Department of Education, Training and Employment. Great Results Guarantee

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1 Department of Education, Training and Employment Great Results Guarantee

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3 Premier and Minister s Message Queensland is a great state with great opportunities. To ensure this continues well into the future, our state education system needs to be at the top of its game, producing highly literate and numerate graduates who have the ability to innovate and rise to the challenges of tomorrow. As a result of the Federal Government s Students First A fairer funding agreement for schools initiative, Queensland has a real opportunity to target funding where schools need it most. The Great Results Guarantee is doing just that. It means a brighter future for our children. We know that throwing money indiscriminately at schools does not automatically translate into better results. That s why the Newman Government invested $131 million in 2014 and has allocated another $183 million in 2015 to make sure children in the early years of school can read, write and add up. With the Great Results Guarantee, principals and school communities are empowered to decide how the money should be spent depending on the unique situation in every Queensland school. Programs are evidence-based, transparent and accountable to the school community. The Queensland Government encourages every parent to get involved and join your community s debate about where the funding should go. Engaged school communities will only strengthen outcomes in the classroom. The guarantee is not only about ensuring there is a safety net to capture the students who are falling below the National Minimum Standards for literacy and numeracy. It is also about preventing our high performing students from sliding backwards and making sure that they continue to achieve better results. The Great Results Guarantee is making a real difference on the ground in schools and is part of a wider school improvement agenda being led by this Government, which is yet another reason for Queenslanders to be optimistic about the future of this great state. Hon Campbell Newman MP Premier of Queensland Hon John-Paul Langbroek MP Minister for Education, Training and Employment

4 More targeted funding for schools All state schools will receive a share of the $183 million. We already fund students based on the level of education need, and this will continue to be the case. But we know that just spending more money doesn t mean we get better results. That s why the Great Results Guarantee will have a strategic outcomes-based approach. The Queensland Government believes community engagement is an essential part of developing this approach. This annual funding boost for Queensland state schools comes with a guarantee that every Queensland state school student will either: achieve the National Minimum Standard for literacy and numeracy for their year level or have an evidence-based plan, developed by the school, in place to address their specific learning needs.

5 The money The Australian Government is providing this additional funding to every state, territory and schooling sector, under its Students First A fairer funding agreement for schools initiative. The funding will come with no strings attached because the Australian Government recognises that Queensland knows how to make the most effective investment in our students education. Queensland state schools that have continuing Low Socio-Economic Status National Partnership (Low SES NP) agreements will receive the agreed NP rate of $800 per student in 2015 under the Great Results Guarantee for the length of the agreement. Those Queensland state schools whose Low SES NP funding is concluding at the end of 2014 will no longer receive the NP rate in 2015 and will receive the additional Great Results Guarantee funding like other non Low SES NP schools. On average, schools will receive an extra $520 per student in Prep to Year 2. Primary schools will receive nearly $111 million. $111 million $2 million $70 million Special schools Secondary schooling Primary schooling Why target the early years? The extra investment in the early years will achieve the best long-term results by tackling poor literacy and numeracy before it s too late. Excellent primary education provides the basis of improved secondary schooling outcomes. If we get it right early, Queensland will be a better place. It is important that, during the formative years of primary school, all Australian children acquire the academic and social foundations for success in later life Queensland Association of State School Principals Many of the world s highest performing education systems are characterised by strong investment in the early years of school, and according to leading education researchers 1, early years intervention is the key to maximising the progress of students at each stage of learning. In 2015, the good works achieved in the early years will be built upon by new loadings for students in Years Specifically, loadings of $150 per student, per subject, will be applied for students with English and mathematics achievement less than a C standard. This represents about $12 million in additional investment for each subject. What about high schools? We are also investing in secondary schooling to help maximise student literacy and numeracy performance, particularly in Years 7 9. The aim is also to increase the number of students who attain a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) / Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) on completion of Year 12. The Guarantee State schools will enter into agreements with the Director-General, while Independent Public Schools will establish agreements with their school councils. Both guarantee a commitment to improving student outcomes. Under this agreement, schools will be accountable for improving student achievement and will have the flexibility and autonomy to decide how the funding should be spent. For example, this could include hiring specialist educators to provide additional support for students, targeted professional development for teachers, or the purchase of additional learning tools such as specialised literacy or numeracy programs. Student performance is measured throughout the year and schools are required to demonstrate to the school community how the extra funding is helping to maximise learning outcomes for all students. The agreement will be published by the school so that families and other members of the school community will be encouraged to have their say and contribute to the school s improvement strategies. 1. Heckman, J & LaFontaine, P. (2007). The American High School Graduation Rate: Trends and Levels, IZA Discussion Papers 3216, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

6 Department of Education, Training and Employment Great Results Guarantee Under this agreement Western Range State School will receive $75,000 This funding will be used to Increase the percentage of students meeting the National Minimum Standard in numeracy from 82% to 97% for Year 3 students. Develop Individual Curriculum Plans (ICP) for students accessing curriculum content outside their age equivalent cohort who did not achieve National Minimum Standard in numeracy. Enhance the capability of teachers through focused coaching, feedback and professional learning to reduce the number of students achieving in the lower two bands of NAPLAN numeracy from 20% to 15%. Increase the percentage of students in the NAPLAN upper two bands in numeracy from 27% to 40% for Year 3 students within two years. Our strategy will be to Build teacher data literacy skills to enhance their ability to analyse student performance data to inform teaching and learning. Embed the culture, climate, processes and protocols of classroom observation and feedback to support professional development and encourage reflective practice/action learning Evidence: Hattie, John Visible Learning for Teacher, Maximising Impact on Learning, Rutledge, Sharratt, L & Fullan, M Putting Faces on the Data, Corwin Publication, Stuart S. Yeh, The Cost-Effectiveness of 22 Approaches for Raising Student Achievement, IAP, Our school will improve student outcomes by Building teacher capability in explicit teaching practices in numeracy, by employing a 0.5 numeracy coach ($60,000). Creating professional learning centred data analysis that supports individual teachers to build their capacity ($10,000). Purchasing recognised online numeracy program to provide independent student support ($5000). John Smith Principal on behalf of the Western Range State School community DR JIM WATTERSTON Director-General Department of Education, Training and Employment State Primary School Guarantee (example only) Western Range State School is a medium-sized primary school of 400 students, located near a large regional town in Central Queensland. Most families have been settled in the area for several generations and the majority of students have been enrolled at the school since Prep. The school s NAPLAN results show that students have improved over time in reading across all year levels, with Year 7 students improving in numeracy. The school community agreed that a renewed focus on early years numeracy was needed to improve performance. The principal and school community agreed the extra money would be used to improve the data literacy of teachers through professional learning, purchase subscription to an online numeracy program and employment of a part-time numeracy coach.

7 Department of Education, Training and Employment Great Results Guarantee Under this agreement City View State High School will receive $100,000 This funding will be used to Increase the percentage of students meeting the National Minimum Standard in reading from 97% to 100% in Year 9. Develop Individual Curriculum Plans (ICP) for students accessing curriculum content outside their age equivalent cohort who did not achieve National Minimum Standard in reading. Improve teacher capability through focused coaching and professional development to improve student performance. Increase the percentage of C and above English results from 65% to 85% in Year 8 and 9. Close the gap (currently 10%) between the percentage of Indigenous students at or above NMS in reading and the percentage of non-indigenous students at or above NMS in reading. Ensure the greatest number of students possible attain a QCE/QCIA. Our strategy will be to Implement a whole-school process of five week reading data cycles for Year 7-9. Evidence: DuFour, R et al 2010 Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning at work, 2nd edition Hawker Brownlow Education, 2010 Hattie, John Visible Learning for Teacher, Maximising Impact on Learning, Rutledge, Sharratt, L & Fullan, M Putting Faces on the Data, Corwin Publication, Stuart S. Yeh, The Cost-Effectiveness of 22 Approaches for Raising Student Achievement, IAP, Our school will improve student outcomes by Providing professional learning to Junior Secondary teachers in the teaching of reading ($20,000). Building the capability of Support Teacher - Literacy and Numeracy (STLaN) to work with students who require focused and intensive reading instruction ($30,000). Employing a part-time Junior Secondary Reading Coach ($50,000). Develop and implement a case management approach to tracking and supporting all students to achieve a QCE/QCIA. Janette Johns Principal City View State High School Robert James Chair, City View State High School Council Independent Public School Guarantee (example only) As an Independent Public School, City View State High School has more autonomy to manage its resources and receives greater input from the community in the strategic direction of the school. The school has an extremely successful sports program; however, on comparison to like schools on the My School website, the Year 9 NAPLAN results for reading are below the expectations of the school community. In a collaborative decision, it was agreed that the school would provide professional learning for Junior Secondary teachers and the Support Teacher Literacy and Numeracy in the teaching of reading, and the employment of a part-time reading coach. To support the improvement focus on QCE/QCIA attainment, the school identified a key officer to drive the case management strategy and work across faculties to ensure a cohesive approach.

8 Snapshot report Schools will report on the success of their 2014 strategies by publishing a simple report on their website. A traffic light system will identify the status of each strategy the school developed as part of their previous year s Great Results Guarantee agreement and the outcomes achieved. Met or exceeded Substantial progress Limited progress This is an example of how each school is expected to report to their school community: The following strategies have met or exceeded our targets Through the engagement of a literacy coach to work with all teachers in relation to the development of the teaching of reading, we have achieved an increase in performance with 20% more students receiving a C standard or above in English. As committed in our GRG agreement, we closed the 10% gap between the performance of Indigenous students at or above NMS in reading and the performance of non-indigenous students in reading. 95% of students exiting Prep achieved benchmark levels in reading and 50% achieved above benchmark targets. The following strategies are making substantial progress towards our targets We identified and trained all teachers in high impact comprehension strategies, with implementation commenced in English and History and progressing to other subject areas. 80% of students exiting Prep Year 2 achieved benchmark targets and 30% of students in Prep Year 2 achieved above benchmark targets. The following strategies are making limited progress towards our targets Due to coaching commencing late in Semester 2, improved student data is expected in 2015 in the areas identified for improvement. Less than 80% of students exiting Prep Year 2 achieved benchmark targets and fewer than 30% of students in Prep Year 2 achieved above benchmark targets. What do principals say? The GRG for Rochedale State School has enabled our school to direct resources to engage specialist teachers to coach students in Booster groups and build teacher capability in the teaching of literacy and numeracy. Leigh Francis Principal Rochedale State School My team at PBC have an excellent understanding of the needs of our students. The GRG gave us the opportunity to develop and implement a strategy that was responsive to the needs of our community. The GRG is the most innovative resourcing initiative that I ve experienced in my 21 years as a principal. Stephen Loggie Executive Principal Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School GRG funding provided the opportunity to better target intervention through the employment of additional Speech Language Pathologist and Teacher Aide time. These additional human resources also allowed teachers to better facilitate extension opportunities for students. David Turner Principal Bald Hills State School Photography: Lime More information For more information about the Great Results Guarantee visit the department s website at