Figure 1.-- The New Zealand Catholic schools have been integrated into the state system. This is an Auckland Catholic college.
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Figure 1.-- The New Zealand Catholic schools have been integrated into the state system. This is an Auckland Catholic college. |
The Educational Review Office (ERO) prepared the following assessment of a state (integrated) Catholic secondary school on South Island.
An accountability review evaluates the quality of education received by students and the performance of the Board of Trustees in providing education services. It should be noted however, that as yet in New Zealand there is no national assessment system through which improvements in student learning can be evaluated in comparative or individual school or student terms. This accountability review report was prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.
Location: Gore
Type: Integrated Forms 1 - 7 Secondary
Targeted Funding for Educational Achievement: Decile 7
Teaching staff:
Roll generated entitlement: 22.8
Number of teachers: 27.0
Teacher salary funding: Central Payroll
Number of foreign (fee-paying) students: 5
Roll number: 359
Ethnic composition: Pakeha 87%; Mäori 9%; Other 4%
Gender composition: Girls 55%; Boys 45%
Previous Office reports: Effectiveness Review: June 1994; Assurance
Audit: February 1995; Discretionary Assurance Audit: June 1995; On site investigation 21-25 June 1999; Date of this report 28 September 1999
The board is aware of its responsibilities to meet the academic, emotional, physical, social and spiritual needs of the students. The
comprehensive pastoral care system and the well coordinated vocational and careers education programmes demonstrate the
commitment of the board, principal and staff to meeting the needs of students in a variety of ways. Future self-review practices should
help ensure that the actions of the board, principal and staff are effective in meeting the needs of students.
The 1995 Education Review Office report identified a number of areas where the board had planned to improve its documentation and
practices, particularly in relation to charter requirements. Although the board has made progress, some of the issues identified in that
report have not been addressed. The issues include the need to prepare curriculum guidelines in relation to National Administration
Guideline 1 and to improve assessment practices.
The principal needs to establish clear expectations for managing the curriculum. These should include specific guidelines to assist staff
members in fulfilling their management and curriculum development responsibilities. The current lack of direction has resulted in
variations in the effectiveness of the ways teachers plan and implement learning programmes.
The board has yet to complete an administrative framework for the governance of the school. The lack of documentation on how the
National Education Guidelines are implemented is inhibiting the board’s performance. Trustees need to set a clearer policy direction
that is based on the school charter, along with an effective process of self review. This is particularly so for the management of finance,
property, personnel and some aspects of curriculum.
It is important that the trustees increase their knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities so that they do not need to be so
reliant on the principal. For example, requirements for performance management, including those for the appraisal of the principal’s
performance have not been met. The principal’s performance agreement does not include the relevant professional standards and has
not been signed as required by his employment contract.
The next review of the school will be a discretionary review. This will take place in six months and will evaluate the progress the board
has made in meeting the actions required in Section 5 of this report.
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3 QUALITY OF EDUCATION
3.1 Patterns of Student Achievement
The staff’s analysis of the achievement of senior students in external examinations demonstrates that high numbers of students gain
success. In 1998, the pass rate in School Certificate for individual subjects was 75%. Collated School Certificate results show an
upward trend in achievement over recent years. In 1998, 69% of students gained a University Bursary, with three students gaining
scholarships.
This analysis of external examination results could provide more useful information by evaluating the achievement of groups of students
such as gender groups, Mäori students, hostel students, students studying through Correspondence School programmes and students
from other cultural groups.
Some heads of department, such as in mathematics, are able to demonstrate patterns in student achievement through the collation and
analysis of standardised test results.
The principal and senior staff do not have sufficient information about the achievement of students across the curriculum, particularly for
students from Years 7 to 10.[Action 5.1.2]
3.2 Curriculum Management
The principal does not have effective structures in place for curriculum management. There is limited information to guide the
management of departments and committees. Heads of department and committee coordinators do not have clear expectations about
their responsibilities and, as a result, the quality of performance is variable. For example, the personnel involved in the curriculum and
assessment committees do not have a clear understanding of the extent and purpose of their roles, and what they are expected to
achieve.
Despite this lack of formal direction, in some departments the staff have developed comprehensive curriculum schemes that state
specific expectations in relation to National Administration Guideline 1. This is particularly evident in religious education, mathematics,
and technology. In order to ensure that all departments contribute to the overall effective operation of the school, the principal needs
to specify his expectations for the management of each curriculum subject. These expectations should guide the implementation of
balanced learning programmes based on national curriculum requirements.[Action 5.1.1]
3.2.1 Self Review
Systems for curriculum self review are limited in their effectiveness. Although the board, principal and staff carry out a variety of
curriculum review procedures, the purpose for these and their effectiveness is not always clear.
Each year, department personnel focus their activities on the goals set as a result of department reviews. Although this results in the
achievement of many of these specific goals, there are examples where departments operate in isolation from the wider school focus.
For example, in mathematics, the staff reviewed assessment and reporting practices. This process resulted in the development of a
new report format. This format was rejected because it was not in line with school-wide expectations. The principal and senior staff
need to evaluate the appropriateness of annual department goals, and the extent to which they link to the overall direction of school
management. [Action 5.1.2]
The senior managers and staff have, over the years, identified a range of concerns relating to teaching and learning, and the motivation
of students. Although they have implemented some strategies to deal with identified issues, reviews have continued to highlight these
issues. Management needs to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. [Action 5.1.2]
3.2.2 Leadership
The principal has provided effective leadership in some aspects of the school’s operation. This particularly relates to the school’s
special character and to the promotion of St Peter’s College in the wider community.
Teachers involved in the curriculum committee and the assessment committee aim to provide guidance in these specific areas through
responding to and exploring issues raised by staff, and through conducting reviews. Although this focus has resulted in some
school-wide improvements, these committees would operate more effectively with clearer direction so that specific charter
requirements, particularly National Administration Guideline 1, are addressed.
The principal needs to provide more effective guidance for staff with curriculum responsibilities so that they can provide high quality
leadership within their departments. While curriculum leaders in most departments provide effective leadership, some have reported
difficulty in getting all teachers to attend department meetings.
3.2.3 Quality of Teaching
The quality of teaching across the school is variable. Members of the senior management team know the teachers who consistently
demonstrate high levels of performance, who work hard to make learning interesting and who engage students in their learning. They
are also aware of teachers who require ongoing support and encouragement, or careful monitoring to ensure that satisfactory levels of
performance are maintained. Beginning teachers receive high levels of support from the deputy principal who is responsible for
monitoring their performance and induction programmes.
Many teachers demonstrate effective teaching practices. They have a high level of commitment to their work and pursue professional
development opportunities. They expect high standards of work from students, set clear learning objectives and use a range of
teaching approaches. There are some excellent examples where students are involved in cooperative learning activities. This is a
particular feature in English, mathematics, technology and science programmes.
There are many examples where teachers provide students with regular constructive feedback about their learning. They also provide
students with the skills to evaluate and monitor their own performance against curriculum objectives. As a result, students are able to
evaluate how well they are learning and the extent to which they meet their personal goals.
Ineffective teaching practices that do not support students’ learning are where teachers do not have clearly stated learning objectives,
where lessons are poorly paced and encourage too much off-task behaviour and where too much time is allocated to managing
negative student behaviour.
The results of the 1998 school-wide review identified the need for more effective teaching and learning, particularly in regard to
teaching programmes, the range of courses offered, and assessment and reporting. It is not clear what progress has been made
towards addressing the quality of teaching and learning. The senior management team and the curriculum and assessment committees
need to review the extent to which they have contributed towards this identified goal. They should continue to work towards
improving ineffective teaching practices so that all students benefit from improved learning programmes.
3.3 Curriculum Delivery
3.3.1 Coverage/Content of Essential Learning Areas
Students are provided with learning programmes that include instruction in most aspects of the national curriculum. The principal and
senior staff have provided the board with information that details the provision of teaching and learning programmes in each essential
learning area in Years 7 to 9, and programme details for students in Years 10 to 13. Because of the subjects delivered through option
lines, it is likely that many students will not be provided with instruction in art and music in Year 10. Teachers have begun to
incorporate the achievement objectives of the new Arts curriculum into programmes. The principal needs to ensure that all students
receive balanced programmes in each essential learning area until the end of Year 10. [Action 5.1.3]
Teachers within each department base their programmes on the achievement objectives for each of the curriculum strands. Long-term
plans demonstrate how programmes are planned to incorporate balanced coverage over time. Teachers with curriculum
responsibilities implement systems to check that planned programmes are delivered to assist students in developing the knowledge and
skills related to each of the achievement objectives.
The most effective practice is where teachers set the specific learning outcomes they expect students to achieve. The best examples
are in mathematics, science and technology. As a result, learning programmes are well focussed and assist students in building on their
previous learning. In English, teachers have established a range of assessment criteria that they use to establish the best fit level for
students. Teachers need to focus more specifically on these criteria as they plan and deliver learning programmes. This should assist
students in working towards achieving the expected outcomes at the level they are working at.
The least effective practices are those where teachers set learning outcomes that state what students will do rather than what they will
learn, or where the outcome is too broad to assess or focuses on the completion of a tasks. The senior managers should check that all
teachers have sufficient guidance to assist them in setting clear and specific learning outcomes as part of their class
programmes.[Action 5.1.3]
Teachers incorporate many of the essential skills in learning programmes so that students can develop the full range of skills as they
progress through the school.
3.3.2 Assessment Practices
Although teachers implement a range of approaches to the assessment of students’ learning, there is considerable difference in the
quality of the assessment information they gather, and whether they use it to improve students’ learning and the quality of the learning
programmes. Most teachers using unit standards have more focussed assessment strategies, and are more effectively using assessment
information to plan for the next stage of learning.
Assessment practices that are the most effective in promoting students’ learning are where teachers have clear expectations for what
they expect students to achieve. They implement programmes based on these specific learning outcomes, and regularly assess how
well students achieve them. As a result of this process they are then able to extend their programmes to provide more effectively for
the range of identified student needs.
There are examples where assessment practices are not effectively promoting students’ learning. These are where:
· learning outcomes are broadly stated or focus on what students will do rather than what they should learn;
· teachers record assessment information as a mark or a level without sufficient reference to the expected learning outcomes; and
· the link between assessment tasks and learning outcomes is not clear.[Action 5.1.3]
An effective practice in English, mathematics and technology is where teachers have identified expectations for students’ learning.
When teachers use these as a focus for programme delivery and for the assessment of students’ learning, they more effectively identify
students’ knowledge and skills. As teachers in each department develop a range of expectations for what students will learn at each
level, they will be able to more effectively assess students’ learning against national curriculum requirements.
Senior staff have identified the need to review assessment policies and school-wide assessment practices so that teachers can better
meet students’ learning needs. The assessment committee has made little progress towards this as committee members are unsure of
the steps they need to take, or the extent of their brief. The planned developments could result in better coordinated assessment
systems, improved student learning and more effective learning programmes.[Action 5.1.3]
