to be continued and supported by electronic records (ongoing throughout the year)

c. End of term data collection to be strengthened and used to drive decisions about classroom practice led by HOC week 10 of each term and driven in year level sharing meetings during non-contact time

d. Data analysis of Naplan in year level team meetings immediately following results publication as per model developed in 2009

e. 2011 data analysis driven through PAC meetings with line management of individual teachers implemented with whole leadership team.

Current DP implements Curriculum Conversations .5 HOC allocation from flexible staffing


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


2. All students are successfully engaged in learning. Schooling promotes the social inclusion and reduces the education disadvantage of children, especially indigenous children.

1. URL project implemented for: • community learning • after hours program • engaging pedagogy see Attachment for Synopsis of project

a. Community Learning program started in Term 4 2009 continued into 2010

b. After hours program to start in Term 2 c. On-site research officer working in class

started Term 4 continuing into 2010 d. 2011 Homework initiative involves parents

and students

8,000

8,000

2. Indigenous teacher will be employed to teach cultural studies (to develop understanding and tolerance of difference) and support school-based extra-curricular programs. The indigenous teacher will work with school-based Indigenous Liaison officer and site-based member of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute

a. Indigenous Liaison Officer currently funded by school – involved in home-school liaison and links with Durithunga Community Centre

b. Indigenous teacher sourced 2009 to start contract beginning of the school year 2010 (1FTE = NPS contribution)

c. Extra-curricular engagement strategies to begin Term 1 2010 on-going

d. Indigenous homework club with cultural activities included – promotion of Deadly Jarjums dance troup

92,000

263,619 355,619

2.Engagement of a Student Attendance officer who will be employed to monitor, track and connect l with absenteeism and support community liaison and administrative procedures

a. EOI distributed in term 1 2010 b. Processes set up under the management

of, and reporting directly to, the Deputy Principal (Student Engagement)

c. ID Attend currently under investigation d. Tracking of students with follow up fully

implemented 2011 with target set at 92% for this year

217,806 217,806


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


4. Supporting student nutrition needs a. Providing fresh fruit for students during morning session

b. Fruit break continues 2011 with emergency lunches provided for students in need

20,000 (Every Child Counts)

20,000


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


4. Appointment of a Deputy Principal (Student Engagement) will be employed to lead the refinement and review of School Wide Positive Behaviour Support and key reform initiatives (see attached leadership structure on Attachment 2). School Attendance Officer will report directly to DP (Student Engagement) DP position reviewed for effectiveness Nov 2010 This will also enable the BAT (Behaviour Advisory Teacher) to lead positive proactive programs to support PBS such as Anger Management, Brain Tools, Resilience training, social skills training etc and provide one-on-one in class coaching of behaviour management strategies for Teachers and Student Aides

a. EOI Term 1 2010 to start Term 2 2010 b. Role developed in 2009 c. Deputy Principal reviewed at the end of

2010 d. Implementation of Social and Emotional

Welfare program developed and actioned in 2010

e. Reviewed at the end of 2010 towards embedding in classroom practice

f. Process for student nutrition program g. 2011 DP position continued to build on the

success of SWPBS and lead curriculum development in ICT, Science, and pedagogical development in upper school

a. Brain Tools to be taught in Term 1 2010

and embedded in classroom practice b. Student needs identified and specialised

social skills training implemented in small groups in Term 1 and 2 on-going

c. Support for teaching staff in regard to the implementation of essential skills and teaching expected behaviours

471,923 471,923

5. Student engagement in non-curriculum time: Employment of outside agencies to conduct activities in breaks eg dance, sport, old schoolyard games.

a. Investigation of Oz Dance, Confidence through Fitness and Gobbledock Sports Term 1 2010

b. 2011 continuation of lunch time activities and add program with Leroy Loggins and links with Loganlea State High School

40,000 92,000

6. School commitment to the KITE Yonder project

a. Preliminary staff in-service for DP plus key teacher Nov 2009

b. Implementation in 2011 – 2 key teachers appointed to lead project and write media arts program for the school

Every Child Counts funding


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


7.Social and emotional well-being: The program developed in 2009 to improve the social and emotional welfare of students will be implemented and monitored and evaluated by the DP position already noted.

a. Program developed in 2009 with the support of a $7,000 grant to be embedded in classroom practice

b. implementation process to be reviewed in 2010 under leadership of newly appointed temporary DP position and embedded in classroom pedagogy to ensure sustainability

c. 2011 – cycle of review and embed continued

7,000 7,000

7. Every Child Counts strategy: We are involved in this separately funded strategy which provides us with access to a Community Well-being Centre to which we can refer parents and students and access to a bus to support student access.

a. Access to the Community Well-being Centre and a Family Liaison Officer through the ECC Well-being hub in 2010 and on-going coordinated by DP (Student Engagement)

b. Program to support student nutrition in 2010 c. Access to transport to support school

attendance and access to support services in 2010

d. Facilities provided to house Social Worker e. 2011 – Strategy continues to include digital

phonics program in year 1 and prep and full-time Chaplain

ECC funding across 12 schools 5,000

n/a 5,000

8. Social Inclusion research project: Teachers involved in QUT project to develop a reflective journal to investigate, track and record changes in pedagogy and the subsequent impact on classroom practice.

a. Process started at the end of 2009 and on-going throughout the project

b. 2011 – process continues

na na


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


3. Young people make a successful transition from school to work and further study

1. Improving student aspirations: Further development of Transition Programs to High School and expansion of Career Opportunities program for year 7.

a. To ensure that curriculum continuity is developed, teacher swaps between primary and secondary school to moderate assessment, examine classroom practice, share assessment items

b. 2011 curriculum project links developed to sustain meaningful transition from primary to high school

n/a n/a

Community confidence in the capability of schools

2. Parent and community programs: • Programs in using technology (eg.

Using the web with your child, How to do power-point etc) will be provided by school and QUT staff on WWSS site.

• An after school program will provide community access to facilities (particularly Resource Centre and Technology Centre and programs and enable students and their parents to engage in digital multi-literacies – this program is designed to cater for our indigenous students but will be available for all students – delivered by QUT and WW staff on 2 sites – WWSS and Durithunga Community Centre

• Started in term 4 2009 and continue into

2010 – flexible program responding to community interests and needs and at flexible times- trialling different times of day, days of the week this year.

• Currently under development to be implemented Term 1 2010

• 2011 – support provided for parents and students around a homework initiative – teaching parents how to help their students

• Showcases implemented – 2 per year in every class

n/a n/a


Outcomes Strategies


Timeframes


Contribution


Contribution


3. Improving teacher quality and workforce stability:

• “Home Grown” project trialled in term 4 2009 (21 Pre-service teachers from QUT on site) and feedback indicates very successful for school and teachers–in-training

• Curriculum Conversations construct

produces semester report on curriculum delivery to monitor, guide and support curriculum expertise development in teachers

• In-school teacher leadership training

program started in 2009 and extended in 2010 – led by Principal to build leadership density

• Align role recognition and workload Ensure financial accountability and recognise work load increase through temporary one band increase in BSM base designation for the first year of the National Partnership Agreements.

a. Project will continue with QUT

a. Started in Term 3 2009 and will continue each semester next year

b. 2011 - Strategy evolved into Planning and Assessment Conversations (PACs) with line management by each Admin member

a. 1 teacher had some Acting HOC

experience in 2009, 3 teachers had experience in Acting DP (short term)

b. Program will be extended and evaluated c. 2011 Prep teacher engaged as Acting HOC

for 5 weeks

a. Position will go through JEM process in Semester 1 2010

NA NA Contribution from PD budget 20,000

41675

20,000 41,675

TOTAL BUDGET EXPENDITURE

1,503,000 2,075,520 3,578,520

Waterford West State School Strategic Plan 2010-‐2013 16 ATTACHMENT 1


WATERFORD WEST TARGETS 2009 SSP: Waterford West State School (1856)

Measure Annual target increase for

state schools Dimensions of Measure

Current performance

(where available)

Targets

(Schools to complete)

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

NAPLAN - Percentage of students at or above National Minimum Standard

Annual increase of 3% pa for all year levels in each domain.

Year

3

Reading 74% 78% 74% 79% 67% 79% 82% 70% 82% 85% 73% 85% 88% 76% 88% 91% 79% 91

%

Writing 81% 75% 82% 77% 100% 77% 80% 100

% 80% 83%

100

% 83% 86%

100

% 86% 89% 100%

89

%

Spelling 84% 89% 84% 76% 100% 75% 79% 100

% 79% 82%

100

% 82% 85%

100

% 85% 88% 100%

88

%

Grammar & Punctuation 83% 100% 81% 69% 67% 69% 72% 70% 72% 75% 73% 75% 78% 76% 78% 81% 79% 81

%

Numeracy 75% 89% 73% 64% 100% 63% 67% 100

% 67% 70%

100

% 70% 73%

100

% 73% 76% 100%

76

%

Year

5

Reading 64% 60% 65% 64% 56% 65% 67% 59% 67% 70% 62% 70% 73% 65% 73% 76% 68% 76

%

Writing 77% 67% 78% 71% 67% 71% 74% 70% 74% 77% 73% 77% 80% 76% 80% 83% 80% 83

%

Spelling 82% 90% 81% 69% 67% 70% 72% 70% 72% 75% 73% 75% 78% 76% 78% 81% 79% 81

%


%

Numeracy 71% 70% 71% 80% 89% 79% 83% 92% 83% 86% 95% 86% 89% 98% 89% 92% 92% 92

%




Current performance

(where available)

Targets


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

Year

7

Reading 84% 57% 87% 79% 67% 81% 82% 70% 84% 85% 73% 88% 88% 76% 91% 91% 79% 94

%

Writing 77% 57% 79% 78% 58% 81% 81% 61% 84% 84% 64% 88% 87% 67% 91% 90% 70% 94

%

Spelling 87% 71% 88% 81% 75% 82% 84% 78% 85% 87% 81% 88% 90% 84% 91% 93% 87% 94

%


%

Numeracy 95% 71% 97% 92% 82% 93% 95% 85% 96% 99% 88% 99% 100

% 91%

100

% 100% 94%

10

0%


Measure

Annual target increase for


Current performance

(where available)

Targets


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

NAPLAN - Percentage of students in the upper 2 bands of each domain.

Annual target increase of 4% pa for all year levels in each domain.

Year

3

Reading 8% 11% 7% 8% 0% 9% 12% 15% 11% 16% 19% 15% 20% 23% 19% 24% 27% 23

%

Writing 29% 38% 28% 8% 0% 9% 16% 10% 32% 20% 15% 36% 24% 20% 40% 28% 24% 44

%

Spelling 16% 22% 15% 13% 0% 14% 20% 26% 19% 24% 30% 23% 28% 34% 26% 32% 38% 38

%


%

Numeracy 7% 11% 6% 2% 0% 2% 11% 15% 10% 15% 19% 14% 19% 23% 19% 23% 27% 23

%

Year

5

Reading 4% 0% 5% 7% 11% 6% 8% 4% 9% 12% 8% 13% 16% 12% 17% 20% 16% 21

%

Writing 9% 0% 10% 2% 11% 1% 13% 4% 14% 17% 8% 18% 21% 12% 22% 25% 16% 26

%

Spelling 16% 20% 16% 2% 0% 3% 20% 24% 20% 24% 28% 24% 28% 32% 28% 32% 36% 32

%


%

Numeracy 1% 0% 2% 4% 0% 4% 5% 4% 6% 9% 8% 10% 13% 12% 14% 17% 16% 18

%

Year

7

Reading 6% 0% 7% 6% 0% 7% 10% 4% 11% 14% 8% 15% 17% 12% 19% 21% 16% 23

%

Writing 12% 0% 13% 8% 0% 10% 16% 4% 17% 20% 8% 21% 24% 12% 25% 28% 16% 29

%

Spelling 20% 14% 20% 11% 0% 12% 24% 18% 24% 28% 22% 28% 32% 26% 32% 36% 30% 36


Measure



Current performance

(where available)

Targets


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

%

Grammar & Punctuation 15% 14% 15% 7% 0% 8% 19% 18% 19% 23% 22% 23% 27% 26% 26% 31% 30%

Numeracy 15% 0% 16% 5% 9% 4% 19% 4% 20% 23% 8% 24% 27% 12% 28% 30% 16%



Current performance

(where available)

Targets


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

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All

Indi

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us

Non

Indi

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us

All

Indi

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Non

Indi

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us

ENROLMENT NA Student enrolment

( July – Census) 621 61 560 649.6 78 571.6 654 80 574 660 82 578 665 87 582 670 90 580

ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION

An increase of

1% pa.

Average attendance rate for students 91% 89% 91% 90% 88% 90% 91% 89% 91% 92% 90% 92% 93% 91% 93% 94% 92%

94

%

Apparent retention of students from Years 8 to 10

Apparent retention of students




Current performance

(where available)

Targets


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

from Years 10 to 12


Measure



Current performance

(where available)

Targets


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

All

Indi

geno

us

Non

Indi

geno

us

SATISFACTION MEASURES

An increase of 1% pa

Percentage of students satisfied that they are getting a good education at school

76% 78% 80% 80% 82%

Percentage of parents/caregivers satisfied that they are getting a good

education at school

68% ^ 70% 72% 74% 76%

Percentage of parents/caregivers satisfied with their child’s school.

73% ^ 75% 76% 77% 78%

Percentage of school workforce satisfaction with access to PD opportunities

85% ^ 86% 88% 90% 92%

Percentage of staff members satisfied with morale in the school

85% ^ 86% 87% 88% 90%

Student perceptions of their wellbeing at school 73% 73% 73% ^ ^ ^ 75% 75% 75% 76% 76% 76% 77% 77% 77% 78% 78%

78

%

Parent perceptions of their

child’s wellbeing at school 68% 50% 74% ^ ^ ^ 70% 60% 74% 72% 64% 74% 74% 68% 74% 76% 70% 76

%


ATTACHMENT 2: OVERVIEW OF URL PROJECT

E1. DIGITAL LEARNING AND PRINT LITERACY: A DESIGN EXPERIMENT FOR THE REFORM OF LOW SOCIOECONOMIC, CULTURALLY DIVERSE SCHOOLS

E2. Aims and Background

Aims: The aim of this study is to prototype the use of digital media production to improve lower SES student outcomes in literacy and numeracy. It brings together school, community and professional partnerships to build a sustainable school digitalisation and curriculum reform model and training site in a low SES and culturally diverse Brisbane primary school. Australia is in the midst of unprecedented national educational reform. There is a major drive to develop capacity with digital technologies in schools. Even without implementation of the federal laptop program, schools are wired, and computer/student access ratios match leading OECD countries (Luke, Ayers & Olaffson, 2008). At the same time, there are persistent concerns about the performance of primary students in print-based literacy. Yet the connection between digitalisation and print literacy achievement remains unclear – in research, in policy and in practice. Key elements of the federal government’s ‘Education Revolution’ are: (1) closure of the literacy and numeracy ‘equity gap’ of lower socio-economic, NESB and Indigenous students; (2) improved teacher quality; and (3) expansion of digital technologies. The current reform agenda expands testing, accountability and reporting. The proposed national curriculum calls for balanced approaches to traditional print literacy and the need for “new technological literacies” (Freebody, 2008). There are major federal/state disputes over who will pay for new technologies. Yet no state governments have published developmental prototypes for how schools and teachers can bridge technology and print literacy to improve student outcomes in current funding conditions. This is a school-level, design-experiment intervention in digital and print literacies. A low SES state primary school, the state teachers’ union, and researchers will establish a new school-based prototype for enhancing traditional print literacy while introducing digital innovation in curriculum and teaching. It is the first Australian project to bring together: a professional development focus on traditional print literacy with an innovative program for students to develop digital media analysis and production skills (Sefton-Green, 2008). It will use existing school resources, without the radical expansion of computer infrastructure. The approach is whole-school renewal around literacies, with strong Indigenous community links. The design experiment will gather longitudinal data on student outcomes and teachers’ work to refine the intervention. It will empirically document the complex links between digital and print development. It culminates with the launch of a partner-sponsored training site for teachers to integrate digital pedagogy with print-based curriculum and assessment.

The project brings together three key players committed to improved outcomes in lower socioeconomic areas: (1) Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers, teacher educators, including QUT-based Indigenous educators with strong ties to the local Durithunga Aboriginal community; (2) Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) research and professional development staff; and (3) Education Queensland staff of Waterford


West Primary School. Waterford West is in one of Queensland’s lowest socioeconomic areas, with a substantial indigenous and NESB school population. The QTU made a 2007 policy commitment to improve student outcomes in lower socio-economic schools – unprecedented for a state teachers’ union. The QTU has 37,000 state members across more than 1,200 schools. The proposed project is a key element of the union strategy. QUT will provide expertise on research design, literacy, media studies and digital technologies. QTU will provide principal cash support, and expertise on teachers’ work and professional development. EQ and Waterford West will provide teacher planning and training time, staffing technical support and infrastructure resources. In 2008, QUT-funded school and community consultations with all partners were undertaken, inservice development in print and digital teaching has begun. The staff of Waterford West is fully committed to the project. The partnership has a recent track record in research collaboration and school-improvement. CI1 (Woods) and CI2 (Luke) worked with QTU PI2 (McFarlane) and the Australian Curriculum Studies Association on print literacy policy (Luke & Woods, 2007, 2008a, 2008b). They are currently working with the QTU (PI1, McCollow & PI2 McFarlane) and the Queensland Studies Authority on an ARC funded Linkage study of state teachers’ use of the official curriculum. CI2 has a decade long track record of reform work with EQ schools. CI5 (Exley), Queensland Chair of the Australian Language and Literacy Association, has worked in the Waterford/Logan cluster with teachers on print literacy curriculum reform. CI5 (Davis) is an experienced Indigenous teacher who co-founded the Logan Indigenous Education Centre, the Yugumbeh Dreaming Community Centre, and the Aboriginal studies program at Waterford West. He currently works in Chris Sarra’s QUT Indigenous Leadership Centre. The partners share a strong practical commitment to improving lower SES and Indigenous schooling. This intervention project aims to: 1. Develop and implement digital media literacy and production programs for lower SES primary schools; 2. Develop school and teacher professional capacity in print and digital literacy curriculum; 3. Improve lower SES and Indigenous student outcomes in print-based literacy; 4. Build Indigenous community engagement through student digital media production in an Aboriginal community centre setting; and 5. Establish a best practice training site for teachers from lower socio-economic and Indigenous communities with the Queensland Teachers Union. The project emphasises human capacity: the professional development and mentoring of teachers, the training of students as technology mentors. The model is not dependent upon a substantial infusion of ‘state of the art’ IT infrastructure. Background In 1996 “The Pedagogy of Multiliteracies” (New London Group) was published in Harvard Educational Review, calling for a new era of schooling that addressed the need for both print and digital literacies. It had a strong emphasis on questions of equity of access. CI2 (Luke) was co-author of that article, cited as a breakthrough in new literacy studies. In 2000, Education Queensland was the first system internationally to call for “multi-literacies” in the curriculum (Freebody, Luke & Land, 2000). The approach since has had widespread international uptake. There have been incremental


developments in curriculum, pedagogy and teacher education – with several of the CIs (Woods, Exley, Dezuanni, Dooley) and APAI (Mills) publishing case studies and curriculum prototypes (e.g., Mills, 2008; Exley, 2008). Yet a comprehensive evidence-based study of the connections between the digital and print literacies has not been undertaken in Australia. This project spans 4 years (2009-2012). Work commenced in 2008 with $15,000 in funding from the QUT Institute of Creative Industries. This involved professional development of teachers, and exchange visits from Prof. Nicole Pinkard and “I-Remix” digital artists and teachers from the University of Chicago Charter School (see iremix website; Pinkard, 2008). In a five year MacArthur-funded program, Pinkard re-engaged urban African-American students through media literacy and digital media production of advertisements, music, games, documentaries and social networking. This is an “outside-in” approach to digitalisation (Luke, 2008) that works with teachers to augment curriculum, pedagogy and assessment using students’ newly acquired digital capacities. After three years, the Chicago project is now transitioning into major in-service work with teachers on print literacy. The QUT team provided technical advice on that transition. Learning from the Chicago experience, our project will work closely with all teachers on print literacy teaching from the onset – while empirically studying the links between students’ digital and print development. In 2009-2012, the Waterford West project will entail: (1) professional development on print and digital literacies with all 24 teachers; (2) digital training for 4 successive cohorts of 60 year 4 students; (3) digital production with students in years 4-7 in after-school programs and; (5) Year 4 media production of community events the Durithinga Aboriginal Community Centre (located 4 kms from the school). By 2012, all year 4, 5, 6 & 7 students and teachers in the school will have been trained in digital arts. All year-level teachers will be using digital tools and learning objects in integrated teaching. In 2012, a cooperative university/union training school will be launched for teachers, student teachers, and teacher educators. Teachers in the school will receive ongoing professional development in: print literacy curriculum and teaching, whole school planning, digital production, use of EQ digital tools and learning objects. Year 4 teachers will be mentored in class by the APAI (Mills) on how to improve their print literacy teaching, and how to integrate students’ digital production into their teaching. By 2012, all mentoring and instruction will be conducted by Waterford West staff and students – supplanting university or union trainers. Students’ and teachers’ progress will be tracked through data collection at 8 half-yearly junctures. The data sets will include: test scores, attendance and school climate indicators, teacher-moderated ranking of student digital and print work, attitude surveys, and indicators of technology use. Qualitative data on teamwork, classroom interaction and Aboriginal community service will be collected on an ongoing basis. The data will enable formative evaluation and provide the basis for the publication program noted in section E7 below. The school site is in Logan City, a Brisbane suburb. It is a central region for the settlement of new immigrants (25.3% of population), with a high NESB proportion (17.9%) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). Prior to the 2008 economic crash, unemployment was significantly higher in the Logan area (5.8% of adults 15 years and over) than Brisbane (4.4%). 20.9% of households are one-parent families. 18% of occupied private rental dwellings belong to the State Housing Authority (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). Logan City has higher crime rates in all categories than the state average (Bulter & Creamer, 2002).


Waterford West has a total population of 634 students from P-7, including significant proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (10%), children of Pacific Island origin, and English as Second Language learners. It was an Apple-sponsored school 6 years ago, but, like many, has since reverted to conventional pedagogy and curriculum following the withdrawal of corporate support. All 24 staff members have EQ laptops, it has one fully equipped computer lab, and all classrooms are wired with several computers. Waterford has a strong commitment to teaching Aboriginal culture to all students. Staff work closely with the Yugambeh Centre, running an Aboriginal language and culture program and liaising with CI7 (Davis). The school staff includes 5 teachers in their first two years of teaching, morale is good, and a new principal and experienced curriculum head are strongly committed to equity through curriculum reform.

The Waterford West testing data is not atypical of primary schools in lower socioeconomic areas (Simons, 2007). Student outcomes at the school for reading, writing, and numeracy are significantly lower than the state averages on the 2007 Queensland Years, 3, 5, and 7 tests (QSA, 2007). For example, the Year 5 writing test scores were 14% below the state average. The link between low literacy and numeracy achievement and socioeconomic disadvantage is one of the most robust findings in educational research (Christenbury, Bomer & Smagorinsky, 2009). State testing data has provided an impetus for: more direct instruction in phonics (National Reading Panel, 2005), explicit attention to grammar, and a stronger emphasis on traditional literature – central planks in the proposed National Curriculum (Freebody, 2008). However, the primary Federal policy mandate has been to call for an expansion of national testing, better targeted funding for low SES and Aboriginal schools, and create more transparency in reporting. American NAEP data, however, indicates that eight years of a strong phonics mandate and increases in accountability and testing have had inconsistent results in closing equity gaps (Nichols, Glass & Berliner, 2007).

Research on the impacts of current approaches to digitalisation on conventional pencil-and-paper reading and writing test scores is at best mixed (e.g., Cuban, 2002). This includes laptop programs and the retraining of teachers to use curriculum-based digital learning resources (DLRs). In a major field experiment study of the impacts of Maine and California laptop programs, Warshauer (2006) found no effects on conventional test scores. Extensive investment in DLRs and tools in major OECD countries have not demonstrated effects on print literacy and numeracy performance (Kanaaranta, 2008). Warschauer (2006) reports, however, improved attendance and engagement, behaviour and classroom social relations were evident within programs where digital learning resources had been introduced to the literacy program.

Yet there are cases that indicate the potential of digital learning to engage students of lower socioeconomic, migrant and second language backgrounds (e.g., Hull, 2005). Digital media arts and community-linked digital production programs have enhanced technological capacities and engagement with school amongst students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (Resnick & Rusk, 1996; Warschauer, Knobel, & Stone, 2004). Digital media production - like that used in Pinkard’s Chicago Project - provides a bridge between students’ informal learning and popular culture, and more formal learning in school-based and after-school programs. Computer Clubhouse (Resnick & Rusk, 1996), Fifth Dimension (Brown & Cole, 2002), and Quest Atlantis (Barab et al., 2007) provide evidence that game-based and constructivist digital environments can engage low SES and cultural minority students in meaningful and intellectually challenging work related to literacy.


Programs that focus on digital media production entail: (a) language and literacy development through participation in social networks and online communities; (b) identity work in digital media text production; (c) enhanced social interaction and collaborative problem solving; and (d) entrepreneurial leadership in projects and activities (Jenkins, 2006). Interventions focused on youth digital culture have been documented in the UK (Buckingham & Sefton-Green, 2000) and in current ARC linkage work by Nixon, Beavis et al. in South Australian schools. Where digital resources are ‘connected’ to students’ lives, communities and everyday concerns, where they enable experimentation and innovation in cultural representation – there are visible shifts in attitude, learning, autonomy and identity, and cognitive strategies (Morrell, 2005). This contrasts with mixed international results from the standard policy focus on teacher in-service in the use of digital learning objects and tools (Luke, Ayres & Olafson, 2008).

There is, then, a major tension in current policies around print literacy and digitalization. On one hand, governments are measuring school and student success through conventional print-based test achievement. On the other, systems are increasing digital infrastructure and teacher capacity with limited data on educational effects. This may be a problem with the “modal validity” (Luke, 2008) of assessment: where systems look for pencil-and-paper outcomes from new technologies that are developing distinctive, emergent student capacities. Accordingly, the proposed project will focus on both conventional print outcomes and new digital capacities by:

• Working with teachers to consolidate and develop their traditional print literacy and numeracy teaching, while; • Engaging students and teachers in digital learning environments; while, • Tracking student growth on a range of conventional outcome and process indicators: including conventional data on test achievement,

attendance and behaviour; augmenting these with: • Data on changed classroom pedagogy and interaction, student and teacher technology use, assessments of the quality and depth of student

print and digital artifacts, and community commitment and service.

To date, ICT implementation has run a separate path from print literacy curriculum. This project bridges digital and print literacies through an integrated model of school professional development and curriculum reform. To date, ICT implementation has focused on retraining teachers and deploying DLRs – rather than generating student expertise through an engagement with emergent youth digital cultures and production. Our focus here is a twin strategy: the training of students in culturally meaningful, digital production while working with teachers to capitalize on their students’ digital development through enhanced print literacy instruction. The proposed project outcomes are:

• Evidence on the connected development of digital and print-based literacies through the primary years of schooling; • Evidence on teachers’ effective digital and print pedagogies that impact positively on student outcomes; and • A sustainable, cost-effective best practice training site which will document, model and train teachers and student teachers in the

implementation of effective literacy programs which blend a full range of literacies, texts and technologies.


The project will generate a school-level prototype. It will work from the standard funding, administrative, and technical protocols of a typical state school. That is, it will not rely upon major external infusions of technology, industry funding or sponsorship, or altered staffing resources. Over four years, university-based and union-based professional development expertise will gradually be replaced by teacher and student mentoring. Our goal is to develop a sustainable model of digitalisation that enhances print literacy outcomes.

E3. Significance and Innovation

The closure of the “equity gap” in achievement of ‘at risk’ students is a major issue facing Australia and other OECD countries. It is at the heart of the Federal government’s “Education Revolution”. Thus far, the principal policy solution has been to increase school accountability and extend testing. As noted, the current Federal/State policy focus pivots on: (1) improved print literacy for lower socioeconomic and Indigenous communities; (2) teacher quality; and (3) digitalization of schools. Yet these appear to be semi-autonomous policies. This is the first Australian study that attempts to develop viable school-level prototypes that bring all three elements together in an embedded fashion.

It is theoretically and practically innovative. It draws together established models of literacy and multi-literacies, print and digital teaching. As noted, the QUT team has been instrumental in developing influential models of print and digital literacy nationally and internationally for the past decade. They have brought together models of media literacy and digital production in teacher education. As noted, there is extensive published developmental and professional development work, principally case study, on digitalization and this new, distinctively Australian paradigm of “multi-literacies” (e.g., articles in Healy 2008). Further, they have been involved in current Discovery grants and published work focusing on the variables influencing print-literacy performance for at-risk youth (Woods & Luke, 2008a). This is the first Australian project that brings these diverse theoretical strands together to study the complex relationships between teacher and student capacity with print and digital literacies.

It is methodologically innovative. Over the last decade of evidence-based educational policy in Australia, there has been a marked divide between advocates of large population quasi-experimental design and school-level case study. Both sides offer persuasive cases that they capture system performance in ways that enable reform. The National Reading Panel (2008), for example, reviewed field experiment studies of student performance on print literacy tests. The school reform, curriculum renewal and inservice literature, by contrast, bases its claims on qualitative case studies of schools (e.g., Caldwell, 2008; Hargreaves & Fullan, 2007). There is a place for both in policy and practice. This project will be the first application of the design experiment model, prototyped at UC Berkeley and Vanderbilt in the 1990s, to Australian literacy and school reform. The project blends a focus on longitudinal measurement of student outcomes and school performance with innovative measures of new digital capacities. These data provide feedback for the formative adjustment and calibration of the digital/print intervention. At the same time, it offers a rich, qualitative case of the


complex “social ecology” (Raudenbush, 2003) of the school as a practical site for reform. In this way – it offers to bridge the qualitative/quantitative, experimental/case divide over what will count as evidence for policy and practice.

The result will be an innovative prototype and model training site for sustainable school reform, with demonstrable quantitative and qualitative evidence. This project, therefore, will have significant national and international policy implications. The aim here is to demonstrate that teachers and schools – with union and researcher support – can meet the twin goals of digitalization and print-literacy for equity without large infusions of new computer resources.

E4. Approach and Training

This is a design experiment (Cobb et al., 2003). Design experiments have been used in mathematics, reading, and IT education to enhance learner cognitive development and to generate explanations for how and why interventions work (Brown, 1994; Cobb et al., 2003). They typically work at the school-level, with subsequent implications for scaling up through policy, curriculum reform and professional development (Design-Based Research Collective, 2003). Through professional development, coaching and mentoring, teaching and learning environments will be established in the school, and student processes and outcomes in both digital media and conventional school literacy and numeracy skills will be measured. The aim is to ‘engineer’ students’ multimodal learning to lead to more effective literacy teaching and learning.

The project is not a quasi-experimental design. It does not have control groups, nor will it be able to study digital learning as a causal factor in student print literacy achievement. On the basis of our prior work, we aren’t convinced that such simple ‘causal’ links between digital and print performance exist. The project will document rich the complex interactions of digital and print literacies in a lower SES school in transition, showing longitudinal effects of the blending of the two on performance in each.

Data and Instrumentation: The design requires cross-sectional and longitudinal data collection of the following, each 6 months during the 4 year project:

• Standard school data on cohort demographics, attendance, behaviour management; ascertainment, school climate, staff and parent satisfaction;


• Standardised reading achievement test data on individual students (e.g., annual NAPLAN test data on literacy and numeracy (Years 3, 5 & 7); UNWS Tests in a range of literacy/numeracy based content (Years 3-7), ACER Early Reading and Torch), for longitudinal individual and aggregate analysis;

• Queensland Common Assessment Task (QCAT) performance (Years 4 & 6); • Student writing samples for scaled and moderated assessment and linguistic corpus analysis; • Student digital artefacts for scaled and moderated assessment.

This will enable both longitudinal analysis of individual student development and analysis of aggregate school progress, with like-school comparison where data is available. This is augmented with ongoing qualitative data collection by each CI conducting an intervention. The qualitative data will consist of:

• Field participant observer notes of teachers and researchers; • Interviews with school administrators, teachers, community Elders; • Student blogs, emails and digital diaries; • Video and audiotape transcriptions of classroom interaction.

Intervention Components: The project began in 2008 with QUT funds supporting the professional development of Waterford teachers, and design consultations with Pinkard’s University of Chicago Charter School team. The overall intervention approach is to train students in digital media production in school and after-school contexts – adopting the Chicago prototype (Pinkard, 2008) for Australian indigenous and non-indigenous students. At the same time, all year level teachers will receive professional development and classroom mentoring in print literacy and the integration of digital resources. Once they have acquired basic production expertise, Year 4 students will work on digital productions around events at the Yugambeh Centre and other community contexts. This pattern is repeated each year.

Professional development and mentoring of teachers: Waterford West teachers began professional development workshops in whole school literacy planning using the four resoures model (Freebody & Luke, 1990) in November, 2008. This has involved staff analysis of the linguistic, cultural and demographic backgrounds of the student cohort, test score results, and current curriculum; leading to planning using the state-mandated four resources model (Freebody & Luke, 1990). In 2009, QUT and QTU will provide professional development workshops on muliteracies, DLRs and digital tools in the classroom, media production, special needs and second language issues, reading comprehension, and grammar. Selected cluster-area teachers will be invited to participate. Classroom support through mentoring and co-teaching will be provided as follows: CI1 and CI2 (Woods & Luke) with P-3 teachers; APAI1 (Mills) full-time with year 4 teachers; CI5 (Exley) with years 5-7 teachers; CI4 (Chandra) on DLRs; CI3 (Dooley) on ESL and Indigenous language issues, CI6 on media arts pedagogy and assessment. In 2011-2012, workshops and sessions will be opened to teachers from cluster schools in the area by application.


Digital media arts training of students: 3 hours per week for all year 4 students in terms 3 and 4 each year. Additionally, a 3 hour weekly after-school digital production workshop will be available for Years 5-7 students throughout the year. Both programs will be designed and directed by CI6 (Deuzuanni) and CI7 (Chandra). It will be taught by the resident media arts teacher. QUT student teachers studying media arts and IT will be teaching assistants. The curriculum will include: hardware and software use, media literacy, digital production techniques, videogame use and authorship, blogs and social networking. Each student will progress towards certification as a ‘mentor’, enabling them to train other students and, where appropriate, teachers and community members. The course will culminate in multimedia production: e.g., documentaries, music videos, videogames, animated shorts, commercials, websites or blogs. Student work will be showcased to teachers, parents and community members at scheduled school and cluster events. Students in the after school program will become ‘digital media leaders’ who will mentor their peers and teachers.

Community involvement: In term 4 each year, the year 4 cohort will undertake digital production work at the school and Yugambeh Centre. Their work will be negotiated with and supervised by CI7 (Davis) with involvement of the other CIs and PIs. Students will produce music videos, documentaries and short features on Centre events, and provide mentoring for youth who engage with the Centre on IT and digital skills. This work will be showcased at regular Centre events.

Training centre and project sustainability: Beginning in 2010, student media experts will take on mentoring roles in the Year 4 and after-school program. In late 2010, QUT researchers will begin to relinquish the classroom mentoring and co-teaching roles to trained Waterford West staff. In 2011, the responsibility for staffing the media arts in school program will be handed to Waterford West State School (with EQ), and training workshops will be held for cluster area teachers. These workshops will be run by QUT and QTU researchers, with substantive involvement by Waterford West staff and students. Planning for a joint training centre will begin in 2011, targeting a 2012 launch. This will involve negotiating access, training fees, teacher roles, relationships with the EQ cluster and district staff.


2009 -2010

2009 Jan-

June 2009

June-Nov

2010

July-Sept

2010

Sept –Nov

Students

After-school Digital Arts Program year 4-7 X X X

In-school media arts program for all 2009 year 4 students (3 hours/week. X X X

In-school media arts program for all 2010 year 4 students (3 hours/week). Year 5 students to act as expert mentors. X X X X

Media production work for Aboriginal students at Yugambeh Dreaming Centre. X X

Teachers

In-service in digital multiliteracies and print literacy for all school teachers (and cluster area teachers by application) X X X

In class coaching for P-7 Waterford West Teachers on digital and print literacies teaching and learning X X X

In class mentoring program with year 4 Teachers on digital and print literacies teaching and learning (APDI) X X X

Community

Collaborative planning with the Yugambeh Dreaming Centre. X X X X

Workshops on new media arts for students and parents at Yugambeh Dreaming Centre. X X X

Collection displays and showcases of student work in community settings X X X


2011-2012

2011 Jan-June

2011

June-Nov

2012

Jan-July

2012

Jul –Nov

Students

Repeat Afterschool Program open to years 4-7 X X X X

In-school media arts program for all 2011 year 4 students (3 hours/week). Year 5-6 students to act as expert mentors. X X

In-school media arts program for all 2012 year 4 students (3 hours/week. Year 5-7 students to act as expert mentors in years 1-3. X X

Media production work for Aboriginal students at Yugambeh Dreaming Centre. X X

Teachers

In-service in digital multiliteracies and print literacy for all school and invited cluster teachers X X

In class coaching for P-7 Waterford West Teachers on digital and print teaching and learning X X X X

Planning for joint training centre X X

Launch of best practice QTU, QUT, WW training centre X X

Community

Collaborative planning with the Yugambeh Dreaming Centre. X X X X

Workshops on new media arts for students and parents at Yugambeh Dreaming Centre. X X

Collection displays and showcases of student work X X X X

Training: The project will be the training ground for the APDI (Mills), who will gain valuable experience in project management and data collection. CI7 (Davis) will use the community participation program for the context of his PhD, currently supervised by CI1 (Luke). SRA will enrol in a PhD program to conduct a sub-study longitudinally tracking the first year 4 cohort.


QUT student teachers in the Digital Arts program will complete preservice coursework action research projects under the direction of CI6 (Deuzuanni) and CI7 (Chandra). Waterford West teachers and administrators have been offered the opportunity to enroll in QUT Masters and Ed.D programs to document their teaching and curriculum.

E5 Partner Organisation Commitment and Collaboration

The QUT research team and QTU have an established track record of working together on curriculum and teaching projects. CI1 (Woods) and CI2 (Luke) worked with the QTU on literacy policy analyses. They currently collaborate with the QTU (PI1, PI2) and the Queensland Studies Authority in a large-scale survey of Queensland teachers’ curriculum use. This project is part of the QTU’s major policy move to support teachers and students in lower socioeconomic communities. PI2 (MacFarlane) has taught and done development work in Logan area schools for the past two decades. QUT researchers also have a long history of involvement with Waterford West and Logan area schools. CI7 Davis has worked in the school for the past decade and is a Logan community leader. CI1, CI2 and CI5 (Exley) has done extensive in-service consultancy in the Logan area.

QUT: has funded $15000 in start up costs to the project in 2008. It will provide in-kind research, professional development, clerical and administrative support, and project management expertise across the project. QUT student teachers will provide assistance in digital arts and, where appropriate, be placed in the school for Field Experience. QUT Information Services will provide in-kind technical support to the project.

QTU: will provide $120,000 cash support to the project. It will provide in kind professional development and research expertise, focusing on issues of teachers’ work, capacity and professional demands. In-kind support will include the commitment of 0.2 FTE of PI1 and PI2, logistics for teacher in-service events, room hire, administrative assistance, dissemination of results to teachers via its professional journals, conferences and newsletters.

EQ/Waterford West: will provide $10,000 cash over the duration of the project to support teacher professional development. All teachers and administrators in the school have agreed to participate. EQ/Waterford West will provide major in-kind server support, technical support, software and hardware, office accommodation, clerical support and infrastructure to the program. It will staff the media arts teacher in year 3 and 4 of the project and provide in kind support through office space and resources for on-site staff, administrative support, teaching support for the media arts teachers, on site APDI and SRA as well as CIs and PIs.


E6 National Benefit

This project addresses National Research Priority 2, strengthening Australia’s social and economic fabric. The improvement of literacy, teacher quality and digital capacity are three central planks of the government’s “Education Revolution”. In developing and implementing school reform and renewal, this project is of key policy significance. Underachievement in literacy remains a central impediment to full social, economic and civic participation for students in low SES and Indigenous communities. There is evidence of a “digital divide” for children in these same communities. About a quarter of Australian schools in Australia are located in economically marginal communities like Logan. Many are seeking innovative approaches for addressing issues of access and engagement with print and digital literacies. This project will provide an educationally viable, scientifically defensible, and practical way forward for schools within existing constraints of funding, technological resources and staffing.

E7 Communication of Results

The project has digital and print communications strategies. A Waterford/QUT/QTU website will be established in the first year to facilitate the communication between students, teachers, researchers and community members. The teaching, teacher education and research communities nationally and internationally will have partial access to the website. They will be able to track the project’s progress, and download examples of student work and teacher curriculum. The website also will be used to disseminate research and professional publications online, with hotlinks to the University of Chicago Project and other international digital school reform sites.

The project will produce 3 volumes: a co-authored research monograph documenting the project; a research anthology of specific sub-studies; an edited collection for professional audiences by Waterford teachers and co-researchers (with the Australian Curriculum Studies Association). Regular updates on the project will be published in the QTU’s professional journal, which reaches 30,000 Queensland teachers. To assist in the development of the training centre, the QTU will publish brochures for EQ teachers working in low SES and Indigenous contexts.

The research team will report findings at academic and teacher conferences and in academic papers. Research will be submitted to journals such as: Pedagogies, Teaching Education, Australian Education Researcher, Journal of Literacy Research, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Learning Sciences, the Quarterly Newletter of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition and Mind, Culture and Activity. The CIs, APDA and SRA will prepare short papers for teachers’ journals such as Literacy Learning: the Middle Years to ensure that the results of this project showcase innovative practice to teachers, and curriculum planners and leaders.


E8 Role of Personnel

All researchers will contribute to the collection, analysis and write-up of aggregate data. In addition, each CI will document their particular intervention and undertake publishable sub-studies of teacher and student development, using relevant methodological expertise (e.g., discourse analysis, case study, ethnography).

CI1 (Woods): Management and direction of the intervention plan; liaison with school administration; Professional development (PD)/mentoring in print and digital literacies with P-3 teachers.

CI2 (Luke): Management and direction of the research plan; liaison with EQ and cluster; PD/mentoring in print and digital literacies with P-3.

CI3 (Dooley): PD/mentoring with ESL and Indigenous program teachers; study of home/school links.

CI4 (Chandra): PD/mentoring of P-7 teachers in digital learning resources and tools; planning of the media arts program.

APDA (Mills): PD/mentoring of year 4 teachers; coordination of testing and student outcomes data.

CI5 (Exley): PD/mentoring in print and digital literacies with 5-7 teachers.

CI6 (Dezuanni): Coordination and design of digital production program.

CI7 (Davis): PD/mentoring on Aboriginal language and culture; liaison with Yugambeh Centre, organisation of Year 4 community service.

PI1 (McCollow): Coordination of collection of data on teachers’ work, professional issues.

PI2 (McFarland): Liasion with QTU; teacher interviews; coordination of professional publications.

SRA: Test administration, data collection, cleaning and management, website management, doctoral study of the initial year 4 cohort.


ATTACHMENT 3: WATERFORD WEST LEADERSHIP TEAM STRUCTURE:

DEPUTY.PRINCIPAL (CURRICULUM REFORM) • Curriculum leadership - URL

Implementation prep – yr 4 • Curriculum.Conversations

reform construct • Kite Yonder project

implementation • Management of Years prep

– 4 behaviour management and student support structures

• Students in Care support • Home grown program for

pre-service teachers • Short term staffing • Daily routine • Development and

management of Teacher-Aide program

DEPUTY.PRINCIPAL (STUDENT ENGAGEMENT) • Curriculum leadership years

5-7 • Leadership of PBS and

actioning of behaviour data to drive student and staff intervention

• Implementation of structures to support improved student attendance – Attendance Officer line management

• Management of Years 5-7 behaviour management and student support structures

• Teacher induction • Extra-curricular program

coordination

HEAD OF CURRICULUM • Leadership of KLA

committee structure • Leadership of

professional learning through year level team structures – successful strategies implementation

• Providing mentoring through WOW/ modelling strategies

• Analysis and management of on-going data collection from Torch and in-house data walls - staff interaction with data through critical reflection

PRINCIPAL • Whole school strategic

leadership and direction • Whole school curriculum

reform • External partnerships with

Durithunga, Kids Hope (mentoring program for students at risk), QUT, Griffith University

• Management of Every Day Counts initiatives

• Developing Leadership Density – Staff and students

• Line management of Admin team

• Finance management • Long term staffing • After-school programs • Management of PD agenda

NPA KEY REFORM AREAS

• All students are successfully engaged in learning.

• Young people are meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy achievement are improving.

• Schooling promotes the social inclusion and reduces the education disadvantage of children, especially Indigenous children.

• Australian students excel by international standards.

• Community confidence in the capability of schools


ATTACHMENT 4: CURRICULUM CONVERSATIONS:

Curriculum Conversations is a strategy developed in Term 3 2009 to ensure that curriculum expectations match classroom practice. We developed a process through which monitoring of classroom practice can occur to investigate whether the expectations that are set down by the Curriculum Framework and Whole School Literacy Plan (developed this year) are embedded in pedagogy and therefore observable in the classroom.

The process is designed to occur each semester through conversations with the Deputy Principal (Curriculum Reform) in which staff interact with a series of key curriculum questions in an interview which takes approximately one hour per teacher. These questions are notified in advance and enable the Deputy Principal to assess staff understanding of key systemic imperatives (eg how Indigenous perspectives are embedded) and how these are implemented in practice.

This was conducted as a follow-up from the Developing Performance conversations conducted by the Principal in which staff develop their own personal development plans and identify their own areas to improve. Feedback from staff has been that they have appreciated the opportunity to engage with the Administration about what they do in class in a very specific way and feel valued by this process. Through this process, no assumptions are made based on quick observations, and conversations focus on observable behaviours, not on personalities. These conversations are then used to create “buy in”, identify whole staff strengths and weaknesses, written up in a report that then drives decisions about what sort of Professional Development staff need and are interested in. This enables a very specific response to pedagogy, providing a forum for critical reflection and a tailored response to curriculum reform. It also enables the Administration to identify successful teaching strategies that can be shared with all staff through the year level sharing meetings led by the HOC.

This process is supported by the use of Teachscape – a classroom observation method introduced through LL4LL where staff identify and focus on observable classroom behaviours that are desirable to improve literacy outcomes and then classroom walk-throughs investigate whole school patterns which can be monitored for effectiveness. Both processes are supportive of staff in that the focus is to identify what we do well and what is successful, share this amongst staff, and develop professional development that supports areas for improvement. This is used to develop a performance culture, building skill acquisition in teachers and valuing performance shifts in teaching and learning outcomes.

Di Carter

Principal

Waterford West State School

four year school strategic plan commenced 2009 and …

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