On entering the school on the first day it was immediately obvious to us that we were entering a Catholic school. The school educational and faith mission and vision were displayed on the stage in the hall and were referred to at morning assemblies throughout the week. Students recited the mission and vision as a school and then senior students gave examples of how to follow these ideals throughout the school day.
We have spent considerable time during our visit speaking to teachers about their data collection and use of this data to inform decision making, structure groups and design learning experiences to cater for the diverse needs of the students.
The school has a policy of implementing ACER tests to all cohorts twice a year. These test results are then shared with the staff through google docs and are used to look for trends across the school, which then allows needs to be identified and intervention to take place. Individual cohorts use pre and post testing to gauge where their students are. They use this data to program, form flexible groupings catering for students needing intervention as well as those needing activities with thinking aimed at a higher level.
Data tracking of individual students is stored on the school server and is accessed by all staff to make a timeline of interventions and student progress. This provides a snapshot of each students learning, behaviour and general information during their time at the school. It may include test results, professional reports, recommendations for items such as glasses etc.
PLT's at St Mary's are incorporated into the staff meeting time. These meetings are curriculum based coming from the schools strategic plan. The staff work through the CEO Sydney professional online modules with their stage partner. The modules were made to up skill teachers in using Understanding by Design to structure units for the new English and Science curriculum.
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