ABORIGINAL LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT

Aboriginal Learner Achievement - Leaders' resourceStrengthen approaches to oral language
In the English learning area, teachers share, trial and discuss an extended range of listening, speaking and oral interaction activities, micro-scaffolding where necessary.
In all learning areas, ‘dialogic teaching’ is discussed and developed to involve students in deep learning in a way that ‘teacher talk’ alone cannot.
Strengthen reading instruction for complexity of academic meaning
English teachers review NAPLAN reading and PAT–R data to identify the specific comprehension skills that need attention, eg monitoring meaning; making logical connections across the text; summarising main ideas; inferring implied ideas.
In the English learning area, use reciprocal teaching to strengthen comprehension skills.
In all learning areas, teachers strengthen the design of before, during and after reading activities (BDA) with a particular focus on ‘close reading’ as a during reading activity.
Focus writing instruction in key disciplinary genres
Learning area teams map where key disciplinary assessment genres/text types are being developed through years 8–10 towards the SACE.
Learning area teams review key written and multimodal assessment tasks in terms of authentic purpose and audience.
Teachers use the teaching and learning cycle to design and scaffold the writing process for students from surface to deep to transfer learning: build topic/field knowledge; deconstruct model texts of the genre; collaboratively compose parts of the text; write independently.
Quality school improvement planning
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands and waters where our schools are located and recognise their continuing connection to country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal peoples.
We would like to thank and acknowledge the following contributors to the resource: Raising Aboriginal Learner Achievement in Literacy and Numeracy.
The Aboriginal Learner Achievement Champions Group: consisting of principals from 16 schools across the state, who provided advice on the structure, content and implementation of this resource.
The Aboriginal Learner Achievement Working Group: consisting of the Manager for Aboriginal Education (Country), 4 Education Directors and Learning Improvement Division Directors.
The principals and corporate leaders who provided advice to the writers on improvement actions and strategies to raise literacy and numeracy achievement for all Aboriginal learners.
“Literacy and numeracy are the foundation for every child and young person’s ability to engage with learning. Together with social and communication skills, they provide the basis for successful engagement both within the school and outside the local community.” (Aboriginal Education Strategy p14.)
Note: The Department for Education uses the term ‘Aboriginal’ to refer to people who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. This term is preferred by Aboriginal South Australians and the department. (Aboriginal Education Strategy)
Aboriginal Learner Achievement | Leaders’ Resource | School improvement planning 3
RAISING ABORIGINAL LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT
3 Aboriginal Education Strategy 2019 to 2029 https://www.education.sa.gov.au/teaching/projects-and-programs/ aboriginal-education-strategy
5 Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
7 Best Advice Series – Literacy https://edi.sa.edu.au/educating/literacy-and-numeracy/best-advice- series/best-advice-series-literacy
series/best-advice-series-numeracy
11 Literacy and Numeracy Guide books https://edi.sa.edu.au/educating/school-improvement/guidebooks
12 Perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence https://www.education.sa.gov.au/doc/perspectives-aboriginal-and-
torres-strait-islander-cultural-competence
plan-2018-2021
14 South Australian Certificate of Education https://www.sace.sa.edu.au
15 Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander EALD learners - EALD Hub https://edi.sa.edu.au/educating/curriculum/eald/support-for- teachers/eald-hub
16 The Aboriginal Education Teacher 2018 https://dlb.sa.edu.au/tlsmoodle/course/view.php?id=191&section=2
17 The School Improvement Handbook https://edi.sa.edu.au/educating/school-improvement/planning-
templates-and-resources
Contents
Connection with the school improvement planning cycle 6
Principles guiding improvement actions for raising
Aboriginal learner achievement 8
Aboriginal learner achievement 10
Six key element descriptions
Assuring consistent, high-quality classroom practice 22
Applying rigorous, evidence-based learning interventions 26
Engaging Aboriginal families as partners in literacy and numeracy learning 30
Promoting the continuity of learning 34
Supporting Documents 38
Introduction
The implementation of the school improvement planning cycle in South Australian schools has provided the opportunity to address the Department for Education’s 10-year aspiration of building a world-class education system.
At the same time, the 2018 launch of the Aboriginal Education Strategy 2019 – 2029 reinforces that, as a world-class system, we must raise the prominence of all Aboriginal learners in our strategic improvement processes, so that they can draw direct benefit from it. Importantly, the Aboriginal Education Strategy is a commitment to the Aboriginal community that the interests of all Aboriginal learners will be at the forefront of the system’s planning and action.
This resource has been developed to support school leaders in raising achievement in literacy and numeracy for all Aboriginal learners. It is designed to complement the school improvement planning cycle, and the Improvement Dashboard. It also complements the evidence-informed, differentiated practices described in the Literacy and Numeracy guidebooks (2018) and other Learning Improvement division resources. Thus, the purpose of this resource is to raise the prominence of Aboriginal learners in the strategic thinking of school leaders, working with their various teams.
This resource focuses on 6 interrelated elements where school principals and their teams can ensure that Aboriginal learners’ levels of achievement are raised, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
These elements are:
Assuring consistent, high-quality classroom practice
Applying rigorous, evidence-based learning interventions
Engaging families as partners in literacy and numeracy learning
Promoting the continuity of learning.
Aboriginal Learner Achievement | Leaders’ Resource | Quality school improvement planning 3
The resource affirms the importance of significantly raising literacy and numeracy achievement for all Aboriginal learners as reflected in the Aboriginal Education Strategy: Goal 2 – Aboriginal children and young people excel at school – and particularly objective 1: 'Aboriginal children achieve growth in their learning, including Standard Australian English and numeracy skills at or above their year appropriate level.'
The urgency of this improvement agenda is reflected in the strategy’s 10-year goal, namely that: 'Aboriginal children meet or exceed the same standards of achievement for literacy and numeracy as non- Aboriginal students.'
The Aboriginal Education Strategy states: 'Literacy and numeracy skills are the foundation for every child and young person’s ability to engage with learning'. Literacy and numeracy are a means to a broader end in all areas of learning (including the Australian Curriculum, the Early Years Learning Framework, the South Australian Certificate of Education and Vocational Education pathways). This resource will provide leaders with the tools to support and strengthen their current strategies for raising Aboriginal achievement, within the school’s literacy and numeracy priorities, whilst continuing to build a culturally responsive approach to improvement. The subsequent conversations and planning for literacy and numeracy achievement can also help to inform the decisions made in developing and implementing One Child One Plans (referred to
as One Plan) for all Aboriginal learners in consultation with teachers and families.
There is evidence in recent years, that Aboriginal learners have made modest progress towards achieving the same literacy and numeracy outcomes as their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Progress however, has been slower and less consistent than expected. Overall, there are still significant challenges in raising the achievement of Aboriginal learners in reading, writing and numeracy. Through the use of this resource as well as the Aboriginal Learner Achievement Quality Matrix and the Aboriginal Learner Achievement Action Template, principals can assure the Aboriginal community that Aboriginal learners receive the constant and flexible support needed to bolster their literacy and numeracy achievements.
NB: The term ‘families’ includes many different carer roles, including grandparents, custodial parents, other relatives and, where relevant, the wider community.
4 Aboriginal Learner Achievement | Leaders’ Resource | Quality school improvement planning
This resource has been developed based on research, and evidence of strategies to amplify learner achievements in literacy and numeracy, and draws on the experience and advice of principals from a wide range of South Australian primary, secondary and R-12 schools.
Accompanying this resource are 2 quality assurance tools used to:
gauge the effectiveness of the ways in which schools are applying relevant strategies to raise the literacy and numeracy achievement of Aboriginal learners
assist in establishing actions, roles and resources required to implement improvement.
These tools are:
Aboriginal Learner Achievement Quality Matrix
This describes the various levels of quality by which schools have applied each of the 6 key elements. Principals will use this matrix with their relevant leadership and teaching teams to drive evidence- based discussions about the degree to which each of the key elements are evident in practice at the school. In this sense, it is both an evaluative tool and a provocation.
Within the matrix, the types of evidence referred to include various documents, schedules, schemas, tools, artefacts, role statements and publications, that capture intended actions as well as the degree to which these are well-understood and adopted by staff. Each element is accompanied by a set of guiding questions that can generate and facilitate discussions.
The matrix is divided into 4 evidence-reliant sections to assist judgements. These consist of:
Not evident: where there is no evidence to demonstrate levels of organisation or adoption.
Low: where there is some evidence to demonstrate levels of organisation and/or there is evidence that some staff have adopted these.
Medium: where there is considerable evidence of documentation with some annotation to display sound levels of organisation and clear evidence of widespread adoption by staff.
High: where there is a comprehensive set of publications that are well-annotated and reflect highly complex organisational processes and clear evidence of all staff adoption and adherence.
Schools are encouraged to prioritise and address 1 or 2 key elements, then identify and implement a set of improvement actions.
How to use this resource
ABORIGINAL LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT QUALITY MATRIX
Key Element 1 Guiding Questions
Indicators of Degree of Implementation: What evidence can leaders provide to show progress in each element?
Not evident Low Medium High
Data Informed Planning
The collection and strategic analysis of assessment data to inform literacy and numeracy improvement priorities for Aboriginal learners at the school, team and teacher level.
The effective use of data to inform school decisions and teacher practice for each Aboriginal learner.
How does the school effectively collect data for Aboriginal learners?
An assessment and reporting schedule for Aboriginal learners is not in place or not documented.
An assessment and reporting schedule is in place and captures data for some Aboriginal learners.
A documented assessment and reporting schedule – including more ‘fine grained’ assessments – is flexibly applied to capture all Aboriginal learner progress, and directly informs literacy and numeracy improvement planning.
A comprehensive, documented and regularly reviewed system for collecting, recording and managing data is in place, which aligns with literacy and numeracy improvement planning at whole-school, team and teacher levels.
How does the school support deep analysis of individual Aboriginal learner data?
A data management system is not evident, not consistently used or doesn’t inform planning for Aboriginal learners.
A local data management system, including the Improvement Dashboard, is used to compare individual Aboriginal learner data against standards (SEA).
A comprehensive data management system, including the Improvement Dashboard, is used for in- depth analysis of Aboriginal learner progress and achievement. This analysis is shared across the school and informs actions.
A comprehensive data management system is embedded, visible and highly adopted by all staff to drive:
— high-quality data analysis
— visible evidence of ‘fine grained’ growth.
This directly leads to specific actions aligned to the school’s improvement planning.
How does the school ensure Aboriginal learners are prominent in improvement planning?
Aboriginal learners are not prominent within improvement planning processes.
Planning and actions for literacy and numeracy improvement relate to some Aboriginal learners.
Aboriginal learners are prominent within literacy and numeracy improvement planning for teams and teachers.
Leaders, teams and all teachers can articulate how Aboriginal learners are prominent within improvement planning, and can explain the impact on their actions, at a range of levels.
Aboriginal Learner Achievement Action Template
This enables principals and their teams to use the results of their quality audit as the driver to address priority areas for improvement. The template:
identifies a small number of focus areas based on audit results
determines agreement on actions that can enhance the quality of work in the focus area
establishes the person or team responsible for the actions
identifies the time and resources required.
The use of the template, and progress achieved from it, can then be re-evaluated using the matrix after a specified period of time. The template reinforces that each school will make decisions in this area based on their context and on numbers of Aboriginal learners.
These tools should be used in conjunction with the advice contained in the resource.
Six essential interrelated elements of a school-wide system designed to raise literacy and numeracy achievement for Aboriginal learners.
Key Element 1 Guiding Questions Area of focus Action(s) Person responsible
Resources / timeline
Evidence / Achieved
Data Informed Planning The collection and strategic analysis of assessment data to inform literacy and numeracy improvement priorities for Aboriginal learners at the school, team and teacher level. The effective use of data to inform school decisions and teacher practice for each Aboriginal learner.
How does the school support deep analysis of individual Aboriginal learner data?
Connection with the school improvement planning cycle
The school improvement planning cycle is a central component of the department’s school improvement model.
It focuses professional conversations on the teacher-learner relationship in every classroom through relevant challenges of practice. This resource complements the cycle by directing leaders to consider other aspects of improvement that can add value to classroom practice, particularly for students with complex needs. In essence, this resource aims to keep the interests of Aboriginal learners prominent in any improvement conversation, whether it is at the classroom, the team or the whole-school level.
The school improvement planning cycle provides school leaders with the means to ensure that their evidence-based goals for improvement are translated into every classroom, and that teachers are effectively supported to ensure classroom strategies are applied for maximum impact. At the same time, we know that the complexity of the educational needs for many Aboriginal learners requires a more intensive approach. It also requires a tailored set of strategies that add value to classroom practice, by:
increasing the prominence of Aboriginal learners in school improvement conversations
better aligning roles and resources to those actions that have greatest impact
building flexibility into systems to cater for Aboriginal learners who are experiencing complex circumstances
maintaining an intensity of effort in the face of illness and other barriers to learning
guiding proactive discussions about relevant support mechanisms
raising learners’ influence when describing their learning goals
ensuring that families are knowledgeable about their child’s progress and support.
This resource will enable school leaders, in consultation with teachers and community members, to clearly design data-informed tracking and monitoring processes that identify the literacy and numeracy needs of Aboriginal children and young people within their educational and community context. It is paramount that the learning needs of Aboriginal students, (particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy), are prominent within each school.
When read in conjunction with the Aboriginal Learner Achievement Quality Matrix, this resource provides advice on how to identify and implement a set of actions at the whole-school, team and classroom level. These documents are complementary and will benefit the school’s literacy and numeracy priorities and associated classroom strategies within the school improvement cycle.
The improvement strategies identified in this resource complement, and build on, research-based Department for Education resources already in place across schools that include:
The School Improvement Handbook
Literacy and Numeracy guidebooks
Best Advice Series: Numeracy
Best Advice Series: Literacy
Literacy and Numeracy First document
Improvement Dashboard
Principles guiding improvement actions for raising Aboriginal learner achievement
The Aboriginal Education Strategy 2019 – 2029 outlines 5 principles to guide the implementation of the strategy in schools and preschools.
These principles underpin the strategic actions reflected in this resource and in the quality tools, and thereby influence the thinking, planning and implementation of strategies that support the literacy and numeracy achievement of Aboriginal learners.
Highest expectations
We will have the highest expectations for Aboriginal learners’ achievement.
For raised Aboriginal learner achievement in literacy and numeracy, this means that those expectations will be articulated through relevant learning goals established with students and their families. It also means that principals and their staff must articulate and model high expectations of themselves in the interests of Aboriginal learners.
Accessibility and responsiveness
We will partner with families and communities to create culturally safe and inclusive learning environments, identify opportunities for growth, and respond to barriers for Aboriginal learners.
For raised Aboriginal learner achievement in literacy and numeracy, this means ensuring that families are actively and respectfully included in discussions about each child’s progress, achievements and future goals.
Culture and identity
We will acknowledge, value and respect Aboriginal knowledge, wisdom and expertise, including our existing Aboriginal staff and learners, and we will adopt local approaches to teaching Aboriginal histories, culture and languages.
For raised Aboriginal learner achievement in literacy and numeracy, this means that schools acknowledge that Aboriginal learners bring a wealth of language, culture and experiences to their literacy and numeracy learning.
Community engagement
We will hear, seek and respect the voices of Aboriginal people and their representative organisations, and encourage participation of Aboriginal learners, parents, carers, families and communities across our services.
For raised Aboriginal learner achievement in literacy and numeracy, this means that families are included as meaningful partners in supporting each student's learning.
Accountability
We will be transparent and accountable for improving learning outcomes, using allocated resources to support the growth and development for all Aboriginal learners.
For raised Aboriginal learner achievement in literacy and numeracy, this means that principals demonstrate their commitment to each Aboriginal learner and embrace the responsibility for ensuring that relevant improvement strategies are properly implemented. Principals also ensure that their staff equally embrace responsibility for enacting improvement strategies at the whole- school, team and classroom levels.
Research shows that broader enabling factors positively impact on improvement strategies employed to raise Aboriginal attendance and learner achievement (ACER 2013).
Advice from South Australian school leaders reinforced the importance of 4 important enabling factors necessary to develop a truly supportive learning environment that not only meets the needs of Aboriginal learners but can also directly impact on attendance. These are:
a strong professional culture with culturally responsive professional learning and high levels of professional capacity
a relational and culturally respectful school environment that recognises the languages, knowledge and experience of Aboriginal people
a safe and stable learning environment that accepts and respect all learners, and provides a culturally relevant pedagogy, while reinforcing high expectations, resilience and perseverance
the provision of efficient procedures to access support services and site-specific programs that promote learner engagement and attendance, including the use of mentoring programs and vocational pathways.
These enabling factors build on the 5 principles, and support the development of a strong, consistent whole-school approach, which is culturally sensitive, contextual, and features:
quality pedagogy
practice agreements
role clarity
School communities have a range of contexts and include variations in enrolments, location, community involvement and resources. Nonetheless, all learners deserve to access quality pedagogy and curriculum support networks, learning environments and experiences that are learner-centred and contextual, in order to achieve growth and success. This resource, and associated quality tools, are framed in ways that reinforce the importance of school leaders focusing on all Aboriginal learners, irrespective of enrolment numbers.
Reaching high achievement targets for Aboriginal learners requires consideration of how the school supports continuous improvement, and how well the school functions as a system of interdependent elements.
This resource is centred on 6 essential interrelated elements of a school-wide system, which together form the foundation for schools to explicitly improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for Aboriginal learners. Guiding questions for each of the elements provide direction for school planning and focused actions. Each element is not meant to be read independently, but in reference to each other. They add value to existing literacy and numeracy planning and strategies within each school.
A 1-page synopsis of the 6 key elements is provided for your reference in the supporting documents section of this resource.
Overview of the 6 key elements to raise Aboriginal learner achievement
The six interrelated elements are:
Data-informed planning
Assuring consistent, high-quality classroom practice
Applying rigorous, evidence-based learning interventions
Engaging families as partners in literacy and numeracy learning
Promoting the continuity of learning.
The collection and strategic analysis of assessment data to inform literacy and numeracy improvement priorities for Aboriginal learners at the school, team and teacher level. The effective use of data to inform school decisions and teacher practice for each Aboriginal learner.
Guiding questions:
How does the school support deep analysis of individual learner data?
Data-informed planning
The ongoing monitoring of learning growth and achievement in literacy and numeracy for Aboriginal learners to inform improvement actions and goal-setting.
Guiding questions:
How does the school track, monitor and review the growth and achievement of every Aboriginal learner?
How does the monitoring of progress inform Aboriginal learner literacy and numeracy goals?
Tracking and monitoring growth and achievement
The continuous building of high-quality practice to deliver on whole-school commitments to action that will directly impact on Aboriginal achievement.
This is supported by relevant professional learning, together with performance development systems and processes.
Guiding questions:
How does the school ensure a collective ‘commitment to action’ towards raising the achievement of all Aboriginal learners in literacy and numeracy?
How does the school continuously build teacher capacity for raising literacy and numeracy achievement of Aboriginal learners?
How do the school’s performance development processes ensure quality practice is evident for every Aboriginal learner?
Assuring consistent, high quality classroom practice
Effective and targeted learner interventions that support and/or extend Aboriginal learner achievement.
Guiding question:
How does the school effectively provide literacy and numeracy intervention for identified Aboriginal learners?
Applying rigorous, evidence- based learning interventions
Data-informed conversations with Aboriginal families about the growth, achievement and successes of their child, and the strategies to best support them.
Guiding questions:
How does the school ensure that there are culturally respectful and purposeful conversations with families about:
- learner progress and achievement based on evidence?
- the support provided by the school for the learner?
- the ways in which the family can support the learner’s growth in literacy and numeracy?
The comprehensive sharing of detailed information about each Aboriginal learner's progress when there is a change of teacher or school.
Guiding questions:
How does the school facilitate the effective sharing of information about each Aboriginal learner’s progress within the school?
How does the school organise for the sharing of literacy and numeracy information as part of cross-site transition processes?
The following section aims to provide more detail and information about each of the 6 key elements, as well as descriptions of how they further amplify Aboriginal learner achievement in literacy and numeracy.
The information relates to each key element. However, it is not exhaustive, and comprehensive planning requires leaders and teachers to contextualise the strategy to meet the needs of their learners, school and community. The Literacy and Numeracy guidebooks also provide further direction, improvement strategies, and support for leaders in their improvement planning journey.
Each of the following sections contains a:
- re-statement of the overall description and guiding questions
- brief explanation of relevant terms
- description of why this element is important
- summary of relevant improvement actions
- description of possible intended impacts
- set of other things to consider.
Each of these supports the implementation of the Aboriginal Learner Achievement Quality Matrix and completion of the Aboriginal Learner Achievement Action Template.
Engaging Aboriginal families as partners in literacy and numeracy learning
Promoting the continuity of learning
Data-informed planning refers to the collection and strategic analysis of assessment data to inform literacy and numeracy improvement priorities and practice for Aboriginal learners at the school, team and teacher level.
Schools need to implement and utilise well-defined data management systems and practices, along with structures that support the deep analysis and effective use of data. Teachers should have access to key data sets and be supported to inform quality teaching practice for each Aboriginal learner.
Important terms
The Aboriginal Learner Achievement Quality Matrix for this element refers to a number of terms that are explained below.
Assessment and reporting schedule is a document that captures all relevant assessment collection processes and plots them with timelines against each term. It outlines the responsibilities for assessing, collecting and managing relevant data.
Data management systems are electronic means of storing, describing and analysing data in a range of ways. They are compatible with the Improvement Dashboard.
Literacy and numeracy planning process is a whole-school improvement plan that describes literacy and numeracy learning goals and actions.
Fine-grained assessment refers to assessments that examine very specific aspects of learning (eg phonological awareness as an aspect of reading).
Guiding Questions
How does the school support deep analysis of individual learner data?
Key element 1 Data-informed planning
Why data-informed planning is important
Data-informed conversations are imperative for successful curriculum planning to ensure the educational and wellbeing needs for each learner are met within the school context.
A comprehensive and well-structured data collection process will inform improvement goals and provide information about each Aboriginal learner’s literacy and numeracy achievement, in addition to wellbeing information. The data collection and analysis will support the identification of learners who require additional support in literacy and numeracy.
The role of leaders is essential to the timely collection, analysis and maintenance of data systems and requires a relentless focus on improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for Aboriginal learners.
It is essential that data literacy support is provided to staff to understand and establish well-documented data collection and analysis processes that will:
identify and capture data for all Aboriginal learners
inform strategic planning aligned to improvement goals and targets
inform teacher practice
support the formation of learning interventions
enable setting of aspirational goals for Aboriginal learners
identify and share strengths of each Aboriginal learner.
School level data analysis should be about helping schools understand if they are achieving their purpose and guiding principles and meeting the needs of all students—and, if not why not? (Bernhardt 1998)
Key Elements
N.B. The Department for Education One Plan is an online personalised learning plan that contains information to support a child’s inclusion and achievement in school.
Schools will use a range of systems and processes for data collection and analysis to inform and guide planning. Leaders will drive these processes and support teachers at an individual and team level to analyse data, by allocating time and providing relevant professional learning.
Effective improvement actions
Build individual Aboriginal learner profiles. These are drawn from student information and includes strengths, interests, potential barriers to learning, family considerations, and student performance reports containing assessment results, evidence of growth, intervention provided, and attendance and behaviour data.
Ensure that teachers and support staff clearly understand the learning data for each Aboriginal learner. This may include the use of a ‘Data Wall’ to make the data ‘visible’. Data is compared against standards and benchmarks with regular scheduled conversations during professional learning team meetings.
Support teachers in analysing and using learner data to:
- determine and document appropriate literacy/numeracy goals and document these goals in each Aboriginal learner’s One Plan
- inform teaching practice.
Create rigorous school systems and processes to identify Aboriginal learners at risk of not achieving expected growth in their learning, and any relevant intervention programs and strategies.
Provide the necessary resource allocation to ensure appropriate and effective support is received by Aboriginal learners.
Improvement actions
Intended impact of data-informed planning
Learning data is readily accessible.
Aboriginal learners are prominent in improvement planning, with identified learning goals recorded in One Plan.‘Baseline’ data in relation to defined benchmarks and standards is identified.
Specific learning needs of individual Aboriginal learners is identified.
Access to additional support from the department’s student support services as required.
Support is provided for teachers to provide for multiple entry and exit points for learners along learning continuums.
Outcomes in perception data surveys (eg attitudes to learning and sense of belonging and future) are improved.
An increase in the level of engagement is achieved, and lead to improved learning outcomes for Aboriginal students in all areas of learning across the curriculum.
Aboriginal learners are engaged in data conversations.
Other things to consider
It is acknowledged that some students arrive at a school with little learning data. The same complexities that lead to low levels of literacy and numeracy may also lead to little or no assessment of learning.
How will you manage continual access to, and administration of all assessment regimes throughout the year, to cater for ongoing enrolments and transience?
Data relating to Aboriginal learners, like any learner, has to be treated respectfully and confidentially with all relevant permissions sought and applied.
Guiding Questions
How does the school track, monitor and review the growth and achievement of every Aboriginal learner?
How does the monitoring of progress inform Aboriginal learner literacy and numeracy goals?
Key element
This element refers to the ongoing monitoring of learning growth and achievement in literacy and numeracy for Aboriginal learners to inform improvement actions and goal setting.
This means that all schools will have effective systems and processes in place to track and monitor the progress of all Aboriginal learners. A collaborative approach is established to analyse learning data and also to determine effective strategies for improvement in literacy and numeracy. Well-defined monitoring processes will support educators and learners in determining and evaluating individual learning goals.
2
Important terms
Monitoring of progress is the deliberate scrutiny, evaluation and review of Aboriginal literacy and numeracy data
Standards and benchmarks refer to the standards and benchmark levels stated in assessments conducted by schools. This includes the South Australian Department for Education, Standard for Educational Achievement (SEA), Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards and South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) standards. Assessments conducted by schools with stated benchmark levels include the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT), Running Record reading levels, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and other school-based assessments.
Literacy and numeracy goals refer to 2 types of learning goals. Both are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound, agreed upon and reviewed: ie SMARTAR.
1. Summative learning goals outline the intended learning outcomes for each Aboriginal learner. These are documented or recorded in the learner’s One Plan
2. Formative learning goals provide the next steps in learning for each Aboriginal student.
Tracking and monitoring growth and achievement
Why tracking each learner’s growth and achievement is important
The key purpose of tracking student achievement and growth is to identify what is working and what needs to change – in a timeframe that enables effective change and in a way that supports each student to move forward in their learning.
An integral part of tracking and monitoring is the consideration of factors that impact on learning, such as family and community, attendance, student behaviour, motivations and aspirations, strengths, and areas of need.
South Australian Department for Education data systems, and local data systems, enable schools to track the growth and achievement of every Aboriginal learner and to build a comprehensive but individualised learning profile. These data systems include:
Improvement Dashboard
Education Dashboard
Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) online assessment and reporting system
Running Record data
External School Review Framework and Report
Assessment results (eg phonics screening check and BrightPath data)
Australian Curriculum Achievement Standard A-E grades
Formative and summative assessment results
Feedback from Aboriginal learners about themselves as learners
Attendance, behaviour and wellbeing data
Anecdotal information
Schools should establish clear systems and processes which support individual and team analysis and the tracking and monitoring of individual learner data to inform action.
Collaborative work with teams of colleagues, sometimes the whole staff, sometimes with smaller groups, supported by school leadership, builds a context in which teachers can interpret and use data more effectively (Meiers 2008).
Key Elements
Establish systems and processes to track and monitor growth for all Aboriginal learners.
Use efficient and comprehensive data management systems – which includes the Improvement Dashboard – managed by identified key personnel.
Provide strong leadership to drive the implementation and monitoring processes.
Assign responsibilities to key personnel (individuals or teams).
Establish clear, robust, documented, school- wide processes for tracking, monitoring and review (who, what, how, when?).
Schedule opportunities for regular and authentic tracking and monitoring by individuals and teams of teachers.
Provide data literacy training and guidance to support staff to analyse data (ie What is the data showing? Why is this so? What do we need to do now?).
Establish Student Review Teams and identify their purpose and function, track Aboriginal learner achievement and growth, and implement actions in response.
Build-in meaningful and timely reviews of programs and strategies.
Determine the level of information and data sharing with specific groups (ie leadership, professional learning communities, classroom teachers, Aboriginal learners, families).
Involve Aboriginal learners in tracking and monitoring their own learning.
N.B. The Department for Education One Plan is an online personalised learning plan that contains information to support a child’s inclusion and achievement in school. Improvement actions
Intended impacts of effectively tracking growth and achievement.
Documented and clearly defined whole-school monitoring and review processes support teachers, students and families in determining learning goals.
Learning strategies and interventions with the greatest positive impact are identified and broadened accordingly.
With constant tracking and monitoring of progress, students don’t ‘fall between the cracks’, as learning needs are identified and strategies implemented.
There are regular and scheduled discussions and review of Aboriginal student data.
Learner growth is clearly identified and shared with students and their families.
Comprehensive data and information is readily available for transition, to support the continuity of learning.
Establishing clear procedures for tracking and monitoring growth and achievement of students with high mobility is difficult.
However, schools should endeavour to identify opportunities to access and distribute continuous learning data with neighbouring and transitioning schools. This may include access to assessment schedules and support services visits.
Key element
3
This element refers to building high-quality practice to deliver on whole-school commitments to action that will directly impact on Aboriginal achievement. It also supports the relevant professional learning and performance development systems and processes.
This means that there is a widely shared, reviewed and agreed set of practices, articulated by teachers and consistently applied across classes. A comprehensive and regularly reviewed set of capacity-building strategies is connected to site priorities. Documented performance development processes are scheduled, and clearly connect teacher practice to raising achievement in literacy and numeracy for Aboriginal learners.
Important terms
Agreed practices to raise Aboriginal learner achievement are the whole-school statements of practice that support high expectations and ensure consistency of language and practice across all classes.
Continuous building of teacher capacity is the ongoing professional growth of teachers in developing quality practice and understanding of Aboriginal learners.
Performance development processes are the ongoing practices that support staff at all levels to continuously improve their knowledge and practice. This ensures that their work is in line with school expectations and in raising each Aboriginal learner’s achievement in literacy and numeracy.
Guiding Questions
How does the school ensure a collective ‘commitment to action’ towards raising the achievement of all Aboriginal learners in literacy and numeracy?
How does the school continuously build teacher capacity for raising literacy and numeracy achievement of Aboriginal learners?
How do the school’s performance development processes ensure quality practice is evident for every Aboriginal learner?
Within schools, quality of teachers and teaching has been established as the most important factor in improving students’ learning (Hattie, 2002; Leigh & Ryan, 2008;
Rowe, 2003; Rowe, 2006).
Why is assuring consistent, high-quality classroom practice important?
Research suggests that teacher quality accounts for 30 per cent of the variance in student performance (Hattie 2013).
Commitment to Action
To maximise the achievement of Aboriginal learners, a collective commitment to action is needed. This includes a visible, whole-school approach, including consistency and coherence in teaching pedagogy, curriculum content, and shared language. A ‘team’ with a shared vision, aspirational expectations, and an unrelenting focus and commitment, has greater ability to significantly influence and improve learning outcomes for Aboriginal learners.
When teachers hold aspirational expectations for all Aboriginal students, they support them to build self-esteem, increase confidence and improve achievement.
Effective schools have a shared accountability and responsibility in raising the achievement of all Aboriginal learners and closely attend to the needs of students requiring extra assistance.
Continuously Building Teacher Capacity
Consistent, high quality teaching does not occur by chance. It requires processes for continuously building the capacity of staff to meet the needs of individual teachers in alignment with school priorities.
Effective teachers provide supportive and strong relationship-based learning environments. They use learner data to inform their planning and practice, and aspire for Aboriginal learners to attain the highest educational standards. The ongoing professional growth of teachers in continuously developing quality practice, cultivates a growth mindset leading to improved learning outcomes for Aboriginal learners.
Performance Development
A performance development culture has a clear focus on improving teaching as a powerful means of improving learner outcomes. Schools establish processes to develop a shared understanding of quality practice through professional dialogue, observation, constructive feedback, professional learning and coaching.
Effective performance development processes that are directly linked to improving classroom teaching have been shown to increase teacher effectiveness by as much as 20 - 30%. (Jensen and Reichl 2011)
'Studies suggest that students with a highly effective teacher learn twice as much as students with a less effective teacher' (Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership).
Develop a collective commitment to improvement, and document this in statements which drive direction and action (agreed vision, mission, beliefs, values, commitment).
Implement whole-school approaches and impress high expectations, through:
- consistent approaches and/or programs
- shared language.
Ensure literacy and numeracy is everyone’s business – across all year levels and in all areas of curriculum.
Use a variety of coaching and support models including peer, leader, expert, mentor, and professional buddy.
Provide ongoing, quality, instructional leadership and professional learning, which supports school priorities and targets individual needs.
Establish ‘Professional Learning Communities’ supporting a model for team collaboration and inquiry.
Use classroom ‘walk throughs’ as part of instructional leadership.
Develop effective performance development processes which include plans, goals, actions and feedback closely aligned with school improvement priorities.
Differentiate literacy and numeracy to cater for individual learning needs. (Refer to the Best Advice Series – Literacy, Best Advice series – Numeracy, Literacy and Numeracy First – Primary Years Focus, and Literacy and Numeracy guidebooks).
Implement classroom practices that engage and intellectually stretch Aboriginal learners.
Improvement actions
Intended impact of assuring consistent, high quality classroom practice
An improvement in the growth and achievement of Aboriginal learners is achieved.
Relationships with families of Aboriginal students are strengthened.
Classroom practices continually improve to support more meaningful learning for all Aboriginal students.
Teacher motivation, and commitment to raise achievement of Aboriginal learners, increases.
There is ‘buy-in’, and engagement of teachers in their work to support growth of Aboriginal learners is strengthened.
The speed of change towards improvement is accelerated.
A collaborative culture of internal accountability, collective expectations and improvement actions is built.
A shared understanding of quality teaching is developed.
Leadership is shared and advocated at all levels.
Engagement and attendance improve.
Research indicates the importance of:
- understanding the ‘code-switching’ required of Aboriginal students between home and school
- structured, culturally appropriate approaches to learning literacy and numeracy, such as ‘scaffolding’
- culturally safe learning environments
- school as a place of belonging and relevance.
Key element 4 Applying rigorous, evidence-based learning interventions
This element refers to effective and targeted learner interventions which support and/or extend Aboriginal learner achievement.
This means that principals and their staff establish school systems to identify and provide appropriate learning support and/or intervention programs early, to enable Aboriginal students to successfully enrich their literacy and numeracy skills.
Important terms
Learner intervention means providing targeted, additional literacy and numeracy support for Aboriginal learners
Intervention programs are the evidence-based approaches that draw on the recommended literacy and numeracy programs outlined in the Literacy and Numeracy First document and Best Advice series.
Guiding Questions
How does the school effectively provide literacy and numeracy intervention for identified Aboriginal learners?
Students who are taught by expert teachers exhibit an understanding of the concepts targeted in instruction that is more integrated, more coherent, and at a higher level of abstraction, than the understanding achieved by other students (Hattie 2003).
Why are rigorous, evidence-based, learning interventions important? Without early intervention, gaps in literacy and numeracy knowledge become wider, resulting in learners not keeping up, losing interest and falling behind. It also has an impact on self-efficacy and self-worth.
While not all children develop reading ‘skills’ at the same rate, it is generally considered that children should learn to read by age 7. Intervention programs are often implemented during year 1 at school.
Children start school with a wide range of literacy experience and knowledge. Some children benefit from additional support to enable them to thrive academically and socially.
A high proportion of Aboriginal learners continue to experience difficulties in the middle and upper years of school despite early intervention, or for whom early intervention was not received.
Support may be more effective during these years of schooling, if provided in-class, with sufficient scaffolding to do the same high-level tasks as would be expected at this year level. This approach is based on Vygotsky’s theory of ‘Zone of Proximal Development’, that learning occurs when a teacher supports or ‘scaffolds’ learners to do tasks that are well beyond their independent abilities.
'In the primary school, it is possible for teachers to manage students with weak literacy. It is not possible for any student with weak Australian Standard English literacy skills, to handle the secondary school curriculum, unless it is modified to a low level. Early intervention is paramount to raising achievement' (Rose 2015).
Key Elements
Systematically schedule data-informed intervention programs, in addition to classroom learning that are targeted, purposeful and time-limited. (Refer Best Advice Series – Literacy, Best Advice series – Numeracy, Literacy and Numeracy First – Primary Years Focus, Best Advice: Intervention to address literacy and numeracy learning difficulties and Literacy and Numeracy Guide books).
Implement review processes, which use assessments (reception to year 9) to identify learners at-risk, and the specific learning gaps in literacy and numeracy knowledge and skill.
Provide relevant professional learning for support staff who provide intervention support programs with Aboriginal learners.
Establish explicit, intensive small group instruction as a strategy for targeting gaps in literacy and numeracy learning. This may include the support of additional staff in working groups.
Set up responsive support strategies, such as mentoring programs, and learning ‘buddies’.
Improvement actions
Intended impacts of rigorous learning support and intervention
The earlier a child learns to read, the better the child reads and the more they enjoy reading.
Early identification of learners who may benefit from intervention support, drastically reduces the chance of learning difficulties compounding throughout schooling and supports higher-level achievement.
A school-wide system for intervention leads to an increased accountability for all learners to achieve.
The development of early reading and maths skills by a child at age 7, significantly and positively impacts that learner’s future.
Intervention ensures support for Aboriginal learners in mastering Standard Australian English (SAE).
a relationships-based and strengths-based ‘can do’ approach to teaching
an excitement around, and celebration of, learning progress and success
a safe learning zone, where students feel positive about the support provided and progress made
continuous praise and encouragement where warranted
non-judgemental approaches, for example, a non-judgemental and welcoming start to the day regardless of lateness or absence.
Key element
Engaging Aboriginal families as partners in literacy and numeracy learning
5
Building a conversational culture is at the heart of developing strong connections between families and schools. This element refers to the data-informed conversations with Aboriginal families about the growth, achievement and successes of their child and the strategies to best support them.
This means cultivating culturally respectful environments that enable purposeful conversations about student progress, the support provided by the school, and ways in which the family can support their child’s literacy and numeracy development.
Important terms
Data-informed conversations are the 2-way conversations about perceptual data (information about how stakeholders feel or what is observed through surveys, questionnaires and observations) and performance data (information on how learners are performing and includes assessment results, and attendance data)
Proactive strategies are the organised strategies schools implement to engage Aboriginal families as active participants in their child’s learning.
NB: The term ‘families’ includes many different carer roles, including grandparents, custodial parents, other relatives and, where relevant, the wider community.
Guiding Questions
How does the school ensure that there are culturally respectful and purposeful conversations with families about:
learner progress and achievement based on evidence
the support provided by the school for the learner
the ways in which the family can support the learner’s growth in literacy and numeracy?
Why it is important to engage Aboriginal families as partners in literacy and numeracy
Families can play an important role in helping their children to be confident and enthusiastic learners. Engaging families in the child’s education improves the child’s educational attainment and ongoing engagement in school (Higgins & Morley 2014).
Families and schools need to work together to support successful learning outcomes for each Aboriginal learner. Schools should:
establish respectful and trusting relationships with families
encourage mutual communication
provide support to engage parents as partners in their child’s learning.
Families need to feel valued and welcomed. Engaging families as partners in learning takes time and commitment.
Schools that share purposeful conversations with families about and their child’s learning, empower parents and help to build strong connections.
An emphasis on opportunities is more beneficial than a focus on obstacles. Benefits to learners are heightened when schools and families take actions together to achieve improvements, and monitor their combined impact over time.
School partnerships with Aboriginal families and communities thrive when multiple opportunities are presented to initiate conversations, using flexible methods and engagement strategies.
'A potential barrier to the engagement of Aboriginal families, is the cultural disconnect between families and schools. Values fostered by schools are not always consistent with the values that are important to Indigenous families. According to research at Western Sydney University, many teachers lack the skills and confidence to understand the different perspectives on learning that Aboriginal families have. This lack of awareness prevents parents from feeling included in the school community, thereby reducing their involvement in their children’s education' (Woodrow 2016).
You can’t have a partnership without a relationship, and you can’t have a relationship without a conversation. You’ve got to start the conversation. Everything starts here… (Australian Government
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations 2009).
Key Elements
Build relationships starting from the enrolment process. When families arrive at school, staff ensure a welcoming, inclusive and comfortable start at the school and involve support staff.
Introduce new families to all staff, (not just the class teacher). Provide a reference document with names, photos and roles of each member of staff.
Develop positive relationships through increased representation of Aboriginal parents on governing councils and school committees. Seek and listen to opinions and feedback.
Arrange for professional learning to support cultural awareness, such as:
- Working Together - Cultural Awareness module https://tinyurl.com/yygkdvzm
- Aboriginal Perspectives – Developing your Understanding (video) https://tinyurl.com/yyezb7rb
Celebrate Aboriginal culture through events.
Provide Aboriginal spaces on school grounds.
Initiate informal conversations about children’s learning whenever possible, for example during school social occasions, at barbeques, in the carpark before and after school, and on the phone.
Work together with families to track and monitor learner growth and achievement.
Contact parents regularly to share growth and successes about their children.
Ensure that a range of strategies – including visual resources and relevant graphics – are applied so data is easily understood by families.
Schedule career pathway meetings with families, teachers, support staff and students.
Establish sustainable mentoring programs – including engaging older Aboriginal learners – to develop long-term relationships, involving students, mentors and families. Where possible, commence these as part of the enrolment process.
Actively support parent involvement and seek their views and feedback in developing One Plan goals and interviews.
Involve and support parents to be part of the ‘team’ around the child.
Improvement actions
Intended impacts of engaging Aboriginal families as partners in literacy and numeracy
Families are empowered through better understanding of the growth and achievement of their child and of the support available.
Sustained improvement of literacy and numeracy learning outcomes is achieved.
Wellbeing and connectedness of students is improved.
There is a greater engagement and commitment of students in their literacy and numeracy learning.
Attendance increases.
Family and community involvement and satisfaction with the school improves.
A Reconciliation Action Plan based on trust and respect of Aboriginal histories and cultures is created.
Levels of learner confidence, resilience and effort increase.
All staff need to be welcoming, supportive and respectful of Aboriginal culture.
Encourage non-judgemental mindsets.
Include cultural connection as part of the school environment, for example, displays of language, Aboriginal flag, an appropriate Acknowledgement of Country.
Create ‘safe environments’ for conversations. The administration area is not often considered ‘safe’.
Identify opportunities for families and community members to share and build on their knowledge and home language experiences.
Promoting the continuity of learning
Key element 6
This refers to transition from year to year, teacher to teacher and school to school. It enables learners to build on previous learning, leading to improved levels of achievement as a result.
This means that schools need to implement systems to effectively share comprehensive, detailed information about each Aboriginal learner’s progress when there is a change of teacher or school.
Important terms
School-wide processes for sharing literacy and numeracy data are the organised and scheduled in-school processes for sharing relevant perceptual and performance information and data.
Transition processes are the organised and scheduled processes for sharing relevant information between teachers, schools and Aboriginal families, and may include school tours and visits, and enrolment and transition meetings with relevant stakeholders.
Guiding Questions
How does the school facilitate the effective sharing of information about each Aboriginal learner’s progress within the school?
How does the school organise for the sharing of literacy and numeracy information as part of cross-site transition processes?
Why ensuring continuity of learning is important
Effective transitions are critical to the development of Aboriginal learners’ self-worth, confidence and resilience, and ongoing success at school.
Successful, continuous learning requires a consistent and coordinated approach. When there are seamless transition processes, schools, Aboriginal learners and their families benefit from the synchronised sharing of literacy and numeracy data and information.
Information about Aboriginal learner progress, growth, and achievement in literacy and numeracy is shared for teachers to implement effective and timely decisions in planning, and provide quality learning experiences. This enables:
an earlier commencement to learning
earlier provision of any required intervention
the sharing of effective strategies for academic and social development.
Sharing of literacy and numeracy information between sites and teachers ensures continuity of learning and wellbeing. Having this prior knowledge allows for smoother transition.
Consistent approaches will help families of Aboriginal learners to support their child at all entry and exit points.
'When there is a consistency from one learning environment to the next and communication and collaboration among educators, children are able to establish connections between lessons, between ideas and processes within a topic, between topics, and between learning from one year to the next' (The National Academies Press, 2019).
Children’s and families’ sense of belonging in a setting is strengthened by transition practices that respond to their individual interests, abilities and strengths…Who children become in a new setting partly depends on thoughtful, respectful and well planned transition practices (Kennedy, 2013).
Key Elements
Establish a systematic transition process to enable transference of well-documented literacy and numeracy data.
Conduct regular meetings to ensure transition is targeted, purposeful and planned for each Aboriginal learner.
Implement comprehensive planning to support handovers, prior to the start of classes in the following year.
Collaborate with all subject teachers in secondary schools to set goals and share approaches to support Aboriginal learners. This builds consistency of practice for teachers and Aboriginal learners.
Involve Aboriginal support staff in scheduled and incidental transition activities.
Plan regular communication strategies between staff of neighbouring sites.
Hold student review meetings prior to transition (ie case manage each Aboriginal learner).
Nominate a key contact for Aboriginal learners with disabilities.
Ensure transition expectations and processes are integral components of school induction processes at the start of the year and commencement of employment.
Ensure Aboriginal learners and their families are included as integral components of school transition processes, for example, through 5-week ‘check-ins’ to discuss progress, SACE/VET progressions, and career pathways.
Improvement actions
Why ensuring continuity of learning is important
Sharing of relevant literacy and numeracy and information is communicated in a timely manner.
Consistent approaches support families to engage with their child at all entry and exit points.
Learner engagement is increased.
Increased levels of Aboriginal learner confidence and connection with new teachers and/or with new sites are achieved.
SACE completion rates for Aboriginal learners increase.
Support staff are actively involved in transition processes.
Families of Aboriginal learners are involved and familiar with the transition process.
Increased connection between sites supports smoother transitions for Aboriginal learners from site to site.
Attendance rates improve.
Aboriginal learners bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and experiences when they transition. Teachers can improve the success of the transition when the value of the relationship to the land, traditional languages and the learner’s position within their family and community is acknowledged and recognised as being of high importance.
It is important for schools to acknowledge first language and that it is highly valued and respected. Providing opportunities to share and use first language will support learning Standard Australian English.
References Aboriginal Education Strategy 2019 to 2029, Government of South Australia
ACER (July 2011) Literacy and Numeracy Learning: Lessons from the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study for Indigenous Students. ACER Research Monograph 65. Purdie, N. Reid, K. Frigo, T, Stone, A and Kleinhenz, E. Retrieved from https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1006&context=acer_monographs
ACER (2013) Making a Difference: Improving outcomes for Indigenous learners, Camberwell, Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.
ACER (Feb 2013) Literacy and Numeracy Interventions in the Early Years of Schooling: A Literature Review. REPORT to the Ministerial Advisory Group on Literacy and Numeracy. Retrieved from https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1019&context=policy_analysis_misc
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2018, NAPLAN Achievement in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy: National Report for 2018, ACARA, Sydney
Bernhardt V (1998) https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/ curriculum/pdf/multiple_measures.pdf Accessed July 9 2019
Fullan M & Quinn J (2016) Coherence The right drivers in action for schools, districts and systems, United Kingdom: Corwin
Fox, S. and Olsen, A. (2014). Defining Parental Engagement: Technical Report Part 1. Canberra:ARACY
Government of South Australia , Department for Education and Child Development, Early years framework, Perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence, The journey for educators: Growing competence in working with Australian Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander Cultures, Retrieved June 24 2019, https:// www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net691/f/ persepctives_on_aboriginal_torres_strait_islander_ cultural_competence.pdf
Hattie, J.A.C. (2003, October). Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? Paper presented at the Building Teacher Quality: What does the research tell us ACER Research Conference, Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved from http://research. acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4/ Accessed July 7 2019
Hattie, J.A.C (2012) Visible Learning For Teachers: Maximising impact on learning, USA: Routledge
Higgins D and Morley S 2014. Engaging Indigenous parents in their children’s education. Resource sheet no. 32. Produced by the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare & Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
Supporting documents The Aboriginal Learner Achievement Quality Matrix is framed by 6 key elements and describes how relevant strategies can be leveraged across the school to have the greatest impact for Aboriginal learners. It is designed to enable leadership teams to describe degrees of implementation to determine next steps in developing school structures and processes, aligned to the school improvement cycle.
By describing implementation through degrees of quality, it also ensures that school leaders can prioritise actions and the allocation of resources.
Therefore, it should be used in conjunction with the Aboriginal Learner Achievement Action Template.
The Aboriginal Learner Achievement Key Element Synopsis provides a summarised version of the elements and includes an elaboration, key focus areas and guiding questions.
The 3 supporting documents can be accessed by following the links.
Aboriginal Learner Achievement: Quality Matrix
Aboriginal Learner Achievement: Action Template
Aboriginal Learner Achievement: Key Element Synopsis
Jensen, B. and Reichl, J., 2011, Better teacher appraisal and feedback: Improving performance, Grattan Institute, Melbourne. Accessed 26 July 2019
Kennedy, A., 2013. Transitions: Moving in, moving up and moving on. National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program, [Online]. e-newsletter no. 70, 5. Available at: https://www.ecrh.edu.au/docs/ default-source/resources/nqs-plp-e-newsletters/nqs- plp-e-newsletter-no-70-2013-transitions-moving-in- moving-up-and-moving-on.pdf?sfvrsn=4 Accessed 16 July 2019
Meiers, M. (2008). Using data to improve student learning. The Digest, NSWIT, 2008(3). Retrieved July 17 2019, from https://research.acer.edu.au/digest/5/
Progressing Parental Engagement School Fact Sheet - Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian families. Retrieved from https:// www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_ file/0006/807432/150897-Engaging-with-Aboriginal- and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Families.pdf
Ritchie, S. J. & Bates, T. C., (2013). Enduring Links From Childhood Mathematics and Reading Achievement to Adult Socioeconomic Status
Rose, D. (2015) ‘Teaching Reading and Writing with Aboriginal Children’. Sydney Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://www.readingtolearn.com.au/ wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Teaching-reading-and- writing-with-Aboriginal-children.pdf
Woodrow, C., Somerville,M., Naidoo, L., & Power, K. (2016) Researching parent engagement: A qualitative field study. The Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, N.S.W. https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/ islandora/object/uws:34565
Stronger Smarter Institute Limited (2014). High- Expectations Relationships: a foundation for quality learning environments in all Australian schools. Stronger Smarter Institute Limited Position Paper. Accessed July 17, 2019
Titzer, R. The Science of Early Language Learning. Retrieved from https://thescienceofearlylearning. com/science/about-dr-titzer/
The National Academies Press. 2019. 5 The Importance of Continuity for Children Birth Through Age 8 | Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation | The National Academies Press. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www. nap.edu/read/19401/chapter/11 Accessed 23 July 2019
Unpacking and implementing the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. 2019. Unpacking and implementing the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/ unpacking-and-implementing-the-australian- professional-standards-for-teachers Accessed July 26 2019
What Works. The Work Program. Improving outcomes for Indigenous students. Successful practice. 2nd, revised edition. (Feb 2011) Retrieved from http://www.whatworks.edu.au/ upload/1300931817872_file_SuccessPrac2.pdf
Actions for leaders
Leaders build capabilities of literacy leaders to support whole school improvement
Develop expertise of literacy leaders who can interpret the literacy data and are able to engage with the Australian Curriculum literacy learning continuum, National Literacy Learning Progression1, and NAPLAN and PAT–R assessment criteria, to support teachers work.
Use the expertise of literacy leader/s to build on the principle of a gradual release of responsibility to inform handover to students’ independent use of literacy for learning and achievement.
Establish a culture where teachers view assessment as feedback about their own practice and use this feedback to target what they need to do next for learner improvement, including:
ensuring authenticity of tasks
identifying what literacy pedagogical content knowledge they need to develop so their teaching is more targeted
targeting the right level of challenge for students, identifying which students require scaffolded steps towards success (strengthening the principle of the gradual release of responsibility).
Published August 2019

ABORIGINAL LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT

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