School Self-Evaluation
Information for schools
September 2013
Inspectorate
Aim of session
–
To enhance understanding of SSE
–
To prepare schools to use SSE as a school
improvement process
–
To ensure that schools are at a stage that they
will have their SSE report written and SIP
devised before the end of the school year
SSE support:
update
• PDST support
– seminars for all principals;
– development of resources to complement and support the
school self-evaluation process
• Inspectorate support
– 76% of all primary schools have received SSE visits
– dedicated website – video clips, materials, updates
• Schools
– positively disposed to SSE
– examples of effective engagement with SSE noted
– examples of SSE reports and SIPs on web (further samples
would be appreciated)
Objectives of Session
1. What is SSE?
2. Why?
3. What does the SSE process look like?
4. What does this mean for schools? What
does this mean for me as a teacher?
5. Support for SSE
1.WHAT IS SCHOOL SELFEVALUATION?
What is school
self-evaluation?
• SSE is a way of systematically looking at how
we teach and how our pupils learn and making
decisions about what we want to improve
Because
• We want to make learning better for pupils
• We want to make teaching more rewarding
• Schools are best placed to examine their own
practice and to tell their own story
Put another way…
SSE is a process that allows schools and
teachers to improve outcomes for
learners.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reflect
Collaborate
Gather evidence
Arrive at decisions about quality (Judgement)
Direct school improvement
Improve learning
2. WHY SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION?
Why school selfevaluation?
We know SSE works
– Research here:
•
evidence from DEIS schools
•
pilot project trial schools
– Research in other countries
•
New Zealand, Scotland, Finland, Canada
Why school selfevaluation?
•
Part of balanced and integrated approach to
supporting better teaching and learning
•
Supports the Literacy and Numeracy strategy
•
Consistent with DEIS (Delivering Equality of
Opportunity in Schools) (action planning)
•
Gives greater autonomy to teachers
SSE encompasses…
Three key dimensions
– Teaching and Learning
– Management and leadership
– Support for pupils
We have started with teaching and
learning
We are focusing on
teaching and learning…
Because…
– Teaching and learning is the core work of
school
– All teachers want to improve learning for
students
Building on and reframing SDP
–
SDP helped focus on developing policy,
promoted collaboration and dialogue
–
SSE will focus more on having an impact on
teaching, learning and outcomes for students
SDP and School
Self-Evaluation
The SSE process is a reframing of the school
development planning process
It places a greater focus on gathering evidence
and making judgements
It works best when it is integrated into the dayto-day work of the school
It leads to action for improvement
Task
Purpose of task:
• To reflect on what is currently working well in teaching
and learning in this school and how you know this
• To highlight the need to base judgements on evidence
Task
• In pairs discuss what is working well in teaching and
learning
• Indicate how you know
• Suggest how you could find out more
3. WHAT DOES THE SCHOOL SELFEVALUATION PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
Key words
– Learner outcomes
– Evidence
– Evaluation criteria
– Quality statement
SSE Process:
getting started
• Start small – literacy, numeracy and one
other curriculum area
• Ask simple questions
–
–
–
–
–
How well are we doing?
How do we know? What evidence do we have?
How can we find out more?
What are our strengths/areas for development?
How can we improve?
Sub-themes
Theme
SSE framework:
Teaching and Learning
SSE PROCESS
Sources of evidence (sample tools in Guidelines)
• Assessment data – formative
and summative
•
Individual teacher reflection
•
Whole-school reflection
• Pupil survey and reflection
•
Peer dialogue/sharing
• Parent surveys
• Focus group discussion
experience
•
Team teaching and reflection
DON’T COLLECT TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
SSE PROCESS
Analysing data (what is the evidence telling us?)
• Check learner motivation, attitudes, engagement in learning,
application of knowledge and skills
• Share and compare practice – think and reflect on this
• Examine attainment levels of pupils: check against national norms, for
in-school trends
• Use evaluation criteria to check analysed data against a set of
standards
SSE PROCESS
Reflect and draw conclusions
•
Reflect on the information you have
•
Reflect on how this compares to best practice
•
Do the criteria and quality statement help to identify next steps in
improvement?
•
Can you place practice in this area of work on a continuum from
significant strengths to significant weaknesses?
SSE PROCESS
SSE is not about paper work. However schools need to write a concise
report
• Report (no more than 2/3 pages) should record
- Theme chosen for self-evaluation
- Brief account of school context
- The findings
- Summary of strengths (affirm and celebrate)
- Summary of areas requiring improvement
SSE PROCESS
School Improvement Plan
• Summary of strengths and areas for improvement
• Targets for improvement with focus on learner outcomes
• Actions required to achieve targets
• Those who will undertake actions – class teachers, particular class groups
• Monitoring and timeframe for achievement of targets
(School Improvement Plan should be no more than one/two pages long)
SSE PROCESS
Support agreed actions for improvement
• Implement the strategies agreed
• at individual teacher
• at whole-school level
• Monitor progress
Reflect on your SSE
work to date
• Area of focus for SSE? Literacy or numeracy?
Teaching and learning framework helpful?
• Evidence gathered? Analysed? To what extent did
the evaluation criteria assist?
• Conclusions drawn from evidence? Strengths?
Areas for improvement?
• Readiness to record findings (SSE report) and
devise plan (SIP)?
Task
Purpose of task:
• To reflect on evidence you have gathered to date and its
effectiveness in helping you draw conclusions
Task
• Thinking about literacy (or the focus area you selected)
– in pairs discuss the evidence you have gathered (or will gather)
– How did you (will you) analyse the evidence? How did/will it
inform your decisions about what is working well and what you
might want to improve?
Task
Purpose of task
• to introduce sample tools from the Guidelines and to
reflect on how you have used these to gather evidence
in your own school
Task
• Use the sample self-reflection tool for teachers to think
about a recent lesson. Share your reflection with a
colleague.
and/or
• How would you use the sample questionnaire for
pupils?
Starting the SSE
process
Circular 0039/2012
• Over a four year period engage in SSE of literacy,
numeracy or one other curriculum area
– Take one of these each year
– A whole-school approach to SSE to be taken with a focus on
teaching and learning
– All teachers engage in the SSE process
– Produce a short SSE report and summary for school community
– Devise school improvement plan with targets to improve
outcomes for students and summary for school community
– Implement and monitor school improvement plan over three-year
period
DEIS schools are
ahead …
• DEIS schools are already setting targets and
have improvement plans in place for attendance,
retention, progression, literacy, numeracy, pupil
attainment and partnership
• DEIS schools should ensure that their reviews of
practice are based on good SSE processes,
including having an SSE report
• The DEIS action plan is your school
improvement plan
As a school…
For example…. Selected literacy
• Examined pupils’ reading results, surveyed pupils and parents,
interviewed teachers
• Decided on
• Strengths: positive attitudes, good standards of work
• Areas for improvement: increase number of pupils
scoring above average, improve comprehension
• Needed to focus on teaching approaches in order to improve
literacy
As a teacher..
• Reflect on my own teaching approaches
• Discuss teaching approaches with colleagues
• Have I gathered sufficient evidence? Do I need further
evidence? Views of pupils? Others ?
• Have I used the evaluation criteria for teaching
approaches
• What strengths and areas for development have I
identified?
• Agree teaching approaches that could be used to further
develop pupils’ literacy skills
Evaluation Criteria
Approaches
•Lessons are well-structured (introduction, development,
conclusion/review)
•Curriculum appropriate teaching and learning
methodologies with a focus on active learning are used
including:
–Teacher and pupil questioning
–Active learning including play
–Guided activity and discovery
–Co-operative/collaborative learning
–Talk and discussion
–Higher order thinking and problem solving
Quality Statement
Teaching is focused, stimulating and relevant to the pupils’ learning
needs. ………… there is systematic development and application of
knowledge, skills, including ICT, in the curriculum area. Attention is
given within the curriculum area to the development of positive
dispositions and attitudes towards learning. There is purposeful
development of literacy and numeracy skills within the curriculum
area .
Approaches recommended in the curriculum are skillfully
applied…..these include teacher and pupils questioning, active
learning, including play, guided activity and discovery and….
As teaching staff..
Whole staff responsibility
• Share experiences and results of reflection
• Ensure evidence is balanced
• Agree further sources of evidence, if not balanced
– Agree what tools will be used and whose views should be
garnered
– Agree who will gather, collate, analyse and feedback
• Ensure that findings from all evidence gathered and
analysed helps draw conclusions/make judgement
• Write report
• Devise school improvement plan
• Implement and monitor
Extract from SSE
report
Focus
Literacy selected because analysis of standardised test results
showed pupils were not performing as well in literacy as in
numeracy
Context
10-teacher school, admin principal, 2 support teachers
Findings
Standardised tests indicated less pupils scored above average in
reading than in Maths
Pupil and parents surveys highlighted positive attitudes to reading
Teacher reflection and further analysis of reading tests suggested
a need to focus on higher order thinking skills (oral and reading)
Overall need to make changes to teaching approaches in
classrooms
Strengths
Overall positive disposition to reading
Effective use of class novels and digital media to support literacy
learning…..
Areas for
improvement
Increase pupils scoring above average by 10%
Improve higher order comprehension …
Extract from school
improvement plan
Target
Increase number of pupils attaining above average in reading
tests over three years by 10%
Improve higher order comprehension …
Actions
a)
b)
More explicit focus on teaching reading skills, oral work
and comprehension in all classes…
Effective use of active learning and talk and
discussion….
Responsible
All class teachers
….
Timeframe
Three years for overall targets
Monitoring each year and ongoing
Success
criteria
Overall: 10% increase in pupils achieving above average in
Reading tests….
Review dates Overall: Dec 2015
Ongoing: end of each term/year
As teaching staff..
Strategies agreed in the School
Improvement Plan
(Have we reached this stage in our schools?)
• Implemented over a three-year period
• Embed in classroom practice
• Part of day-to-day work
• Progress monitored
As a staff
reflect on …
• Are we ready to
– Write SSE report?
– Devise school improvement plan (SIP)?
• Who will write report? What content?
• Who will devise the plan? How?
• How will targets be agreed/set? Have we agreed
changes in teaching approaches/learning to achieve
targets?
Target setting
• Use data to set targets. They should be:
• Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timebound
• Based on evidence
• Related to an aspect of pupils’ achievement (knowledge,
skills, attitudes)
• Linked to relevant baseline data
• For example:
• X% of our pupils in middle and senior classes like
Mathematics. By the end of Year 3, we will increase this
by 25%.
5. SUPPORTS FOR SCHOOL SELFEVALUATION
SSE Support
Support for SSE
•
Publications
•
Website www.schoolself-evaluation.ie
•
PDST seminars for principal
•
Internal collaboration – use experience and expertise in own school
•
Professional networks
AND A FINAL WORD….
Key messages
– School self-evaluation works
– Start small and keep it simple
– Involve all teachers
– Include the voice of pupils (and parents where relevant)
– Only gather relevant information
– Agree strategies and actions for improvement
– Implement and monitor
– Celebrate success
SSE as part of normal and
ongoing practice in the school
Go raibh maith agaibh
www.education.ie