IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES

1. IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES Discovering and utilizing the most useful data

2. “The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.” -Leo Tolstoy, 1897

3. “In God we trust……. For everything else, show me the data!” -Unknown OK, what data (information) do I need to do my job more easily and more effectively?

4. The four levels of data in a school • The public face e.g. websites, newspaper listings – the global picture. Used by parents, DEECD region, Principals • The overview e.g. the School Level report- showing in general areas of strength and weakness. Used by RNLs, Principals • The missing link up until now, the summary of key data for every individual student. • The detailed knowledge about a student. Used by classroom and special needs teachers.

6. The “missing link” in the data chain: the data in the Student Mapping Tool What data is shown? • A summary of research-based key warning signs in relation to each student in the school. Isn’t this too much data to take in at once? • Yes, but we can reduce the huge amount of data to look at only the specific student, group of students, or information that we ask to see.

7. How do I make sense of the data? The data is in an Excel spreadsheet, so let us use it. Step 1. The use of colour • Most of the data is automatically colour code for you. ‘Yellow’ = higher risk (of not completing schooling) • Complete the colour coding (for VELS and Unapproved Absences) by using Conditional Formatting Step 2. The use of the filter- available in the heading of each column You can filter: by colour; by selecting the text or numbers; by ticking one or more boxes. Choose the quickest to find what you are looking for.

8. Working Example 1: Koorie students • Identify the relevant students • Go to the appropriate column: Special Alerts • Choose the quickest filter: Click on/ deselect (Select All).Tick all boxes with ‘B’,’K’ and ‘T’ • Do an overview summary • e.g. who have been identified? Any surprises? how many students? At which year levels? As a group is there a concentration of coloured warning signs in any column? Is there any value in generalisations? • Discussion of each individual • Preliminary examination of the data in each column, looking at strengths and weaknesses. • Plan as to who should be involved (parents, staff, Koorie Education officer,?) in the next discussion that will produce the Individual Learning Plan and extra assistance if necessary. • Record actions in the appropriate column/s

9. Working Example 2: Students with poor attendance (1) • Identify the relevant students • Go to the appropriate column: Attendance Rate % • Choose the quickest filter: As colour has been used as the warning sign for 80% or less, select the ‘filter by colour’ • If you have a column with the Attendance Rate at an earlier stage e.g. last year, then it is suggested that you filter that column by colour also. This will give you the students who have an ongoing history of poor attendance and they should be your highest priority. • Do an overview summary • e.g. does the data look right? who have been identified? Any surprises? how many students? At which year levels? As a group is there a concentration of coloured warning signs in any column? Is there any value in generalisations? Usually there will be plenty of warnings with Literacy and Numeracy as well. Are students missing because of poor literacy, or have poor literacy due to poor attendance?

10. Working Example 2: Students with poor attendance (2) • Discussion of each individual • It is essential to have the right people involved, representing different perspectives. E.g. management, learning, wellbeing, pathways • These meetings are best kept to planning the most appropriate interventions, and occur once or twice a term. • We start with poor attendance; what else should we take into account? E.g. consider literacy and numeracy, special factors, behaviour (suspensions). With this holistic view, what is the most appropriate first course of support or intervention? Who else can help? Who will have primary responsibility for overseeing the action to be taken?

11. Working Example 2: Students with poor attendance (3) • Record actions in the appropriate column/s • These headings are designed to show INTERVENTION strategies and programs according to the outcome expected. All efforts to improve literacy (whatever the name of the strategy) are recorded in the literacy Programs column. Use of coding is encouraged to show the type or name of program and perhaps the year. • The headings also provide a checklist of the types of interventions, so please leave them - even if you do not use all of them at the moment. The columns also remind us that external support via DEECD, a LLEN, local government, various agencies and community groups are often available. • Recording our actions keeps all relevant staff informed, even if staff change e.g. at the end of the year. It also shows implementation of government policy in relation to specific groups of students.

12. Remember the ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams? They built a huge computer that worked for years to answer the question: “What is the meaning of life?” • The answer?.......... 42! But, do you remember what happened next? • They built an even bigger super computer to work out what the original answer meant. The data in the Student Mapping Tool is the equivalent of ‘42’…..YOU, and the people who know the students are the ‘super computer’ who make sense of that data. Data is the starting point of the discussion.

13. www.education.vic.gov.au/studentmappingtool These provide great detail in how to use the data within the Excel spreadsheet. *Please watch the videos first Student Mapping Tool • Home • Policy Background • Videos • Level 1 - Obtain Your Own School’s Data • Level 2 - Understand What the Data Can Tell You About Your Students • Level 3 - Understand What Your School is Currently Doing to Support Your Students • Level 4 - Identify Student Needs and Plan for the Future • Level 5 - Evaluating the Effectiveness of Support Programs and Interventions • Level 6 - Pushing the Boundaries • Background to the SMT • FAQ

14. www.bmllen.com.au A home for the Student Mapping Tool helpful hints – such as: • A sample Analysis Sheet • Action planning timeline • Sample of program codes • Attendance ready-reckoner • Copies of PD Presentations When all else fails: djmsmith@bigpond.net.au

15. ESSENTIAL EXCEL SKILLS • see 'Help' within Excel for more details 'Unprotect sheet'- to enable data to be manipulated • Excel 2007: ‘Review' -'Unprotect Sheet' • Recommend ‘right-click’ on the symbol ‘Unprotect Sheet’ – select ‘Add to Quick Access Toolbar’. This is a time saver location. 'Conditional format' - to add colour as a highlight • Excel 2007:Home' (Styles)- 'Conditional Formatting' 'Freeze rows and columns' or 'Freeze panes' • Excel 2007: ‘View' - 'Freeze panes' • Recommend ‘right-click’ on the symbol ‘’Freeze Panes’ – select ‘Add to Quick Access Toolbar’. This is a time saver location. Add filters to any extra columns you have created • Excel 2007: ‘Data' - 'Filter' Right-click to add comments; use a hyperlink to attach other documents