Smarter Schools National Partnerships

Improving Teacher Quality
Low SES School Communities
Literacy and Numeracy

New South Wales
Annual Report for 2009
(April 2010)

Table of Contents
Section 1 – Smarter Schools Summary
Integrated cross-sectoral implementation plan
Participation rates
Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership 2009 highlights
Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership 2009 highlights
Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership 2009 highlights
Cross-sectoral collaboration
Governance and implementation
Highlights in cross-sectoral collaboration
Stakeholder consultation/engagement
School level plans
Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership
Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership
Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership
Section 2 – Improving Teacher Quality
Progress statement
Milestones and performance indicators
Milestones
April 2010 reporting commitments
Summary of implementation by reform
Impact of the National Partnership and implementation issues
Impact of the National Partnership
Implementation issues
Activities supporting Indigenous students and/or teachers
Scholarships
Pre-service teacher cultural awareness training
In-school support
Good practice
The NSW Implementation Plan
Centres for Excellence
Case studies
Section 3 – Low SES School Communities
Progress statement
Milestones and measures
Milestones
April 2010 reporting commitments
Impact of the National Partnership and implementation issues
Impact of the National Partnership
Implementation issues
Activities supporting Indigenous students
Good practice
School self-evaluation
Case studies
Section 4 – Literacy and Numeracy
Progress statement
Milestones and measures
Milestones
Facilitation payment milestones
Other April 2010 reporting commitments
Impact of the National Partnership and implementation issues
Impact of the National Partnership
Implementation issues
Activities supporting Indigenous students
Focus on Reading 3-6
Accelerated Literacy
Taking Off With Numeracy
Individual Learning Plans
Cultural Immersion Programs
Good practice
School self-evaluation
Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy
Focus on Reading 3-6
Mindful Learning: Mindful Teaching
Taking Off With Numeracy
Section 5 – Other evidence
Part A: Evaluation, scoping, research and case studies
NSW evaluation strategy
NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee
Evaluation of first stage implementation in NSW schools
Case studies
Part B: Data
Part B1: NSW milestone reporting
Appendices
Appendix A – Acronyms used in the NSW Annual Report for 2009

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Map – All NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships schools: 2009-2015
Figure 2: Diagram – NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships governance and working group structure
Figure 3: Map – DET Teacher Quality National Partnership: Centres for Excellence and Enhanced School-Based Decision Making Trial schools 2009/10
Figure 4: Diagram – Teacher Quality National Partnership progress: Centres for Excellence
Figure 5: Diagram – Teacher Quality National Partnership progress: Highly Accomplished Teachers
Figure 6: Map – Low SES School Communities National Partnership independent schools: 2009-2015
Figure 7: Map – Low SES School Communities National Partnership Catholic schools: 2009-2015
Figure 8: Map – Low SES School Communities National Partnership government schools: 2009-2015
Figure 9: Map – All Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools: 2009/10 - 2010/11

The National Partnership Agreements on Literacy and Numeracy, Low SES School Communities and Improving Teacher Quality are collaborative initiatives supported by funding from the Australian Government, the New South Wales Government and the Catholic and Independent school sectors.

Section 1 – Smarter Schools Summary

Highlights
Integrated cross-sectoral implementation plan
New South Wales submitted the final State Implementation Plan for the Smarter Schools National Partnerships and three associated Bilateral Agreements to the 
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations on 22 December 2009. All four documents were signed off by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard, MP, on 22 January 2010. 

The Deputy Prime Minister congratulated NSW for proposing a plan with a highly integrated approach to reform across the three component National Partnerships (NPs), Improving Teacher Quality; Literacy and Numeracy; and Low Socio-Economic Status School       Communities.

NSW’s Implementation Plan and Bilateral Agreements were jointly developed by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, the Catholic Education Commission of NSW, and the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) during 2009. NSW’s Smarter Schools National Partnerships Implementation Plan represents an integrated, collaborative reform strategy, based on widespread stakeholder consultation (see ‘cross-sectoral collaboration’ section below for details). 

While the three Smarter Schools NPs each chart new directions in their own area, they have clear linkages and together form a cohesive platform for creating higher standards in all schools in the state.  

NSW’s Implementation Plan is built on the consistent evidence that:
•	teacher quality is the single greatest in-school influence on student engagement and outcomes
•	literacy and numeracy attainment is a cornerstone of schooling
•	socio-economic status remains a significant determinant of educational outcomes

Evidence-based strategies to support Aboriginal students, teachers, school leaders and school communities are thoroughly embedded in NSW’s Implementation Plan, with the aim of improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal students. NSW will continue to work with the Commonwealth in order to develop and effectively implement strategies under the Indigenous Education Action Plan under national consultation to 28 February 2010, once finalised.

Participation rates
Collectively, the Smarter Schools NPs provide a significant opportunity to deliver NSW’s ambitious program of cross-sectoral and school-based reform. While all schools will benefit from the program of reform, the more immediate impact will result from participation in the Literacy and Numeracy and Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) School Communities NPs. 

These National Partnerships will impact on:
•	23% of schools in New South Wales
•	19% of students enrolled in New South Wales
•	48% of Aboriginal students in New South Wales
•	60% of remote schools in New South Wales
•	43% of first phase English as a Second Language students in NSW Government schools

The Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership will further expand the range of schools and students directly benefiting from NSW’s comprehensive reform agenda, notably through Centres for Excellence and schools participating in NSW Department of Education and Training’s enhanced school-based decision-making trial.

Figure 1: Map – All NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships schools: 2009-2015 refer to page 3 in PDF version of Annual Report

Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership 2009 highlights
Throughout 2009, New South Wales was fully engaged in the development of national facilitation reform activity through a series of national bodies, including the Quality Sustainable Teacher Workforce Working Group and its sub-groups. NSW continues to participate through representation on both the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership Board (AITSL) and the National Dataset Group.

Highlights of the implementation of the Improving Teacher Quality NP in NSW in 2009 included:
•	287 government and Catholic school teachers and executives participated in cultural immersion programs to develop cultural knowledge and understanding of local Aboriginal communities
•	270 teaching scholarships were awarded by NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) for take-up in 2010. This included 74 scholarships for Aboriginal students and 19 for final year university students who will teach in schools with high Aboriginal student populations
•	43 teaching scholarships were awarded in Catholic schools in 2009, with five of these being offered to Aboriginal students to pursue a career in teaching
•	50 teacher mentor positions were established in DET schools with trends of significant numbers of new permanent teacher appointments, including in schools that are challenging, serve low SES communities or have a significant Aboriginal student population
•	47 schools were selected to participate in DET’s pilot program encouraging enhanced school-based decision making about staffing mix, budget and recruitment at the principal level. The pilot program commenced in January 2010
•	29 new quality teacher positions were established across Catholic, government and independent schools in NSW
•	18 Centres for Excellence were established across NSW’s three school sectors with school plans developed that encompass the reforms to be undertaken as part of their participation in the Teacher Quality NP reform agenda
•	16 paraprofessionals were appointed to Centres for Excellence across NSW’s Catholic, government and independent school sectors
•	2 incentive payments were made to principals/managers of Centres for Excellence in the Catholic sector
•	a revised teacher assessment and review schedule, teacher improvement program, new executive assessment and review schedule, and executive improvement program were developed
•	NSW made a significant contribution to the development of a draft system of national accreditation and draft program standards for pre-service teacher education courses, both of which are key components of the national Teacher Quality facilitation reforms
•	NSW Institute of Teachers and the NSW Teacher Education Council commenced a joint project to develop a state-wide framework for professional experience (practicum) placements which will produce a common approach across all NSW universities

For further details, please see ‘Section 2 – Improving Teacher Quality’.

Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership 2009 highlights
A total of 638 schools will participate in the Low SES National Partnership in New South Wales from 2009 to 2015.

138 Low SES National Partnership schools commenced in 2009:
•	131 government schools
•	6 Catholic schools
•	1 independent school

An additional 193 Low SES National Partnership schools commenced in 2010:
•	164 government schools
•	17 Catholic schools
•	12 independent schools

All 331 schools in the independent, government and Catholic sectors have revised their school plans to incorporate the initiatives and programs selected from each of the six reform areas within the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership. 

The development of school plans was preceded by a period of in-depth analysis and consultation, which included extensive consultation within the school and with parents and community members, in addition to measuring and analysing students’ academic performance and learning needs. This process has enabled schools to identify and prioritise areas of need and select strategies and programs accordingly.

Schools have been assisted throughout the planning process by a range of support structures and resources within the Catholic, government and independent sectors, including community engagement tools, information packages, surveys and data analysis workshops.

There has been collaboration between the sectors in the planning phase, including 
cross-sectoral meetings, the provision of advice and support for all sectors through the state office and the sharing of resources, such as an information package developed by the government sector with non-government schools.

Analysis of school plans indicates the following trends in schools’ selection of reforms:
•	employment of additional executive staff to lead whole school professional learning
•	participation of executive staff in leadership programs and the development of individual professional learning plans
•	use of innovative technologies to facilitate collaboration across schools
•	increased engagement with data as a basis for educational planning
•	widespread uptake of literacy and numeracy programs
•	development of school accountability processes including whole school planning and evaluation processes
•	a wide range of activities to support Aboriginal students and teachers including professional learning for government sector teachers on the Aboriginal Education and Training Strategy 2009-2012, schools developing personalised learning plans for Aboriginal students and intervention programs for reading targeted at Aboriginal students at risk 
•	opportunities to link more effectively with local communities, and the development of community engagement strategies aimed at strengthening student engagement and increasing attendance and retention

Comprehensive support and assistance will continue to be provided to facilitate schools’ effective implementation of the National Partnership. This will include tools and materials to assist schools that have already commenced implementation and assistance targeted to future cohorts of schools, to support schools’ uptake and trialing of new and innovative programs and strategies.

For further details, please see ‘Section 3 – Low SES School Communities’.

Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership 2009 highlights
New South Wales has undertaken a focussed set of reforms through this National Partnership, with the clear aim of making a measurable difference to the educational outcomes in participating schools. 

Participation in the National Partnership will give teachers and school executive staff opportunities to embed practices that will deliver sustained improvement in literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students, especially for those who are falling behind.

147 primary schools will participate in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy in New South Wales from 2009/10 to 2010/11.
•	114 government schools
•	26 Catholic schools
•	7 independent schools 

The school self-evaluation process has identified key priority areas for each school to address in their chosen area of reading or numeracy.  

Each school has formed a school leadership improvement team which, with the support of their program facilitator, has identified areas in reading or numeracy where their in-school capacity to improve student achievement can be developed.  147 school leadership teams have completed facilitation training.

New South Wales has developed a suite of programs accessible to all schools in the National Partnership to undertake a school self-evaluation and then monitor progress using School Measurement, Assessment and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) data online e-learning modules, the Data Analysis Skills Assessment (DASA) and a range of specifically developed surveys and interview strategies for collecting and analysing school data.

School plans for all 147 schools have been developed or amended as a result of comprehensive data analysis and made public on schools’ websites. 

Each cluster of initiatives in this National Partnership (i.e. leadership, individual student interventions, whole school and whole class reading and numeracy programs) has been developed as a result of extensive research and knowledge of best practice in the field.

Whole school or whole class reading and numeracy programs implemented in NSW
Whole Class/School Programs	Number of Teachers	Number of Schools	
Reading	1296	102	
Numeracy 	588	45	

Individual reading and numeracy programs implemented in NSW
3,262 students have been provided with individual learning plans in reading or numeracy.

Individual Student Intervention Programs	Number of schools	
Reading	102	
Numeracy	45	

Individual learning plans have been developed for all students at risk of not meeting minimum National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) standards, including Aboriginal students.  

These students have been provided with access to an individual student reading or numeracy intervention program such as MULTILIT, QuickSmart Numeracy or Taking Off With Numeracy.

Program support and professional development
Schools, teachers and leadership teams have been supported through the implementation process by 21 program facilitators in the Catholic sector, 10 in the government sector and one in the independent sector.  Program facilitators and school improvement teams, through the team leadership strategies, are providing local support to ensure that school-based capacity building supports the new whole school reading and numeracy intervention programs in the 
National Partnership schools.

All schools have accessed the first phase of professional learning for the selected whole class intervention program for reading or numeracy and have in place, defined dates for professional learning in 2010.

Each school has identified a classroom leader or teacher educator in literacy or numeracy who provides professional learning and teaching support in the classroom to build teachers’ capacity to use innovative and creative reading or numeracy strategies.

Local measures
3 local measures have been developed to supplement mandatory NAPLAN measures:
1.	National Partnership Literacy Numeracy Assessment: a series of four assessments, the first of which was administered in 2009
2.	Data Analysis Skills Assessment: an online self assessment for teachers in the use of student data to improve pedagogy
3.	Leadership Capacity to Lead Improvement in Teaching: assessment of school practice in literacy and numeracy using the Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy. This instrument articulates 25 statements of best practice at levels (bands) in literacy and numeracy. The first data capture was implemented in October 2009

80% of government schools have completed the pre-program assessment of leadership practice using the Analytical Framework. Some Catholic schools have also completed this assessment.

For further details, please see ‘Section 4 – Literacy and Numeracy’.

Cross-sectoral collaboration
Governance and implementation
The New South Wales Department of Education and Training worked alongside the Association of Independent Schools and the Catholic Education Commission to undertake integrated, collaborative cross-sectoral preparation and planning for the National Partnerships. This has laid the basis for ongoing collaboration during the implementation phase, as well as for reporting and evaluation processes.

Collaboration and consultation has been undertaken in the development of the Bilateral Agreements and Implementation Plans for all three National Partnerships to ensure they incorporate reforms that meet students’ needs across the sectors. This was achieved in the early planning stages through regular cross-sectoral stakeholder forums, individual meetings between government senior officers and key stakeholder representatives and regular communication between the Catholic, government and independent sectors.

A governance and implementation structure has been developed for the Smarter Schools National Partnerships that provides for full cross-sectoral representation at all levels of governance and implementation (see diagram below).

Figure 2: Diagram – NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships governance and working group structure

The two governing bodies of the National Partnerships in New South Wales are the NSW State Steering Committee and NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee.

NSW State Steering Committee
Through the NSW State Steering Committee, all three sectors engage in collective high-level decision-making, oversee implementation of the National Partnerships and provide advice to the New South Wales Minister for Education and Training on issues requiring action.

National Partnerships Evaluation Committee
The National Partnerships Evaluation Committee is comprised of experts appointed by the NSW Minister for Education and Training and is responsible for the development of strategies to evaluate National Partnerships in NSW.  For further details, please see ‘Section 5 – Other Evidence’.

Cross-Sectoral Working Groups
Implementation is facilitated through four cross-sectoral working groups; one for each of the National Partnerships, and a fourth working group with responsibility for reporting and evaluation. In 2009, the cross-sectoral working groups were responsible for developing NSW’s Implementation Plan for each of the individual NPs and planning for implementation. They continue to provide a forum for ongoing cross-sectoral discussion about National Partnership activities and issues.

Through the cross-sectoral working groups, the three sectors have developed performance measures for the three National Partnerships. While these are shared measures, where appropriate, they accommodate the differing structures of the sectors, such as some of the performance measures for the Teacher Quality National Partnership.

As the Smarter Schools National Partnerships progress, the cross-sectoral groups will continue to review and, where appropriate, modify and extend performance measures and milestones to ensure they reflect and accurately measure National Partnership activities. The cross-sectoral working groups will more generally provide the sectors with regular opportunities to come together face to face as well as through other means of communication, to review activities, identify challenges/issues in implementation, and collectively generate and share ideas and strategies for addressing challenges.

Additional governance structures within NSW’s non-government school sectors
The Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales
The Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AIS) has entered into an agreement with the NSW Government to implement the Smarter Schools National Partnerships within the independent sector in NSW.

To ensure that participation in the National Partnerships is available to the entire sector, an Independent Schools National Partnership Management Council has been established, with Council members drawn from a broad range of schools in the sector. The Chair of the Council reports directly to the AIS Board. The AIS acts as secretariat to the Council to support implementation of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships. 

Schools receiving funds from the sector’s allocation enter into an agreement with the AIS. In signing this agreement, schools have committed to undertake the reforms as specified in their approved school plan, provide data as requested and participate in reporting and evaluations. During 2009, seven Literacy and Numeracy NP schools and one Low SES School Communities NP school entered into agreements with the AIS.

The Catholic Education Commission of New South Wales
The Catholic Education Commission (CEC) has established a Catholic sector coordination group with representatives from each diocese, congregational (independent Catholic) schools, the CEC Indigenous Education Advisory Committee, the Council of Catholic Schools Parents and the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER). This committee has met monthly since mid-2009 and has been responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of the National Partnerships reforms.

A detailed Catholic sector Teacher Quality Implementation Plan has been developed for internal organisation and management to complement the Final State Implementation Plan. This committee makes recommendations to the Catholic Education Commission through the CEC secretariat and the CEC Education Policy Committee. The Education Policy committee is an expert committee endorsed by the CEC to provide targeted and strategic advice.

Representatives of the CCER committee have joined with CEC staff in briefing the Independent Education Union on two occasions about the progress and intent of reforms in the sector. The union has largely welcomed the reforms and has shown great willingness to work with the sector to support teachers in Catholic schools.

Cross-Sectoral Communication
The cross-sectoral governance structure and component steering/working groups are supported by a broad network of communication processes and structures, established to support the development and implementation of the National Partnerships. New South Wales is continuing to develop this network to ensure that innovative programs and good practice are shared, promoted and positively acknowledged, leading to further change and development across all sectors. 

Strategies to achieve this include further development of NSW’s Smarter Schools National Partnerships website (http://www.nationalpartnerships.nsw.edu.au), development and promotion of case studies of good practice from the Catholic, government and independent school sectors, and ongoing cross-sectoral forums to share progress and raise issues of mutual interest or concern.

A Cross-Sectoral Approach to Professional Development
New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET) is also taking a cross-sectoral approach to providing professional development for staff involved in the implementation of the National Partnerships. An example of this is the provision of professional learning, program advice and support for 23 school teams and diocesan staff from the Bathurst, Canberra / Goulburn, Wagga Wagga, and Armidale Dioceses through the Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate. 

The 23 school teams were trained as facilitators of the Team Leadership for School Improvement Program. The school teams completed a school evaluation using the NSW DET Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy and have been provided with a practical set of measures to underpin school improvement and support the capacity development of school leaders.

Through its integrated, collaborative cross-sectoral approach, New South Wales aims to maximise the impact of the three National Partnerships and benefit students and school communities in all sectors.

Highlights in cross-sectoral collaboration 
Highlights in cross-sectoral collaboration in 2009 include the following:

Teacher Quality National Partnership
•	developing strategies to support teachers at each stage of the teaching life cycle
•	planning implementation processes for the Teacher Quality National Partnership
•	contributing to the first annual report to the Commonwealth on progress in implementing the agreed reform agenda

Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership
•	implementing an ambitious and integrated reform agenda for the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy NP in NSW
•	planning the implementation processes for the literacy and numeracy programs
•	contributing to the Focus on Reading 3‐6 literacy program
•	contributing to the Taking Off with Numeracy program
•	developing an Aboriginal awareness cultural immersion program in collaboration with the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc 

Additional funding is being provided by the NSW State Government to extend this program to schools beyond the 147 schools in this National Partnership. A three day in-the-field cultural immersion program will be offered to newly appointed teachers in regions with significant numbers of Aboriginal students by the end of March, 2010. 

This experience will be followed by an in-school professional development activity to integrate the knowledge and understandings gained from the in-the-field experience into teaching and learning activities linked to subject curriculum.
•	developing objectives for whole school programs to build leadership capacity in participating schools
•	developing guidelines for participating schools’ self-evaluation, with a special focus on enhancing executive and teacher capacity in data analysis through the School Measurement and Reporting Toolkit (SMART).  This toolkit was developed by NSW DET and is used extensively in NSW schools, including non-government schools, in the analysis of (NAPLAN) student performance
•	contributing to the first annual report to the Commonwealth on progress in implementing the agreed reform agenda

Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership
•	developing an ambitious and integrated reform agenda for the implementation of the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership in NSW
•	planning implementation processes for the Low SES School Communities National Partnership
•	contributing to the first annual report to the Commonwealth on progress in implementing the agreed reform agenda

Stakeholder consultation/engagement

A wide range of stakeholder groups have been consulted, including parents, students, school communities, Aboriginal groups, teachers, principals, industrial relations bodies and organisations, in addition to other New South Wales government departments such as the New South Wales Treasury and the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.

These groups and organisations were consulted in the early planning phases through general stakeholder forums, presentations at key group forums, individual meetings with key stakeholder representatives and written correspondence from the NSW Department of Education and Training.

As NSW moves into the implementation stage, stakeholder engagement and consultation will continue through a range of processes and structures. Stakeholders contribute to decision-making through the National Partnerships’ governance structure (discussed above in the cross-sectoral collaboration section). More broadly, structures have been created to ensure ongoing engagement of the many stakeholders affected by, and involved in, the Smarter Schools National Partnerships. 

A National Partnerships State Communication Strategy is currently under development. The Strategy aims to provide information, increase engagement, promote awareness, generate ideas and share good practice amongst stakeholders across the Catholic, government and independent school sectors. A key priority for NSW is to achieve an integrated and aligned cross-sectoral approach to National Partnership activities, whilst enabling each of the three school sectors to adapt strategies and initiatives to meet their particular needs.

Intended outcomes of the National Partnerships State Communications Strategy include:
•	that the purpose, reforms and associated activities of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships be communicated to and understood by the general public
•	that the progress and impact of the reforms be transparent
•	that schools and related stakeholders involved in the implementation of the National Partnerships be fully informed about, and have easy access to, the support resources and processes available to them
•	that innovative programs and good practice be shared, promoted and positively acknowledged, leading to further change and development across the sectors
•	that links between the Smarter Schools National Partnerships and other partnerships and programs be created and strengthened, particularly with the Indigenous Education Action Plan and Higher Education Partnerships and Participation Program

Strategies to achieve these outcomes include updating and expanding the National Partnership website, communicating with schools and communities via local and regional media, developing information materials around reforms, and undertaking cross-sectoral information sessions to share and promote good practice and support schools in taking up innovative reform strategies.

School level plans

All NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships schools have engaged in consultation for the development of school plans during 2009.

Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership
The 13 DET Centres for Excellence are currently completing final revisions of their school level plans (at March 2010) with cluster schools and universities. Schools are supported through the provision of resources and ongoing advice and feedback in the planning phases. Plans will be signed off by school education directors in March 2010. Schools are using a range of data including NAPLAN and other school-based data to develop their plans and maximise the impact on improving student learning.

Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership
The 331 schools joining the Low SES School Communities National Partnership in 2009 and 2010 have revised their schools plans to incorporate the initiatives and programs selected from each of the six NP reform areas.

Schools were supported through the school planning process by a range of planning tools, resources and support structures that aimed to assist them in identifying students’ learning needs, selecting appropriate strategies and conveying these clearly in school plans.

Revised DET school plans were approved by school education directors and endorsed by regional directors. Catholic and independent schools underwent a similar process of review and approval by the relevant sector authority.

All sectors have now analysed their school plans to identify chosen strategies and programs, and the linkage between strategy, reform and funding investment. Cross-sectoral meetings have been held to discuss the quality and content of school plans.  Strategies are under development to assist schools already participating in the National Partnership to further strengthen their plans, and provide comprehensive support in the planning process to future schools joining the National Partnership.

NSW public schools will undertake an evaluation of progress against school plan targets and indicators as an integral part of ongoing school development and improvement processes.

Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership
The publication of school plans on school websites, which is a milestone for April 2010, will be met by all schools participating in the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership. The development of a school plan represents considerable work by school teams, comprising comprehensive data analysis and professional development for teachers to plan for the implementation of whole class and individual reading and numeracy programs in the classroom.

All school sectors are continuing to work with schools to enhance school websites where needed and provide a line of sight between the reform agenda, the strategies and the National Partnership funding allocation in the school plan. Sectors are committed to working with schools to refine school review processes and embed practices that align school and student data derived from school self-evaluation with strategies and actions in the school plan.

Section 2 – Improving Teacher Quality

During 2009, New South Wales took a lead role in developing the National Partnership (NP) Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Throughout the development of both the NP Agreement and NSW’s Implementation Plan, extensive consultation was undertaken with all stakeholders at the state level including employers, professional associations and unions.

NSW remains committed to the national Teacher Quality reform agenda and continues to be fully engaged in the development of all twelve facilitation reforms at the national level.

Throughout 2009, NSW was an active member of the Quality Sustainable Teacher Workforce Working Group and subsequently the Teacher Quality Steering Committee and its sub-groups; notably the National Standards Sub-Group (NSS). 

NSW was highly engaged in the national process of developing new professional teaching standards (Facilitation Reform 5) to underpin the related national reforms of registration (Facilitation Reform 10), accreditation of pre-service teacher education courses (Facilitation Reforms 7 and 8), graduate teachers and teachers at higher levels of accomplishment (Facilitation Reforms 6 and 10). 

NSW was an active participant on the expert working group that refined the draft teaching standards for consideration by the NSS in October 2009 and for approval by the Australian Education Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee in December 2009. The draft standards were released for consultation in March 2010.

NSW is represented on the Board of the newly established Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), which provides national leadership for the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments in promoting excellence in the profession of teaching and school leadership. AITSL will have a significant role in delivering the national facilitation reforms.

New South Wales Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) and the Teacher Education Council (an association representing deans of education and heads of schools of education in universities and other higher education institutions in NSW), have begun a joint project to produce a common approach to professional experience requirements. During 2009, NSWIT planned a cooperative examination of the quality of teacher education program units and approaches to the preparation of student teachers to address Aboriginal issues.

NSW has made steady progress in developing new pathways into teaching, better pathways into teaching and Indigenous education pathways (Facilitation Reforms 2-4) by increasing the number of scholarships into teaching, with 270 teaching scholarships offered by the NSW Department for Education and Training for 2010. Of these, 74 have been offered to Aboriginal people and an additional 20 scholarships have been offered to final year university students who will teach in schools with significant numbers of Aboriginal students.

Although some independent schools currently fund scholarships and internships for their own school, planning is underway to use the sector-wide Independent Schools Centre for Excellence model to expand the practice to a broad range of schools within the independent sector.

NSW’s Catholic education sector is committed to the provision of teaching scholarships to both attract and support quality teaching candidates and to promote life-long approaches to the development of professional skills and knowledge. Catholic dioceses will offer more than 45 teaching scholarships in 2010, with five to be awarded to Aboriginal students interested in a career in teaching.

In the area of improved performance management and continuous improvement in schools, a revised Teacher Assessment and Review Schedule and Teacher Improvement Plan and a new Executive Assessment and Review Schedule and Executive Improvement Plan have been developed for implementation in government schools from 15 February 2010.

NSW is on track to establish 50 Centres for Excellence over the life of the Teacher Quality National Partnership. 35 of these will be located in government schools. To date, 18 Centres for Excellence have been established across NSW’s three school sectors, with 29 quality teacher positions and 17 paraprofessionals already appointed.

Centres for Excellence are collaborating with other schools and universities to expand the range and impact of this initiative. For example, the Catholic dioceses have established four Centres for Excellence in support of 121 schools.

13 government school Centres for Excellence are employing a hub and spoke model currently involving 50 extra schools to develop consistent practices in quality teaching and programming in the local area. This will enable continuity of learning for students transferring between schools or transitioning to high school.

The Independent School Centre for Excellence enables independent schools with demonstrated strengths in areas identified in the National Partnership reforms to support other independent schools that are either targeted in Smarter Schools National Partnerships or apply for support through the Teacher Quality National Partnership.

47 schools have been selected to participate in DET’s pilot program which will allow enhanced school-based decision-making regarding staffing mix, budget and recruitment at principal level.   A detailed risk management plan has been prepared and a specific evaluation strategy for the pilot has been designed.

The following map shows the location of NSW’s Centres for Excellence and DET schools participating in the enhanced school-based decision-making trial.

Figure 3: Map – DET Teacher Quality National Partnership: Centres for Excellence and Enhanced School-Based Decision Making Trial schools 2009/10. Refer to page 18 on PDF version of Annual Report.

The following Centres for Excellence have been established in the non-government sector:

	Centre for Excellence
Partnering University	Location	
Association of Independent Schools of NSW	Independent Schools Centre 
for Excellence	Works across the sector	
Catholic Education Commission of NSW	Learning Exchange	Parramatta Diocese	
	Partners 4 Learning	Council of Catholic Schools Parents	
	Southern Cross Catholic 
Vocational College	Sydney Archdiocese	
	Online Education Centre	Diocese of Lismore	

Milestones and performance indicators

All milestones and performance indicators for the reporting period have been reached.

Milestones
Signing of the Improving Teacher Quality NP Bilateral Agreement 
The Bilateral Agreement was signed by the New South Wales Minister for Education and Training on 18 December 2009 and by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 January 2010.

Acceptance of New South Wales’ Final Implementation Plan
NSW’s Final Implementation Plan was submitted to the Commonwealth on 22 December 2009 and was formally accepted on 22 January 2010.

State Annual Report 2010
This report was submitted to the Commonwealth on 1 April 2010.

April 2010 reporting commitments
In the Bilateral Agreement for the National Partnership on Improving Teacher Quality, NSW committed to report on the following measures in this first annual report:

Number of Centres for Excellence
18 Centres for Excellence have been established across the three school sectors, with school plans developed that encompass the reforms to be undertaken as part of their participation in the Teacher Quality NP reform agenda.

Names of universities partnering with Centres for Excellence

	Centre for Excellence	Partnering University	Location	
Association of Independent Schools of NSW	Independent Schools Centre for Excellence	University of New South Wales	Works across the sector	
Catholic Education Commission of NSW	Learning Exchange	University of Western Sydney	Parramatta Diocese	
	Partners 4 Learning	To be determined	Council of Catholic Schools Parents	
	Southern Cross Catholic Vocational College	Charles Sturt University	Sydney Archdiocese	
	Online Education Centre	Southern Cross University	
Diocese of Lismore
	
NSW Department of Education and Training	North Ryde PS	Macquarie University	Northern Sydney 	
	Epping Boys HS	Macquarie University
Sydney University		
	Macarthur Girls HS	University of Western Sydney	Western Sydney	
	Carlingford West PS	University of Technology Sydney
Macquarie University		
	Lansvale PS	University of Western Sydney
University of Sydney	South Western Sydney	
	Macquarie Fields HS	University of Sydney
University of Western Sydney		
	Morisset PS	University of Newcastle	Hunter/Central Coast	
	Merewether PS	University of Newcastle		
	Oxley HS	University of New England	New England	
	Temora HS	Charles Sturt University	Riverina	
	Eden Marine HS	University of Wollongong	Illawarra/South East	
	Nowra HS	University of Wollongong		
	Mudgee HS	Charles Sturt University	Western NSW	

Detail from Centres for Excellence illustrating a range of strategies being put in place (e.g. drawn from school plans)
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW Centre for Excellence 
The Independent Schools Centre for Excellence (ISCE) was established as an inclusive mechanism to facilitate the sharing of high quality teaching practice among independent schools and support teachers applying for the higher levels of accreditation, such as Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership. The ISCE aims to:

•	deliver professional development to support the strategic capacity of newly appointed principals and those preparing for principalship in the six months prior to the start of the 2010 school year. Professional development has been provided to 35 individuals from 30 different schools during 2009 and further courses are planned for 2010
•	conduct leadership training in 2009 for the executive teams from seven Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools and one Low SES National Partnership school
•	make the AIS professional development programs to support quality teaching and in-depth subject content knowledge available to all independent schools, together with assistance to meet the registration expenses for eligible courses provided by any provider recognised by the NSW Institute of Teachers

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW Centres for Excellence
The Catholic sector has established four Centres for Excellence in metropolitan, regional and virtual locations. Collectively these centres aim to:
•	promote flexible learning options for students
•	promote and demonstrate quality teaching through providing teachers with access to high quality resources (both virtual and physical) targeted at improvement at the class, school and sector levels
•	provide quality mentoring of teachers through the establishment of the Leading Educator program
•	provide ongoing professional learning to teachers including support of the sector’s early career teacher programs and sector leadership program
•	assist more experienced teachers to achieve voluntary accreditation at Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership levels
•	develop and support a range of professional learning communities connecting teachers across the sector in support of quality teaching
•	provide a nationally recognised centre for quality and innovation in vocational education and training (VET) which encourages the exchange of information and skills to support interested teachers and schools to learn from one another
•	provide quality practicum experiences through internships and other teaching experiences for university students pursuing undergraduate vocational teacher training
•	leverage the development of quality VET programs in partnership with Charles Sturt University, noted for its vocational education programs and research in this field
•	create an exemplar in personalised learning through use of multimedia and other technologies in partnership with Charles Sturt University
•	assist teachers and schools in the identification of goals, expectations and outcomes with respect to parent and community partnerships and the development, monitoring and evaluation of National Partnership initiatives and plans
•	provide up to date information and resources to support the implementation and communication of government initiatives and policy directions with respect to parents and communities
•	provide a shared language and framework for teachers and schools when working with parents and communities
•	provide a bank of resources that can be used immediately in schools and classrooms to support parental engagement in children’s learning and school activities across all the National Partnership domains (e.g. communication, connecting home and school learning, building community and identity, consultative decision-making)
•	provide a channel for sharing good practice across all schools
•	provide a link to NSWIT-accredited and other professional learning opportunities linked to developing parental and community engagement

DET Centres for Excellence
In NSW, DET Centres for Excellence have a hub and spoke model of operation with the hub schools partnering with universities in order to extend the benefits to a larger number of local schools. The role of the hub school is to:

•	have a dual focus on school improvement and building strong links with other schools, the community and higher education providers to support quality teaching and improved student outcomes
•	demonstrate, develop and share high quality teaching within and between schools
•	promote teacher quality through coordinating ongoing professional learning across all sites and actively supporting staff to gain accreditation at higher levels
•	cultivate collegiality, continuity of learning across sites and consistency in pedagogy and practice by hosting joint activities such as staff development days, executive and stage planning meetings, programming and authentic assessment tasks and marking rubrics
•	develop networks and strengthen them through the use of ICT to connect classrooms and teachers as well as trial virtual supervision models for initial teacher education professional experience (practicum) placements
•	actively seek to expand partnerships with universities in order to improve the quality of the professional experience (practicum), professional learning, programming, knowledge and sharing of teaching and learning practice and community participation, as well as ensuring better integration between the theory of teaching (university study) and the reality of teaching practice
•	implement a range of supporting strategies for new teachers, including mentoring by highly accomplished and experienced teachers

Number of quality teacher positions established
29 quality teacher positions, including 13 Highly Accomplished Teacher positions, have been established across Catholic, government and independent schools in NSW.

Number of paraprofessionals appointed
17 paraprofessionals have been appointed to Centres for Excellence across NSW’s three school sectors.

Payments to principals of Centres for Excellence
Two incentive payments have been made to principals/managers of Centres for Excellence in the Catholic sector.

Number of mentors appointed
50 teacher mentor positions have been established in DET schools with trends of significant numbers of new permanent teacher appointments, including in schools that are challenging, serve low socio-economic status communities, or have a significant Aboriginal student population.

Number of scholarships delivered
270 training scholarships have been awarded by NSW Department of Education and Training for commencement in 2010. This includes 74 for Aboriginal students and 19 for final year university students who will teach in schools with high Aboriginal student populations.

43 teaching scholarships were awarded in Catholic schools in 2009, with five of these being offered to Aboriginal students to pursue a career in teaching. Catholic dioceses will offer more than 45 teaching scholarships in 2010, with an additional five scholarships to be awarded to Aboriginal students.

Number of schools participating in the enhanced school-based decision-making trial
47 schools have been selected to participate in DET’s pilot program which will allow enhanced school-based decision-making regarding staffing mix, budget and recruitment at principal level. The pilot program commenced in January 2010. The following DET schools are participating in the pilot:

DET School region	School	
Hunter/Central Coast 	Narara Valley High School	
	Kariong Mountains High School	
	East Maitland Public School	
	Toronto High School	
Illawarra South East	Illawarra Senior Campus	
	Towradgi Public School	
New England	Narrabri West Public School	
	Collarenebri Central School	
	Tamworth West Public School	

DET School region	School	
North Coast	Grafton Learning Community:
•	South Grafton High School
•	Grafton High School
•	Westlawn Public School
•	South Grafton Public School
•	Grafton Public School
•	Gillwinga Public School	
	Chatham Public School	
	Alstonville High School	
	Kyogle High School	
	Kyogle Public School	
	Kempsey High School	
Northern Sydney	Denistone East Public School	
	Cromer Public School	
	Castle Hill High School	
Riverina	Thurgoona Public School	
	Finley Public School	
South Western Sydney	Liverpool Boys High School	
	Harrington Street Public School	
	Ingleburn Public School	
	Blaxcell Street Public School	
	Punchbowl Boys High School	
Sydney 	Newtown High School Performing Arts	
	Georges River College:
•	Oatley Senior
•	Peakhurst Campus
•	Penshurst Girls
•	Hurstville Boys	
	Loftus Public School	
Western NSW	Anson Street SSP	
	Menindee Central School	
	Dubbo South Public School	
Western Sydney	Evans High School	
	Plumpton Education Community:
•	Plumpton High School
•	Plumpton Public School
•	William Dean Public School
•	Glendenning Public School
•	Plumpton House SSP	
	Shalvey Public School	
	Kellyville Ridge Public School	

Summary of implementation by reform
Facilitation Reform 1: World-leading professional development and support which will empower principals to better manage their schools and lead performance improvement at the local level to achieve improved student outcomes.
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The Independent Schools Leadership Centre is currently preparing professional learning programs in the leadership domain for experienced principals, senior executive and middle managers.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The Australian Catholic University is working with a number of dioceses to support leadership development. Many dioceses are also promoting the Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership standards of New South Wales Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) as a means of encouraging and supporting leaders to recognise and address their own professional development needs.

NSW Department of Education and Training
DET provides a comprehensive suite of school leadership professional learning programs and resources that target the specific needs of aspiring, newly appointed and current school leaders. Specific programs include Principal Preparation, Online Leadership, Teaching Principal and Leadership Matters. Programs and resources are aligned to the key accountabilities and competencies of school leadership and support the achievement of school and student outcome targets. 

Facilitation Reforms 2-4: Pathways into teaching (New pathways into teaching; Better pathways into teaching; and Indigenous education pathways)
NSWIT has established processes to provide the ‘conditional accreditation’ status for a NSW version of the ‘New Pathways’ reform initiative Teach for Australia (Facilitation Reform 2). This process will be clarified early in 2010, following discussions with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Although some independent schools currently fund scholarships for Aboriginal teachers for their own school, planning is underway to use the sector-wide Independent Schools Centre for Excellence model to expand the practice to a broad range of schools within the independent sector. Some independent schools utilise a range of strategies to attract people to the profession including:
•	internships and conditional accreditation
•	paying university fees
•	transitioning their school leavers into the teaching profession during their years of tertiary study

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
Catholic dioceses established 43 teaching scholarships in 2009, with five of these being offered to Aboriginal students to pursue a career in teaching.

The CEC is offering scholarships for entry to pre-service teacher education courses and for the completion of undergraduate degrees in particular areas of curriculum and geographic need.

Some Catholic dioceses offer teacher employment support in addition to teaching scholarships. Country dioceses offer pathways programs for fourth year education students through regional universities to encourage graduates to enter the profession in schools in regional locations.

NSW Department of Education and Training
In 2009, 270 teaching scholarships were offered by DET. Of these, 74 have been offered to Aboriginal people and an additional 19 scholarships have been offered to final year university students who will teach in schools with significant numbers of Aboriginal students.

Through the DET’s Enhanced Teacher Training Program, 19 scholarships were awarded in 2009 (for commencement in 2010) to selected final year teacher education students across a number of universities to undertake enhanced pre-service training prior to their appointment to schools with significant Aboriginal student enrolments. 

A key element of this program is the immersion experience to be undertaken with a community or government agency working in a community with a significant Aboriginal population. This program involves:
•	mentoring throughout the enhanced training period by Aboriginal mentors
•	ongoing support during the first year of teaching
•	a full day training program in the mentoring process for both the mentors and the mentees
•	an additional internship/practice teaching experience of a minimum of six weeks in a school with a significant Aboriginal student population

50 full-time equivalent teacher mentors were appointed through the 2009 - 2010 Teacher Mentor Program. Teacher mentors support beginning teachers in schools across the state. DET has organised a range of professional learning activities for teacher mentors to support their work in schools.

These include induction workshops, a professional learning conference and network meetings. In March 2010, DET conducted its annual conference, Leading Powerful Professional Learning: Connect-Challenge-Create-Critique, providing teacher mentors with the knowledge, skills and understandings regarding the links between leadership, teacher quality, professional learning and student achievement at a national, state and local level.

DET educational paraprofessionals have access to teacher training as part of the new classification and guidelines, which can be found on the NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships website at: http://www.nationalpartnerships.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/announcements/yr2009/paraprofessionals.pdf

Facilitation reforms 5, 6 and 10: Standards-based reforms (New professional standards to underpin national reforms; Nationally-agreed process for accrediting/certifying Accomplished and Leading Teachers; and Improved mobility of the Australian teaching workforce)
These reforms are being progressed at the national level through the Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs process. NSW is actively engaged in the development of national facilitation reform activity. The NSW Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) represents New South Wales on Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and other working groups, in the establishment of the mandatory national reform components such as:
•	consistency in registration
•	a national system for approving pre-service teacher education courses
•	finalising national standards
•	establishing national accreditation frameworks at different levels with an associated professional development framework

Standards
In 2009, DET and NSWIT participated in the National Standards Sub-group (NSS) of the Teacher Quality Steering Committee, which replaced the Quality Sustainable Teacher Workforce Working Group. 

The Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) represented the national independent sector in this process. CEC NSW is represented through the National Catholic Education Commission at the national level. DET, NSWIT and the ISCA representative provided extensive feedback on the draft national standards to the Australian Council for Educational Research (which was contracted to develop the draft standards) and to the National Standards Sub-group.

In November and December 2009, NSWIT hosted an expert working group, comprised of employer representatives from government and non-government sectors from a majority of jurisdictions and DEEWR, to refine the draft national standards for the NSS to progress to consultation. The NSS has agreed to undertake both a consultation and validation process for the revised standards.

Next steps: 
The NSW Institute of Teachers will co-ordinate the NSW consultation process with stakeholders, including Deans of Education, principals associations, employing authorities, professional associations, parents and unions. This will inform New South Wales’ response to the NSS.

NSW will be involved in the validation of the draft national standards which will commence mid 2010.

NSW has invested heavily in the development of professional teaching standards, which are used to support teacher professional development and performance management processes in government schools. NSW’s standards have cross-sectoral support. A suitable transition to the new national standards will need to be planned, with care and respect for the investment of professional time and expertise in the current processes.

Registration
NSWIT has been working with the Australian Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee Working Group on developing nationally consistent registration of teachers, to minimise barriers to inter-state mobility and to achieve common standards in relevant areas (e.g. qualifications, International English Language Testing System scores and others). This work will support the mobility of the teaching workforce across Australia.

NSW has Memorandums of Understanding in place for the recognition of pathways with other registration bodies, including Victoria and the Northern Territory. NSW recognises the full registration of teachers from Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia.

Accreditation
NSW continues to be involved at the national level in the development of processes for the accreditation of teachers at higher levels of accomplishment (i.e. Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership) and for the accreditation of pre-service teacher education courses.

NSW currently implements a teacher accreditation process against a set of standards that describe expected teaching practice. The standards have four levels: the first two are mandated by legislation for all teachers. The first level (Graduate) is applied through an approval process for initial teacher education courses undertaken by NSWIT. All teachers must graduate from these approved courses, or an equivalent foreign qualification. The second level (Professional Competence) is to be achieved after a period of employed teaching practice.

Accreditation at higher levels of achievement as a teacher (Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership) is voluntary. Voluntary accreditation requires evidence of meeting all standards from three sources (referees, the teacher’s documentation and an external observation). More than 400 NSW teachers have undertaken a preliminary assessment or have commenced the accreditation process for either Professional Accomplishment or Professional Leadership levels.

Facilitation Reform 7: Joint engagement with higher education providers to improve teacher quality (including pre-service education revision)
In NSW, all initial teacher education is currently approved through the Initial Teacher Education Council (TEC). This committee has cross-sectoral participation. A policy which describes mandatory course content is in place for higher education providers. During 2009, NSW contributed to the draft national accreditation system and the program standards for teacher training courses.

In 2009, NSWIT began planning to initiate a cooperative examination of the quality of provision across all pre-service courses, with a focus on addressing issues of Aboriginal history and culture and the preparation of teachers to teach Aboriginal school students.

In 2009, NSWIT also began adjusting its initial teacher education approval processes to give effect to the proposed new national scheme. NSWIT provided leadership in the finalisation of the national scheme, particularly in identifying key mandatory requirements in areas such as special education, subject content and addressing Aboriginal issues.

Facilitation Reform 8: Establishing quality placements for teacher education courses
NSWIT and TEC have begun a joint project to develop a state-wide framework for professional experience placements, which will produce a common approach to professional experience requirements. The outcomes are expected to include:
•	a framework of expectations
•	common nomenclature and definition of roles
•	common assessment templates and protocols
•	development of a number of professional development modules aligned with the higher level standards in the areas of supervision and mentoring

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Many independent schools have relationships with universities and provide practicum placements.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The CEC is working collaboratively with universities to provide quality opportunities for undergraduates to engage with professional experience.

NSW Department of Education and Training
DET has established 10 university partnerships to support the provision of professional experience placements in schools for pre-service teachers. The Department currently supports approximately 16,500 placements annually.

Facilitation Reform 9: Establishing school centres for excellence
To date, 18 Centres for Excellence have been established across NSW’s three school sectors.

Centres for Excellence are collaborating with other schools and universities to expand the range and impact of this initiative.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
AIS has established one Centre for Excellence on behalf of the independent sector. 

In 2009, the focus of the work of the central Centre for Excellence was the provision of subsidised leadership courses for executive staff, specifically newly appointed principals and those preparing for principalship. 

The AIS tracks the financial contribution from NP funding.  Course registration forms the agreement between the school and the AIS. Course participation is documented on a database providing a register of professional learning undertaken with National Partnership support. 

The Independent School Centre for Excellence enables independent schools with demonstrated strengths in areas identified in the National Partnership reforms to support other independent schools that are either targeted in Smarter Schools National Partnerships or apply for support through the Teacher Quality National Partnership.

Planning is underway for the establishment of partnerships between schools. Expressions of interest will shortly be followed by an application process involving workshops for schools to understand the application requirements, with on-going support in the development of their proposals. Following assessment, the proposals will be considered by the Independent Schools National Partnerships Management Council. The AIS will provide administrative support for the project’s implementation.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The Catholic Education Commission of NSW has established four Centres for Excellence which support 121 schools. There are 3 university partners.

NSW Department of Education and Training
13 Centres for Excellence have been established in government schools across eight regions covering both metropolitan and regional areas.  The four Centres for Excellence are already supporting approximately 50 additional schools. Initial Centre for Excellence school plans are in the process of being revised, for completion by the end of March 2010.

The next 22 Centres for Excellence in government schools will be announced in 2010. Ten universities are currently partners with the DET Centres for Excellence.

Figure 4: Diagram – Teacher Quality National Partnership progress: Centres for Excellence

Payments to principals of Centres for Excellence
To date, incentive payments have been made to two principals/managers of Centres for Excellence in the Catholic sector.

DET has made provision for additional payments for principals of Centre for Excellence schools. This is subject to endorsement and contingent on performance, as demonstrated during the Principal Assessment and Review Schedule (PARS) and in the school plan. The payment will be made following the annual assessment at the end of 2010.

As the AIS is not an employer of school staff, payments will be made to schools to support the work of the Independent Schools Centre for Excellence.

Facilitation Reform 11: Improved quality and availability of teacher workforce data
NSW DET continues to participate in the development of this reform at the national level through the cross sectoral National Teacher Workforce Dataset group, which has a broad focus on national workforce planning including the critical role of quality initial teacher education in terms of teacher workforce supply. A report, commissioned by DEEWR and undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research, is being finalised based on consultations across states and jurisdictions. The draft report was reviewed and discussed at the most recent meeting of the group in Canberra on 22-23 February 2010.

The National Teacher Workforce Dataset Group is currently finalising the workplan for the Australian Education Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee, including a national framework for data collection and a longitudinal study.

NSW DET also has a seven-year teacher workforce plan (updated annually), which is shared with Deans of Education to assist course intake planning.

The NSW Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) has carriage of developing and archiving teacher workforce data for NSW teachers who have not taught in NSW schools prior to September 2004. All teachers entering any school in NSW after September 2004 are included, with both pre-service and post-employment professional learning engagement recorded. This data repository enables compliance with the requirements of the NSW legislation for the registration of teachers.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Participation in all leadership programs provided by the Independent Schools Leadership Centre and professional development provided through AIS is recorded. From 2010, there will be a record of executive and teachers in the independent sector who utilise subsidies to attend leadership and professional development programs.

NSW Department of Education and Training
DET has developed a professional learning online database system (MyPL@DET) to manage record, track and report on participation in all professional learning for teachers and school leaders. The system creates a register of professional learning and course/program information for teachers and school leaders, including target group, subject content, and an explanation of how the course/program addresses the professional teaching standards. DET also has a quality assurance process in place for the registration and approval of the Department’s courses and programs.

Facilitation Reform 12: Improved performance management and continuous improvement in schools (linked to professional learning and national standards)
The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The NSW Catholic sector incorporates 11 diocesan schooling sectors and 44 independent Catholic Schools. Dioceses have varied means by which performance is monitored and continuous improvement guaranteed. Non-government schools in NSW are also registered with the NSW Board of Studies and minimum standards of compliance are audited by this independent body. Procedures for individual teacher improvement also vary but many dioceses and independent Catholic schools use the language, structure and content of the current NSW Professional Teaching Standards as a central component of the process. Teacher quality and improved leadership are recognised as major factors in securing better outcomes for students.

NSW Department of Education and Training
In the NSW government sector, all teachers (including executive staff and principals) must undergo mandatory annual performance appraisal. DET has separate schemes for teachers (Teacher Assessment Review Schedule – TARS) and principals (Principal Assessment Review Schedule). Principals are responsible for managing the TARS process in schools and School Education Directors manage the process for principals.

As part of the 2009 Award negotiations, DET and the NSW Teachers Federation have agreed on a number of changes to the annual assessment schedules and to improvement programs for the teaching service, to be implemented from 15 February 2010.

A revised Teacher Improvement Program and a new Executive Improvement Program have been developed.

Key changes to TARS include the addition of seven competencies to be used as standards to assess and develop teacher performance. The Executive Assessment and Review Schedule includes the addition of the teaching competencies and leadership and management competencies as standards to assess and develop all executive teachers. These appraisals align with the NSW Institute of Teachers’ Professional Teaching Standards and the scheme for executive staff appraisal also takes into account the executive (management) responsibilities of the position.

The procedures for managing probationary teachers have also been revised in line with the award agreement, resulting in the new Probationary Teacher Improvement Program.

The enhancements to DET’s performance assessment procedures and improvement programs are part of DET’s overall commitment to quality teaching, ensuring that teachers are provided with ongoing feedback and support.

The Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Ministers are considering recommendations to make the Nexus Strategic Solutions report on performance management and development of teachers in Australian schools available to jurisdictions and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AISTL) to use as a reference in the development/review of school performance practices.

Reward Reform 1: Improved pay dispersion
Creation of Quality Teacher Positions in NSW
In 2009, 29 quality teacher positions were created across all sectors, including DET’s Highly Accomplished Teacher positions. NSWIT supported employing authorities in the appointment of quality teacher positions through the accreditation process for Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership levels.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The AIS has developed its own standards for Experienced Teachers and incorporated the NSWIT standards for Professional Accomplishment into its accreditation level for Classroom Professional Excellence. Teachers accredited at this level receive additional remuneration.

In 2009, 12 teachers in independent schools gained conditional accreditation at Classroom Professional Excellence. These teachers support colleagues in their own and other independent schools through the Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority. Subsidised courses are offered to teachers in independent schools who wish to apply for accreditation at higher levels aligned to NSWIT standards.

In the independent sector, subsidies are offered by the AIS for courses to assist teachers in applying for accreditation at Professional Accomplishment or Professional Leadership levels. A number of teachers from independent schools have undertaken a preliminary assessment through NSWIT or the AIS. Nine teachers are now ready to submit their evidence for accreditation at the level of Professional Accomplishment to NSWIT with others actively participating in the accreditation process. Teachers have three years to complete the process.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The CEC established four quality teacher positions in the Centres for Excellence:
•	Southern Cross Catholic Vocational College (SCCVC) has established a quality teacher position. This highly skilled teacher will be responsible for liaison with Charles Sturt University and for ensuring the establishment of research opportunities to the benefit of SCCVC and the broader VET education community
•	the ‘Learning Exchange’ Centre for Excellence, located in the Diocese of Parramatta, has appointed two Leading Educators to date. The Leading Educators will work with teachers in schools to promote quality classroom practice through the development and provision of resources, mentoring, professional learning opportunities and the establishment of learning communities
•	the online Learning Centre in the Diocese of Lismore is creating a position to allow the learning gained from the development and delivery of online materials to be further refined and shared beyond the schools currently involved in the initiative

NSW Department of Education and Training
13 Highly Accomplished Teachers (HATs) have been appointed by merit selection in the first tranche of government school Centres for Excellence (2010-2011). The HAT is paid a higher salary than other classroom based teachers in recognition of the high quality of their teaching and their ability to cultivate the teaching skills of their colleagues. 

Each HAT is appointed on a temporary basis for 2 years. All HATs must complete a successful submission for accreditation at Professional Accomplishment or Professional Leadership levels with NSWIT.

The 13 current HATs entered on duty at the beginning of Term 1, 2010. In a government school Centre for Excellence, the HAT is an excellent teacher who models high quality teaching for colleagues and leads other teachers in the development and refinement of their teaching practice to improve student learning.

HATs will work with staff in their school but will have a particular focus on beginning teachers, and on the co-ordination and supervision of professional experience for trainee teachers in conjunction with university partners. They will also work with experienced staff applying to achieve NSWIT accreditation at higher levels, in addition to supporting quality teaching in cluster schools.

An induction day for Highly Accomplished Teachers and principals of Centres for Excellence was held on 1 March 2010, focussing on achieving the requirements of the role, data analysis and accreditation as well as working with paraprofessionals. HATs’ online networks are being established to continue to promote sharing and demonstration of learning.

Figure 5: Diagram – Teacher Quality National Partnership progress: Highly Accomplished
      Teachers

Reward Reform 2: Improved reward structures for staff who work in hard to staff schools
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The independent sector encourages participation in professional development and leadership programs by teachers and executives from rural and remote schools through offering financial assistance to meet the cost of travel to courses. The AIS provides consultancy support for teachers and leaders in rural, remote and difficult to staff locations. Additional paraprofessional positions have been created to support these schools. Paraprofessionals have undertaken specific training to support schools in the implementation of literacy programs. 

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The CEC continues to develop reward structures to attract teachers to rural, remote and difficult to staff locations. Many Catholic schools are provided with additional staffing allocations and funding.

NSW Department of Education and Training
DET has developed an ‘Incentives Menu’ to support the provision of incentives as an important means of attracting and retaining quality teachers in schools in the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities and Improving Teacher Quality National Partnerships. 

The incentives encompass both financial and non financial rewards for attracting and retaining high performing staff. A focus on building and sustaining a school culture of ongoing professional growth is recognised as an important strategy. Incentives include:
•	additional staffing resources which provide more time to focus on teaching and learning activities
•	flexible school organisation structures which may provide additional release time for staff or which may enable teams of teachers to work together
•	a one-off recruitment allowance of up to $15,000 to attract principals to challenging schools participating in the National Partnership
•	employment of teachers for up to four weeks prior to their appointment as permanent or on probation as a casual teacher
•	allowances to high achieving teacher education students to undertake internships at targeted National Partnership schools

Reward Reform 3: Improved in-school support for staff in Indigenous, rural/remote and hard to staff schools
In 2009, 17 paraprofessionals were appointed to support teachers in Centres for Excellence. One is located in the Catholic sector, four in the independent sector, and 12 in the government school sector. DET is in the process of appointing additional paraprofessionals to Centres for Excellence.

Teacher mentor positions are being established to support beginning teachers in a number of schools, including the employment of 50 in government schools.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The four paraprofessionals in the independent sector provide educational support, working under the direction and supervision of teachers.  

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
Many Catholic schools are provided with additional staffing allocations and funding to support principals, staff and schools in low SES, remote and difficult to staff locations. Additional capital support is provided for buildings and resources for schools in low SES, remote and difficult to staff locations. Indigenous Education Officers are employed to support quality education for Aboriginal students.

The Catholic sector continues to establish mentoring positions to support teachers in schools, in particular early-career teachers.

NSW Department of Education and Training
Like DET’s Highly Accomplished Teachers, paraprofessionals are new classifications of employees.  

Two types of paraprofessionals are employed in DET schools
•	educational paraprofessionals who work under the guidance and supervision of teachers to support teaching and learning
•	operational paraprofessionals who work under the guidance and supervision of the school executive to fulfil non-classroom based roles in schools, allowing more time for teachers to focus on teaching and learning activities

To date, 50 teacher mentors have been appointed in DET schools. Teacher mentors offer on-going support to beginning teachers to lift the educational attainment of students including in remote and challenging schools, low SES areas or schools with a significant Aboriginal student population.

Reward Reform 4: Enhanced school-based decision making about recruitment, staffing mix and budget
Whilst not participating in the DET enhanced school-based decision making pilot, Catholic and independent schools have demonstrated a long-term commitment to devolved decision-making. NSW’s Catholic sector devolves decision-making to a diocesan level and the independent sector to a school level.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The Independent Schools Leadership Centre has piloted professional support for leaders in independent schools to make appropriate decisions about recruitment, staffing mix and budget.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
Most Catholic school principals have the authority to employ the majority of personnel within their school. Sector management and budget procedures currently allow for a high degree of discretionary action by the principal in areas of school management.

NSW Department of Education and Training
In 2009, a variety of planning activities were undertaken to prepare for the implementation of the DET enhanced school-based decision making pilot. This pilot is now underway and will run during 2010 and 2011, with 47 government schools across NSW participating in enhanced school-based decision making regarding recruitment, staffing mix and budget. Increased local staffing capacity has been provided for pilot schools with an emphasis on any variations to help achieve the School Plan. However, existing awards and agreements will be maintained following union consultation.

In 2009 pilot schools received an indicative, comprehensive global budget including notional funds for staffing and a detailed information pack entitled ‘Participating School Instructions’. The schools are planning for staff needs/budget with an electronic ‘resource planning tool’, 
pre-populated with their school’s data set. Pilot principals and their school administrative managers have participated in relevant professional learning.

A detailed risk management plan has been prepared and a specific evaluation strategy for the pilot has also been designed.

Next steps:
Arrangements are in place for auditors to visit pilot schools over coming months to monitor progress and provide advice, where appropriate. 
Reward Reform 5: Continual improvement program
Once NSW teachers are accredited at the Professional Competence level with the NSW Institute of Teachers (NSWIT), they must undertake 100 hours of professional development over a five-year period to maintain their accreditation. The professional development addresses teaching standards and consists of 50 hours from courses registered with the Institute and 50 hours of teacher-identified professional development.

Over 100 providers have been endorsed by the Institute to provide Institute-registered professional development to teachers across all sectors. Providers include universities, TAFEs, corporations, professional associations, consultants, employers and unions. 

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The AIS professional development courses and consultancies provide teachers with a range of professional learning opportunities that support continual improvement of teachers and student learning outcomes. Posters and brochures regarding accreditation processes have been sent to independent schools to encourage and support teachers applying for accreditation.

NSWIT-registered professional development courses have been offered to teachers in independent schools regarding the professional teaching standards and gaining accreditation at the key levels of Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership levels.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
All Catholic dioceses conduct programs aimed at improving teacher quality. The CEC continues to establish structures for teachers to have individual learning registers; plans are in place for more than 30% of teachers in Catholic schools to have learning registers by the end of 2010.

NSW Department of Education and Training
In accordance with DET’s teacher professional learning policy for schools, professional learning funds are allocated to schools for the implementation of plans that are developed and aligned to school targets to improve student learning outcomes. Personalised professional learning plans, based on the key accountabilities of principals are featured in all leadership programs, including the competency-based vocational leadership qualification, Professional Learning and Leadership Development .

All teachers in schools participating in the Literacy and Numeracy and Low SES National Partnerships are required to undertake professional development in using student data to effectively improve pedagogy and student outcomes.

Reward Reform 6: Indigenous teachers and school leaders’ engagement with community members
287 government and Catholic school teachers have participated in school-based or locally developed Aboriginal cultural immersion programs. Cultural immersion programs are intended to develop cultural knowledge and understanding of local Aboriginal communities among teachers and school leaders. The focus of these programs is on connecting newly appointed staff with the local Aboriginal community in the early stages of appointment to the school.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Teachers and school leaders in some independent schools, including most boarding schools, have begun to develop ongoing relationships with Aboriginal communities. These relationships are resulting in increased attendance, retention to HSC level and improved learning outcomes for Aboriginal students. The development of engagement strategies with Aboriginal communities is showing early signs of an increase in the number of Aboriginal students planning to undertake tertiary study, including teacher training.

AIS employs a member of staff who link school leaders with local Aboriginal communities.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The CEC is developing enhanced and strengthened relationships with Aboriginal communities. For example, the Catholic Schools Office in Armidale has developed an Aboriginal cultural immersion program, Let’s Talk Dhwunda, designed for school leadership team members and beginning teachers in diocesan schools with a significant Aboriginal student enrolment. 

The program engages staff with local Aboriginal elders and community members and focuses on Aboriginal cultural history, the effects of European settlement on Aboriginal communities and the educational needs of Aboriginal students. The program runs for five days and is offered in semesters one and two. The program includes pre- and post- immersion meetings and ongoing follow-up at the school level. This program is open to all educational sectors and it is anticipated that the diocese will expand the program in 2010.

NSW Department of Education and Training
In 2010, 89 DET schools began working in partnership with their local Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups and Aboriginal communities to develop school plans and educational practices intended to contribute to achievement of outcomes for Aboriginal students. School communities participating in this initiative will form a school advisory committee and develop a partnership agreement. This will extend to all government schools over time.

School advisory committees will include people with a wide range of skills, experience and backgrounds who represent the local community and have the ability to support school improvement. By signing a partnership agreement, the school and Aboriginal community members will agree to:
•	value, respect and appreciate Aboriginal culture and student identity as an intrinsic part of the school's culture
•	develop genuine partnerships and engagement with Aboriginal parents, communities and interagency groups and,
•	maximise educational outcomes for each student

Advisory committees are being established and partnership agreements are expected to be signed during Semester 1 of 2010.

Impact of the National Partnership and implementation issues

Impact of the National Partnership 
The interim findings of New South Wales’ evaluation of the first stage of implementation of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships identify strong satisfaction levels of principals with the resource materials and support provided by the school system. 

Centres for Excellence have developed local partnerships between communities of schools and universities. They have provided opportunities for schools to align their activities, communicate with other schools and share ideas and effective strategies. Cluster schools are working to make teaching practice and programming more consistent across the cluster. This aims to raise the benchmark of teacher quality and supports student mobility between schools. Furthermore, the relationship between cluster schools and universities has been strengthened through the expanded role of universities beyond placing pre-service teachers in schools to providing professional learning to existing teachers. 

The Highly Accomplished Teacher (HAT) positions have the potential to effect cultural changes for the teaching workforce as HATs work with teachers and model good practice and pedagogy. HATs also represent an innovative industrial model that recognises merit and high achievement.

Implementation issues
Cross-sectoral practices
NSW’s attempts to implement cross-sectoral reform in all areas of the National Partnership have been complicated by the different starting points across the sectors as well as some existing practices. For example, some independent schools have adopted a standards-based teachers’ agreement and reward teachers who are accredited at the higher level of accomplishment with higher salaries. This is not the case in government schools. Teachers accredited at higher levels are not automatically paid higher salaries. Instead, the higher salary is attached to Highly Accomplished Teacher positions.

While the independent sector is committed to the National Partnerships, approaches to implementing the reforms need to be responsive to the sector and the governance structures of schools.

Centres for Excellence
Lengthy consultations with unions were undertaken during 2009 to facilitate the establishment and operation of DET Centres for Excellence and the new classifications of Highly Accomplished Teacher and paraprofessionals. 

In 2009, additional funds were provided to enable Centres for Excellence to conduct situational analyses to underpin planning and target the most efficient use of new resources, including paraprofessionals, Highly Accomplished Teachers and university partnerships.

The timeframe for planning and implementation has been extremely tight and has placed pressure on administrators to ensure that Centres for Excellence were successfully planned, implemented and staffed with new resources.

Role of Universities
Negotiating new expectations of the tertiary sector has been challenging within current funding and reporting arrangements. Some of the reforms have implications for the existing relationships between universities and schools and with the school sector as employers of graduate teachers. 

Pilot schools project 
DET has encountered significant challenges in obtaining and developing the information needed to provide new approaches to schools’ budgeting and planning. Challenges include the need to audit and interrogate back office systems to ensure finance and HR initiatives, such as those required in the 47 schools pilot are based on reliable data. DET is  conducting a rigorous analysis of existing finance, HR and payroll business rules and systems to improve data quality. To support this work, DET is developing an information management system which will inform a number of priority programs.

Activities supporting Indigenous students and/or teachers

Scholarships
In 2009, DET awarded 19 scholarships to selected final year teacher education students across a number of universities to undertake enhanced pre-service training, prior to their appointment to schools with significant Aboriginal student enrolments. This training involved extensive mentoring and a cultural immersion experience for a minimum of six weeks in a community with a significant Aboriginal population. This initiative enhances student teachers’ understanding of cultural issues relating to Aboriginal people and better prepares them to work in Aboriginal communities.

Aboriginal leaders and researchers agree that lifting the number of Aboriginal educators is a key strategy for improving Aboriginal student outcomes through building better engagement. In 2010, 74 teaching scholarships were offered to Aboriginal people, an increase from 61 offers in 2009.

Pre-service teacher cultural awareness training
During 2009, the NSW Institute of Teachers planned a cooperative examination of how well all pre-service teaching courses in all institutions address issues of Aboriginal history and culture, and prepare teachers to teach Aboriginal students. It is intended that all pre-service teachers will have access to quality courses that enhance their understanding of Aboriginal people and related cultural issues, better preparing them to teach in these communities.

In-school support
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Within the independent sector, collegial support to assist schools educating Aboriginal students occurs through networks of schools. Individual schools employ staff to support Aboriginal students and their families. Additional paraprofessional positions have been created and paraprofessionals have been given specific training to support schools in the implementation of literacy programs for Aboriginal students.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
The CEC employs Indigenous Education Officers to support quality education for Aboriginal students. Aboriginal students are supported, as are all students, according to their needs. The NSW Catholic sector will continue to support and promote a strong network of Aboriginal Education Workers who are employed to provide in school/class support. These staff are also heavily involved in engaging Aboriginal parents and communities on a daily basis. Two dioceses employ a number of Aboriginal language teachers and promote Aboriginal language as part of the curriculum.

Each diocesan education office has an Aboriginal Education Advisor to assist with the implementation of National Partnership reforms for Aboriginal students. In addition, 98 Aboriginal clerical staff provide role models for the students in their school communities.

NSW Department of Education and Training
Regional support for Aboriginal education is provided to DET schools through positions such as Aboriginal Education and Engagement Consultants and Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers. These positions play a key role in supporting Aboriginal students and families in overcoming barriers to school attendance, improving retention rates and strengthening the capacity of students to improve their educational outcomes. 

In addition there are a number of Aboriginal Education Officer and School Learning Support Officer – Aboriginal Students positions. These positions assist teachers to engage Aboriginal students and their parents more fully in learning programs and school activities.

Good practice

The NSW Implementation Plan
The NSW National Partnership Implementation Plan represents evidence-based policy, having been developed following extensive research into national and international strategies to address the issues faced at each stage of the teacher lifecycle.

Centres for Excellence
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
The Independent Schools Centre for Excellence was established to raise the quality of teaching throughout the independent sector, thereby enhancing student performance. It will enable independent schools which have demonstrated strengths in areas identified in the National Partnership reforms to support independent schools which have either been targeted in the Literacy and Numeracy or Low SES National Partnerships or those that have applied for support through the Teacher Quality National Partnership.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
Please see case study 1 below.

NSW Department of Education and Training
13 DET Centres for Excellence were established in 2009 to commence operation in 2010. The DET model for Centres for Excellence involves the hub and spoke schools working together to develop consistent practices in quality teaching and programming across the Centre for Excellence sites. This will enable continuity of learning for students transferring between schools or transitioning to high school. It will also build a community of schools who share their expertise and extend the benefit of university partnerships to spoke schools. The Centres for Excellence will fully integrate Highly Accomplished Teacher and paraprofessional participation. 

The use of technology such as WIKIs, blogs, web board communication and working with spoke schools which are not geographically close is a key feature of a number of Centre for Excellence plans to share and promote good practice and teaching strategies.

Case studies
Centres for Excellence
Case study 1: Centre for Excellence – the Learning Exchange
The Learning Exchange in the Catholic diocese of Parramatta will enable teachers and schools to access a wide range of high quality resources and programs developed to support innovation and teacher learning.

It will have a physical presence in Mount Druitt and will also have a virtual presence with the ability to connect teachers across the diocese. 

The Learning Exchange will incorporate new physical spaces equipped with high-end technology where modeled teaching can be viewed, captured and stored for sharing with others. These include a modern library facility incorporating a multimedia production suite and a learning space set up to provide teachers access to a ‘model’ learning environment where they can work with colleagues on teaching strategies. 

This space will also house a state-of-the-art video conferencing system, connecting two other Learning Exchange hub schools and the global community.

The Learning Exchange will operate a research unit and connect with the Indigenous support unit ‘Jarara’, housed at the same site. The initiative will also coordinate the Leading Educator Program, where highly skilled educators will provide structured support to colleagues with a focus on raising teaching standards through mentoring, collaboration, coaching, professional dialogue and demonstration of best practice.

Highly Accomplished Teachers

Case study 2: A Highly Accomplished Teacher
Merewether Public School (PS) provides an example of a school in a low socio-economic status community in the Hunter/Central Coast region, where a Highly Accomplished Teacher (HAT) has been appointed. The HAT spends the mornings in classrooms with colleagues, modeling practice and team teaching. The HAT is a former Maths consultant, classroom teacher and literacy consultant with a special interest in phonics-based approaches to teaching reading.

Merewether PS’s HAT works with colleagues, discussing aspects of their lessons and considering ways to enhance students’ learning. Student work samples are used to assess the effectiveness of changes to teaching practice. 

Merewether PS’s principal is delighted that his school, which is a NSW Centre for Excellence, hosts a Highly Accomplished Teacher and is enthusiastic about the HAT’s skills being shared with other cluster schools in the area.

Merewether’s partnership with the Faculty of Education at the University of Newcastle means that increased numbers of teaching students will be hosted by the school and its cluster partners. Teaching students will be guided through a more rigorous program of practical classroom experience, with a particular focus on developing classroom management skills to enable quality teaching and learning to be strengthened. 

The HAT is central to the development of the new program, which will ensure that both the teachers of today and the teachers of tomorrow will have the opportunity to be guided by the best practitioners.

Enhanced school-based decision making trial
Case study 3: Enhanced Decision Making Trial – Castle Hill High School
As a result of participating in the DET enhanced decision making pilot, Castle Hill High School has been able to access greater flexibility in allocating resources, in order to address target areas of concern, such as attendance rates and underperformance.

The Higher Schools Certificate (HSC) honours list revealed that boys were underrepresented and therefore not reaching their potential despite indicated capability. Previous measures to address this problem have had little impact. The school took the opportunity offered by the enhanced decision making pilot to think laterally about ways to assist senior boys with their learning. Students who were “close to the top” but at risk of not achieving band level 6 in the HSC were targeted.

The school created a new head teacher position responsible for mentoring which monitors 25 targeted year 12 boys. The head teacher mentor also works with a special boys’ class formed in year 9 and supervises teachers responsible for this class.

The boys are involved in a program which uses boys’ education principles such as competition within a team environment. The program challenges them to set specific, measurable targets regarding their study habits, organisation, health and well-being. These targets are included in their personalised professional learning plan which is assessed once a fortnight during an interview with the Head Teacher Mentor.

Another area the school wanted to address was provision of support to high needs students to develop learning and social skills. To address this, 1.2 FTE school learning support officers were appointed to assist teachers in the classroom, in program implementation and in the preparation of resources.

Attendance rates are strongly linked to student outcomes and achievement. To ensure a stronger focus on attendance, Castle Hill High School has also employed an attendance coordinator and an extra year advisor.

Section 3 – Low SES School Communities

Progress statement

A total of 638 schools will participate in the Low SES National Partnership in New South Wales from 2009 to 2015.

138 Low SES National Partnership schools commenced in 2009 as follows:
•	131 government schools
•	6 Catholic schools
•	1 independent school

An additional 193 Low SES National Partnership schools commenced in 2010:
•	164 government schools
•	17 Catholic schools
•	12 independent schools

Funding released by the Commonwealth following approval of the State Implementation Plan on 22 January 2010 has been allocated to all participating schools.

The 331 schools that joined the Low SES School Communities National Partnership in 2009 and early 2010 have commenced implementation following the planning period.

Each school has consulted with parents and other community members, as well as various stakeholders.

Schools have undertaken comprehensive self-evaluation, situational analysis and an analysis of students’ learning needs in preparation for implementation of the strategies and programs within the six reform areas of the National Partnership.

Schools were assisted throughout the planning process by a range of support structures and resources, including community engagement tools, information packages, surveys and data analysis workshops. A series of cross-sectoral meetings were held to discuss issues arising in the early planning phase, and advice and support for all sectors was offered through the Department of Education and Training’s state office. Feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction with the resources, advice and support provided to schools in the preparation and planning phase, and that schools have used the support processes to enable them to plan effectively.

Through the consultation process and analysis of student data, schools identified which strategies and programs they would undertake within each of the NP reform areas. Schools then revised their school plans to incorporate these strategies and programs. All plans have been reviewed and endorsed by the relevant sector authority.

The school plans for all 295 government schools joining the National Partnership in 2009 and 2010 have been analysed in order to identify strategies, programs and funding commitments linked to the six reforms, and to ensure timely strategic support is provided by state office and regions. The Catholic and independent sectors have similarly analysed their school plans and are developing processes to support schools in the implementation of identified strategies. All sectors are currently working together to refine and further develop tools and processes for supporting schools.

Steps that directly lift the availability of high quality teaching in the State’s most disadvantaged schools are an absolute priority for the Low SES School Communities National Partnership. Strategies for strengthening the quality of teaching are the building blocks for reform in each school.

To achieve this, New South Wales has given Reform 1 (incentives to attract high performing teachers and principals) mandatory status for all schools participating in this National Partnership. Schools have responded to this in their planning by attaching a strong investment of funding to this reform. Reform 4 (providing innovative and tailored learning opportunities) is also a mandatory reform, which has attracted a similarly strong investment of funding from schools.

Tight timeframes have impacted upon schools’ capacity to develop strategies within other reform areas, notably Reform 5 (strengthen school accountability) and Reform 6 (extend partnerships with parents, other schools, businesses and communities and the provision of access to extended services). It is expected that this situation will shift over the life of the National Partnership, as schools have the opportunity to develop longer term strategies for developing programs and structures that extend and deepen engagement with parents and communities.

NSW public schools will undertake evaluation of progress against school plan targets and indicators as an integral part of ongoing school development, improvement and reporting. All three school sectors will continue to work together to develop strategies to support schools in maximising the benefits of the National Partnership. This will include developing further information and resource packages to support schools in undertaking new and innovative programs, including additional promotion and communication regarding the employment of Highly Accomplished Teachers.

Figure 6: Map – Low SES School Communities National Partnership independent schools: 2009-2015. Refer to page 50 in PDF version of Annual Report.

Figure 7: Map – Low SES School Communities National Partnership Catholic schools: 2009-2015. Refer to page 51 in PDF version of Annual Report.
Figure 8: Map – Low SES School Communities National Partnership government schools: 2009-.2015. Refer to page 52 in PDF version of Annual Reprt.

Milestones and measures

All milestones, measures and agreed targets for the reporting period have been reached.

Milestones
Signing of Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities NP Bilateral Agreement
The Bilateral Agreement was signed by the New South Wales Minister for Education and Training on 18 December 2009 and by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 January 2010.

Acceptance of New South Wales’ Final Implementation Plan
NSW’s Final Implementation Plan was submitted to the Commonwealth on 22 December 2009 and was formally accepted on 22 January 2010.

State Annual Report 2010
This report was submitted to the Commonwealth on 1 April 2010.

School plans developed for 2009 and 2010 cohorts
As outlined above, all 2009 and 2010 cohort schools have revised their school plans to incorporate the initiatives and programs selected from each of the six National Partnership reform areas.

The revision of school plans to incorporate National Partnership activity is an important step. Through its revised school plan, each school community is able to articulate what it aims to achieve through the National Partnership, and how it plans to achieve its aims. NSW’s school sectors have ensured that guidance and assistance was provided to schools both preceding and during the development of plans via principal briefing sessions, a range of data evaluation and planning tools, and resources and support structures that enabled them to identify students’ learning needs and select appropriate strategies.

Consultation was integral to planning for National Partnership activity, and part of a comprehensive process for identifying the needs of students and their schools. Although consultation was limited to some extent by the timeframes provided, considerable effort was made by schools in every sector to consult with appropriate bodies including parents, Aboriginal and other community members.

In-depth analysis of each school context formed a second key element in the identification of students’ needs and development of improvement strategies. The school situational analysis included the involvement of schools and relevant stakeholder groups (e.g. parent and community representatives) working together to collect, record and analyse data.

For government schools, this required participation in joint planning, including analysis of internal and external student performance data and the implementation of surveys and focus groups with teachers, students and school community members. Catholic and independent schools also undertook extensive consultation and analysis in order to identify priorities for improvement and the change and strategies most appropriate to their particular needs.

On the basis of the consultation and analysis undertaken, schools were able to make decisions informed by student, teacher and community data regarding the most appropriate additional or enhanced strategies/programs to employ in order to effect change, explicitly linked to the six reforms of the National Partnership.

A situational analysis template, a range of data evaluation tools and other resources, such as community engagement tools and surveys were made available to schools to assist the planning process. Feedback from New South Wales’ evaluation of the first stage of implementation of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships indicates that nearly all schools used the support tools and found them very useful in informing the selection of appropriate strategies and programs for students. Support and guidance was also provided through a series of information workshops for principals and regional officers, including data analysis workshops.

Once school plans were revised they were reviewed and approved by the relevant sector authority. Government school plans were reviewed and approved by school education directors and endorsed regional directors. Catholic sector school plans were approved at diocesan level, and independent school plans were reviewed by the secretariat supporting the Independent Schools National Partnership Management Council.

All sectors have now conducted a comprehensive analysis of their school plans to identify relevant strategies and programs, and the linkage between strategy, reform and funding investment. Analysis indicates that all school plans identify appropriate strategies for each reform area and allocate funds to each reform. However, some schools will be assisted in further refining their plans. Comprehensive support will continue to be provided for schools joining the National Partnership.

Schools will undertake evaluation of progress against school plan targets and indicators as an integral part of ongoing school development and improvement processes.

April 2010 reporting commitments
In the Bilateral Agreement for the National Partnership on Low SES School Communities, NSW committed to report on the following measures in this first annual report:

A statistical overview and discussion of the options and strategies selected by schools to meet the reform menu and the breakdown of funding for each of the six reforms
The first tranche of funding has been allocated as follows:
•	$85,075,986 to 295 government schools
•	$560,000 to six Catholic schools 
•	$65,000 to one independent school 

The distribution of funds across the six reforms is indicated below, in addition to the strategies selected by schools to effectively implement each reform.

Reform 1: Incentives to attract high-performing principals and teachers 
Options in this reform are aimed at both attracting and retaining high quality staff and improving the capacity of existing staff. The reform menu recognises that building and sustaining a school culture of ongoing professional growth is, in itself, a strategy for attracting and retaining high-performing staff.

26.73% of funding ($22,905,168) is allocated against Reform 1.

All three sectors have committed a large proportion of this funding to improve the quality of teaching in the classroom and lead whole school professional learning. Mentoring strategies for school teachers and leaders will be implemented by all three sectors.

For example in the independent sector, 20 executives from 18 schools are being coached by principals from other independent schools.

The Catholic sector has indicated its intention to employ teacher educators to assist staff and principals to meet the numeracy and literacy needs of students and improve student engagement.

Government schools in the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership have indicated their intention to use National Partnership funding to employ a variety of teaching and non-teaching support staff. This includes the appointment of 17 educational and 12 operational paraprofessionals in 2010.

Both the Catholic and government sectors have also used National Partnership funding to employ additional executive staff.

Reform 2: Adoption of best practice performance management and staffing arrangements that articulate a clear role for principals
This reform acknowledges that principals are critical to the school performance improvements targeted through this National Partnership. Principals will require strong educational leadership capacity in order to lead the development and delivery of the school plan whilst also meeting the challenge of administering a new and flexible set of reforms within the school. Given the scale of the challenge, this reform extends responsibility for leadership to include school executives and teachers.

10.32% of funding ($8,840,914) is allocated against Reform 2.

Government schools have indicated that funds will be used for professional learning and leadership development. Strategies include mentoring, especially of early career teachers by more experienced staff, and the development of individual professional learning plans. Catholic schools indicate that funds will be expended as detailed in the integrated National Partnership strategic plans, especially in developing quality teaching and quality learning.

Reform 3: School operational arrangements that encourage innovation and flexibility
The success of the National Partnership will rely on the ability of schools to put in place clear strategies that will have a direct impact on student outcomes. While schools will have the flexibility and the resources to develop innovative strategies, clear accountabilities will be used to establish whether these strategies are making a difference.

19.84% of funding ($17,003,162) is allocated against Reform 3. 

Government schools plan to use Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership funds to implement innovative technologies that facilitate working together in cluster and network activities.

Strategies planned by Catholic sector schools include: 
•	using learning technologies to enhance pedagogy
•	visiting other schools to observe the use of flexible learning spaces
•	employing a community liaison officer
•	teacher educators supporting staff
•	small group work with education officers to assist staff

The 2009 independent Low SES school has used National Partnership funding to employ an Aboriginal paraprofessional.

Reform 4: Providing innovative and tailored learning opportunities
Tailored learning opportunities will be essential to address specific student needs if schools are to make measurable improvements. The ability to use student assessment and other data to identify individual, class and school needs will be critical to the success of the reforms.

24.99% of funding ($21,416,873) is allocated against Reform 4.

Government schools are implementing a total of 356 Literacy and Numeracy intervention programs as a key strategy, indicating that the development of students’ literacy and numeracy skills is a high priority for schools in this National Partnership. Schools’ adoption of targeted approaches include:

Literacy and Numeracy Programs 	Number of schools	
Reading to Learn	99	
Accelerated Literacy 	96	
QuickSmart	61	
Taking Off With Numeracy	27	
MULTILIT	56	
Focus on Reading	17	

Catholic sector schools intend to focus on providing teachers with professional development in the analysis of student data (including NAPLAN results) to identify student needs, implementing the literacy and numeracy programs Focus on Reading and Taking Off With Numeracy, whole school and individual interventions and individual learning plans. English as a Second Language (ESL) scales and the ESL Matters program are being implemented across a number of schools, and plans are currently being finalised for professional learning for some more isolated schools on the First Steps program at the beginning of 2010.

Strategies identified by the independent sector include targeted interventions such as the Reading to Learn literacy program intervention, and providing professional development for school executives and teachers to assist them in using and analysing data to address student needs.

Reform 5: Strengthen school accountability
Transparent planning and reporting mechanisms that clearly outline the goals to be achieved, the strategies to be implemented and the methods to be used for assessing outcomes underpin this reform.

7.16% of funding ($6,132,011) is allocated against Reform 5.

Government schools have indicated that they will implement strategies to strengthen partnerships with communities and also school accountability, including whole school planning and evaluation processes. All National Partnership schools have developed annual school reports and school plans. Every NP school will publish the school plan and annual report on their website. The relatively low level of expenditure for government schools in this area reflects the current strength of school accountability processes.

Catholic sector schools intend to provide professional learning for school staff in data analysis and the use of the School Measurement, Assessment and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) software. Schools will also monitor the development of school plans against specific goals, in order to appropriately work with school communities to communicate progress and models for evaluation of progress.

Reform 6: External partnerships with parents, other schools, businesses and communities and the provision of access to extended services (including through brokering arrangements)
This reform direction will strengthen schools’ ability to address identified needs through ongoing engagement with the broader community.

10.97% of funding ($9,402, 859) is allocated against Reform 6.

Government school strategies include working closely with whole communities, including local non-National Partnership schools, to develop closely aligned strategies for student engagement, attendance and retention. National Partnership funding will support schools’ access to resources, programs and personnel. Funding will also be used to strengthen engagement with the Aboriginal community, in particular the local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.

Catholic sector schools will focus on the development of parent education programs, strategies for making stronger connections between home and school, parent and staff engagement programs, and developing strategies to lift parents’ expectations of their children.

The independent sector has identified strategies including Indigenous community engagement, providing parent education classes related to students’ learning, and the provision of homework centres.

Details as to which cohorts of students have been targeted in schools and which strategies are being implemented to assist them
The reform options within the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership specifically cater for disadvantaged cohorts of students including Aboriginal students, students from Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE), refugees and students living in rural and remote areas.

Focussed interventions will be used to support identified students, including direct student interventions and professional development for teachers to implement particular evidence-based approaches, with the aim of achieving measurable improved outcomes.

Schools are identifying and targeting specific student literacy and numeracy learning needs through the situational analysis, leading to the uptake of a large number of literacy and numeracy programs through this National Partnership.

Analysis of school plans indicates that the learning of LBOTE and English as a Second Language (ESL) students to date has been supported by:
•	professional learning for staff across key learning areas on effective ESL pedagogy, catering for the needs of ESL and refugee students, and the use of ESL scales for assessment, reporting and programming
•	the Successful Language Learners pilot
•	analysing NAPLAN data of ESL students
•	Individual learning plans for ESL students

Baseline data for Literacy and Numeracy performance in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 

NAPLAN 2009 
Results for participating Low SES NP Schools	Year 3	Year 5	Year 7	Year 9	
Measure 1: Percentage at or above Minimum Standard – All Students Reading	92.4	85.5	87.2	84.0	
Measure 2: Percentage at or above Minimum Standard – All Students Numeracy	88.4	92.6	90.5	92.6	
Measure 3: Percentage of proficient – All Students Reading	29.5	23.8	16.7	14.0	
Measure 4: Percentage of proficient – All Students Numeracy	24.6	19.0	16.2	15.0	
Measure 5: Mean scale score – All Students Reading	382.1	464.5	509.7	553.5	
Measure 6: Mean scale score – All Students Numeracy	371.5	467.1	512.0	563.9	

School-based assessment and reporting mechanisms
All Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities NP schools undertook a situational analysis, including an in-depth analysis of student performance data to ensure appropriate strategies were selected to address identified student needs. Revised school plans with enhanced and additional strategies aligned to the six reforms of the Low SES NP have been submitted and signed off by relevant sectoral authorities.

Within government schools, student assessment is explicitly aligned to the New South Wales curriculum and is reported using a format which complies with Commonwealth requirements for reporting to parents. All schools provide at least two written reports to parents annually. Catholic and independent schools undertake similar reporting processes. All government schools will complete an annual school report.

Case studies from individual schools illustrating a range of scenarios operating within the partnership
Case studies can be found in the ‘Good Practice’ section of this report below.

Impact of the National Partnership and implementation issues
Impact of the National Partnership
Feedback indicates the following impacts are emerging from the preparation, consultation and analysis stage of the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership: 

Increased engagement with data as a basis for educational planning
The use of student data to inform decision-making is central to the planning process for this National Partnership. Schools have been assisted in the collection and analysis of data through a range of tools and processes, including staff participation in data analysis workshops provided by both the state office and regions. Initial feedback across the sectors indicates a heightened appreciation for the value of decision-making informed by data, and greater capacity to undertake effective data analysis.

Enhanced and deeper understanding of students’ strengths and areas for improvement
The effective use of student data has contributed to a deeper understanding of students’ strengths and the identification of areas for improvement. Schools were able to link this information to teacher professional learning and to identify strategies and programs to address identified areas of need.

Increased awareness of leadership skills and change management
Staff participation in the school situational analysis process and leadership and development programs have increased teachers’ awareness of the importance of leadership skills and the processes through which change is facilitated, supported and sustained.

Increased support for professional development of principals and teachers at school level
This is reflected in schools choosing to use National Partnership funding to expand and enhance teacher quality implementation strategies, including expanded professional learning opportunities, expanded support for new teachers and high quality teachers and school executive teams modelling best practice for colleagues.

Increased emphasis on parental engagement and opportunities to link more effectively with local community
Feedback indicates a strong level of consultation with parents and the local community in the planning process. This is a positive outcome given the tight time frame schools were required to comply with. This also indicates that schools regard Reform 6 (external partnerships with parents, other schools, businesses and communities) as an essential component in achieving positive cultural change in school communities, which will lead to enhanced student outcomes.

Through this National Partnership, New South Wales is actively promoting increased parental engagement as a strategy to support student learning, engagement and aspirations. 

The prioritisation of this strategy is reflected in the state’s active participation in the national collaboration project – Strategies to engage parents/caregivers in school in Low SES schools.

This project was one of six initiatives identified by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs in April 2009 to support the successful implementation of the National Partnerships. New South Wales has three representatives on the Taskforce established to implement the initiative. The members, who provide both a cross-sectoral and a parental perspective, will collaborate in sourcing and developing case studies highlighting good practice in relation to parental engagement.

As the National Partnership progresses, it is expected that parental and community involvement and engagement will further increase and strengthen.

Stronger links with Aboriginal communities and education groups
See ‘Activities supporting Indigenous students’ section below for details.

Extension of the impact of the National Partnership 
Schools’ engagement with their local community and neighbouring schools is an area of potential growth.

An early example of this is found in a school participating in the Low SES National Partnership working closely with non-National Partnership funded local schools to develop closely aligned strategies for student engagement, attendance and retention. National Partnership funding is enabling schools to implement consistent and integrated strategies across a local area.

Strengthened collaboration and sharing, within and between sectors
The National Partnership has provided a valuable means of facilitating cross-sectoral collaboration to jointly develop effective strategies within the reform areas.

Increased collaboration within sectors is evidenced in the many government schools working in clusters to release and share teaching and learning leaders across groups of schools.

New South Wales is maximising the potential for cross-sectoral collaboration through the governance and implementation structures it has established for the Smarter Schools National Partnerships. At all levels of governance and implementation, the NSW’s school sectors are working together to identify and develop strategies for addressing National Partnership related issues.

A cross-sectoral Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities Working Group meets regularly to discuss items of interest and concern. The Working Group has discussed the development and sharing of information and communication packages to support schools in the planning process and in undertaking innovative and new programs.

Another example of effective cross-sectoral collaboration is the development of communication strategies to enable good practice to be shared between sectors, such as the development of case studies.

As schools continue implementation during 2010, the progress and impact of strategies and programs will continue to be evaluated and documented.

Implementation issues
Schools in the Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership are currently in the very early stages of implementation. Planning for the 2009 and 2010 cohorts involved schools undertaking consultation and a situational analysis using a variety of resources and tools.

Feedback from principals indicates that the timeframes for undertaking the situational analysis were extremely tight but that the information gained from the situational analysis was a key component in the successful identification of the strategies and programs implemented at school level.  This feedback regarding the pressures arising from the limited timeframe was consistent across all three sectors.

Further development of planning tools, support materials and structures and longer timeframes will benefit schools across all sectors, ensuring that future cohorts of schools enter the Low SES National Partnership with greater confidence and encouraging better alignment between reform strategies and funding allocation.

Early indications are that while there are some widely shared issues, schools also face unique challenges in planning for and implementing the reforms in a way that suits and benefits their particular context. For example, the independent school joining the National Partnership in 2009 found it challenging to implement a process designed for a sector which was still responsive to the school’s needs and the reforms. As only one independent school was scheduled to start in 2009, the school did not have the benefit of other schools to share ideas or provide collegial support.

New South Wales is conscious of the need to develop strategies to address these unique challenges and provide responsive support processes in the future.

Activities supporting Indigenous students

The analysis of school plans indicates that schools are working closely with whole communities including non-National Partnership funded local schools to develop aligned strategies for Aboriginal student engagement, attendance and retention.

A number of National Partnership schools are working closely with local Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups to develop and lead collaborative programs that build meaningful, sustainable community involvement, including the use of Aboriginal languages, involving Aboriginal elders in school activities, establishing homework centres and providing community rooms and resources.

Partnering effectively and extensively with local Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups is an area NSW is looking to develop further. Other potential areas for expansion include the promotion of existing good practice through case studies and teacher professional learning, jointly planned with the Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate and Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.

Government schools have identified the following strategies to support Aboriginal students:
•	professional learning for all teachers on the Aboriginal Education and Training Strategy 2009-2012
•	embedding local Aboriginal languages into the curriculum
•	embedding of Aboriginal content and viewpoint across all curriculum areas
•	consulting with the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Aboriginal elders and community members to employ and train school learning support officers from the Aboriginal community
•	developing personalised learning plans for all Aboriginal school students 

Strategies within the independent sector include:
•	establishing a homework centre
•	implementing a positive parenting course
•	identifying specific literacy and numeracy needs and addressing these through the appropriate programs
•	implementing community education and programs to enhance student well-being
•	employing an Aboriginal person to support students’ literacy programs

Strategies in the Catholic sector include:
•	a strong focus on identifying specific literacy and numeracy needs and targeting these through the most appropriate programs, which to date include Taking Off with Numeracy, Focus on Reading and LEXIA
•	teacher educators’ development of support programs and processes for Aboriginal students

Good practice

School self-evaluation
The implementation of National Partnership programs and activities are still in the very early stages, and it is too early to clearly identify the full impact of strategies. However, an analysis of school plans reveals that schools have been effective in analysing their particular contexts, and in identifying their students’ needs as a first step.

Plans indicate that schools are also making informed decisions about appropriate strategies to respond to their students’ identified needs.

This is evident in the following four school case studies:
1.	an independent school supporting disengaged students who have been suspended or expelled from other schools
2.	a Catholic school supporting Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE) students
3.	a public school supporting English as a Second Language (ESL) and refugee students
4.	a public school supporting Aboriginal students

A final fifth case study provides an overview of good practice strategies adopted by all participating National Partnerships schools within the region of Western New South Wales.

Case studies
Case Study 1: Macleay Vocational College, Kempsey
Macleay Vocational College, Kempsey is an independent community-based education and training provider. It is a Special Assistance School which targets young people who have been suspended or expelled from traditional education settings. Initial enrolment is in year 9. The school offers students the possibility of completing the School Certificate and Higher School Certificate (HSC) with a University Admissions Index or vocational HSC. The college positions itself as a 'safety net', targeting disengaged students or students at risk of not achieving a basic high school education.

A vast majority of the current enrolment consists of students who have been chronic truants, bullied at previous schools, at risk of possible suicide or students exiting juvenile detention.

Of the current cohort of 72 students, 52 are Aboriginal students (72%) and 30 are male (42%). The reading age of the entire school ranges from 6 years and 16 years, with the average reading age of the year 9 cohort being 8.3 years - 10.2 years. Generally the year 9 cohort enters the college performing at stage 2/3 outcomes. The high literacy needs of the year 9 cohort are clearly evidenced by the number of readers/writers needed for year 9 examinations. The school has needed up to 9 readers/writers for year 9 examinations on average annually. There were 21 enrolments in year 9 in 2009, 16 of which were Aboriginal.

Improving the literacy of the students was identified as the first priority in the college school plan. ‘Reading To Learn’, a whole school literacy program developed by Dr David Rose, was chosen as the intervention strategy as it was designed specifically to engage Aboriginal students. The program has age-appropriate resources and subject-specific materials and is suitable for the wide range of reading ages in the cohort.

Implementation of the ‘Reading to Learn’ program required significant and ongoing professional learning for the staff at the college. The plan includes the employment of an extra teacher for three days a week to support teachers in and out of the classroom and to manage and monitor the literacy intervention strategy. Seven of the school’s teachers have begun training in the program and meet weekly after school with the support teacher to continue their professional learning.

The plan also provides for the employment of an Aboriginal education worker to support the literacy program across subject areas and to establish a homework centre staffed by parent volunteers and college staff.

This homework centre provides students with a place conducive to learning, and supports the students’ families to engage productively with the students’ learning. The homework centre also engages with the students’ parents by offering positive parenting classes.

An increase in the employment of Aboriginal men and women in the college is also expected to have a positive influence on student outcomes by creating a school environment that more fully reflects the school’s student profile, supporting improved school attendance rates. 

Case Study 2: Our Lady of the Rosary, Fairfield
OLR School, Fairfield, is a Kindergarten to year 6 co-educational, three-stream Catholic primary school situated in south-western Sydney, with current enrolment of 653 students. The school draws most of its students from the local parish community and surrounding suburbs. Parents are encouraged to become involved in the life of the school. As well as quality teaching and learning, OLR School has a strong commitment to pastoral care and the co-curricular life of the school including sport, creative and performing arts, chess, public speaking and choir.

Data analysis indicated that students with English as a Second Language (ESL) make up 93% of the school population. The target groups for the project are ESL students, students at or below minimum standard in the NAPLAN tests, and other students identified as requiring an individualised educational plan through school-based assessment data.

The aims of the project are to:
•	meet the learning needs of targeted students identified at risk, particularly in oral language and inferential reading
•	develop whole-of-school approach for ESL learners
•	build the capacity of teachers in identifying strategies to teach ESL learners
•	develop a whole-of-school program for reading, and build the capacity of teachers to explicitly teach reading across all taxonomies
•	build the capacity of the leadership team and teachers in understanding the nature of data

Three programs address the particular nature of learning in this school: the employment of a talented and capable teacher known as a teacher educator; a whole-of-school plan to address the needs of the ESL learner through the ‘ESL Matters’ program; and a whole-of-school plan in reading and individual education plans for identified students ‘at risk’ students using the ‘Reading Matters’ program.

The teacher educator is a member of the school leadership team and works directly in the classroom with teachers, building their capacity in targeting personalised learning for students.

The whole-of-school plan aims to address the needs of the ESL learner through the ‘ESL Matters’ program. This program provides support to teachers and school leaders in understanding and using the ESL scales. Teacher educators, ESL teachers and school leadership teams have engaged in professional learning in becoming familiar with the ‘ESL Matters’ professional development package, further developing their understanding of the nature of the ESL learner and second language acquisition, ESL scales and its implementation in schools and exploring ESL pedagogy.

Teachers will be supported by the teacher educator and the ‘ESL Matters’ professional learning program to effectively use ESL scales to address the needs of the ESL student.

The school supports and encourages parental engagement through targeted home reading strategies, using plain English and translations into the main languages spoken in students’ homes.

Case Study 3: Villawood East Public School, South Western Sydney region
Villawood East Public School is a 2010 Low SES Community school in South Western Sydney that is participating in a pilot project called ‘Successful Language Learners: Whole School ESL language and literacy practices’. The project’s purpose is to improve the English language, literacy and numeracy performance of ESL and refugee students.

Villawood East Public School is using a number of ESL strategies aimed at improving ESL students’ learning, such as homework support, language learning plans and professional learning. An additional assistant principal ESL has been appointed to provide targeted support to students and to lead professional learning for teachers and executive staff.

The school is using a variety of Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs and a Successful Language Learners (SLL) “ning” to communicate, create and share resources and ideas about good teaching with other SLL schools.

A Community Liaison Officer (CLO) has been appointed to help the school develop stronger links with its community. The school is establishing a homework centre to increase parental involvement in the learning process. The CLO is providing parents with information about literacy and numeracy learning through regular parent information sessions and newsletters.

Case Study 4: Cowra Public School, Western region
Cowra Public School has planned an extensive suite of strategies and programs to support the learning of Aboriginal students, including consultation, collaboration and co-leadership of strategies with the local Aboriginal community and school staff. The Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership funding has provided opportunities to expand and extend existing programs and to initiate new work. Strategies include:
•	identifying of Aboriginal elder/regional Aboriginal education staff, in consultation with Aboriginal community members, to support the ‘Building Cultural Competencies’ training with staff, students and parents
•	building partnerships with Charles Sturt University, Cowra High School, Erambie Advancement, Galingabangbur Gathering and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group to investigate the most productive means and strategies of strengthening links between, and engaging with local Aboriginal parents, carers and community members in school education
•	completing, implementing and providing feedback on personalised learning plans for Indigenous students with the student and their families
•	building awareness and teacher professional development around the ‘8 Ways of Learning’ methodology
•	developing teaching and learning programs that reflect, where appropriate, integration of ‘8 Ways of Learning’ processes/strategies 
•	joining with other schools to release a position at deputy principal level to facilitate professional learning focussed on quality teaching and learning for Aboriginal students centred on the ‘8 Ways of Learning’
•	employing 2.5 school learning support officers from the Aboriginal community and training them to support Aboriginal students in literacy, numeracy, and transition programs from pre-school and to Cowra High School
•	establishing a boys’ literacy group targeted at Aboriginal boys falling below the state mean, with in-class support from Aboriginal education officers and school learning support officers
•	establishing a drop-in room for Aboriginal parents / carers / community members at the school
•	holding informal information sessions on how to help children in literacy and numeracy
•	providing opportunities for parents/caregivers to assist in and out of classrooms
•	running “taster” classes in the Aboriginal language of Wiradjuri for Stage 3 students as part of a middle school program in partnership with Cowra High School
•	extending the ‘Yalbillinga Pre-School Transition to Kindergarten’ program to include:
o	familiarisation and educational visits to Yalbillinga by kindergarten teachers in Terms 2, 3, 4 
familiarisation and educational visits by Yalbillinga to Cowra public school kindergartens in Terms 2, 3 and 4
Case Study 5: Western New South Wales region
The Western NSW region is the largest DET school region, covering around 385,000 square kilometres. None of the population of Western NSW live in major cities; 90% live in inner regional or outer regional centres, whilst the remaining population live in remote or very remote areas. The region services 196 schools and approximately 41,300 students. Just under 20 per cent of all full-time equivalent enrolments in 2009 were Aboriginal. Aboriginal enrolments in Western NSW have continued to grow over the last five years, although total school enrolments are recorded as declining.

Western New South Wales region elected to have all of the schools on the Low SES School Communities National Partnership commence simultaneously.

Of the 99 Western NSW schools, 26 schools received additional funding due to remoteness. Six schools in the Low SES National Partnership are also participating in the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership.

Principals of the National Partnerships schools in Western NSW have committed to an accord to work collaboratively to implement a change strategy.

The region has undertaken an extended process to support schools with their planning. School education directors and regional staff have worked closely with schools through the process of undertaking the situational analysis and revising schools plans.

Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership schools in the Western NSW region made a strategic decision to contribute to seven positions at Principal High School 2 (PH2) level across the region to explicitly support the work of the Low SES National Partnership schools. By contributing to these support positions at principal level, schools have had access to experienced high-performing school leaders who have been able to lead, mentor and support local principals in developing processes, strategies and programs. This has significantly boosted the leadership capacity of schools in the region.  These experienced high-performing school leaders have also supported principals in the development of principal and executive capability in data analysis, evaluation and accountability.

Principals have also contributed seven ‘connected learning coaches’ at assistant principal/head teacher level to assist in the effective integration of technology into teaching and learning. While focussed on pedagogy, these positions support schools to make most effective use of Commonwealth and state government initiatives such as the ‘Digital Education Revolution’ and the ‘Connected Classrooms Program’.

An Aboriginal pedagogies mentor position has also been established by the principals to support schools in developing effective practices and to support schools in implementing the ‘8 Ways of Learning’ methodology.

Further studies on collaboration and the impact on schools’ situational analyses, planning and ongoing implementation will provide useful information about this type of coordinated, strategic support for groups of schools and whole-of-region implementation.

Section 4 – Literacy and Numeracy

Progress statement

A total of 147 schools will participate in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy in New South Wales from 2009/10 to 2010/11.

147 Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools commenced in 2009 as follows:
•	114 government schools
•	26 Catholic schools
•	7 independent schools 

Schools in the three sectors were identified as eligible using a range of criteria including:
•	2008 NAPLAN data: Year 3 and Year 5 at / or below national minimum standard in reading and/or numeracy. The list identified schools where the percentage of all students at or below minimum standard is above the state percentage (using reading and numeracy at Years 3 and 5). The Association of Independent Schools identified participating schools using only the 2008 NAPLAN data
•	assessment of schools’ suitability and readiness to be offered an opportunity to participate in the National Partnership. This was determined by government regional and Catholic Education Commission diocesan offices
•	the regional/diocesan capacity to support school leaders and teachers as they participate in bold and innovative lasting school change
•	the schools’ characteristics including:
o	enrolment size
o	student language background
o	student demographic data ‐ for example schools with a large proportion of refugee students and/or Aboriginal students
o	the degree of disadvantage of the schools or group of schools

All of the schools participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy are primary schools.

Participation in the National Partnership will give teachers and school executive staff opportunities to embed practices that will deliver sustained improvement in literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students, especially for those who are falling behind.

The school self-evaluation process has identified key priority areas for each school to address in their chosen area of reading or numeracy. Undertaking the school self-evaluation process has confirmed for schools why improvement was required and provided support in leading cultural change and targeting National Partnership resources to best achieve improvement.

Of the 147 schools participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy in New South Wales, 102 schools are undertaking literacy programs and 45 are undertaking numeracy programs.

Figure 9: Map – All Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools: 2009/10 - 2010/11. Refer to page 77 in PDF version of Annual Report.

Several communities of schools have been formed to focus on a common reading or numeracy program, such as:
•	government sector regions of Sydney (reading)
•	Western New South Wales (reading)
•	North Coast regions (numeracy)
•	Catholic Diocese of Parramatta (reading)

Sectors are committed to working with schools to refine the school review process and embed practices that align priorities identified within school self-evaluations to strategies and actions in the school plan. 

Each of the 147 primary schools has formed a school improvement leadership team to support and monitor the ongoing implementation of their chosen reading or numeracy program.  All schools participating in the NP have completed facilitation training for school improvement leadership teams.

Government and Catholic school improvement teams are building classroom leaders’ and teacher educators’ capacity to mentor colleagues and expand their knowledge and skills in reading and numeracy, through the use of the Team Leadership for School Improvement Program and the NSW DET Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy.

The seven independent Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership schools have completed the Independent Schools Leadership Centre (ISLC) Course – Leadership for Enhancing Data Driven Reading and Numeracy Improvement.

Participating schools have demonstrated a strong commitment to evidence-based teaching and the use of the School Measurement, Assessment and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) data and training modules to monitor student progress in reading or numeracy. All teachers have ongoing access to e-learning modules for SMART Data Analysis.

Classroom teachers in all schools have accessed the first phase of professional learning for the selected whole class intervention program for reading or numeracy and have defined dates for professional learning in place for 2010.

All schools have identified students who are at-risk of achieving at or below national minimum standards in 2010 and have developed an individual learning plan for each of these students. Where indicated in school plans, students have access to an individual student reading or numeracy intervention program such as MULTILIT, QuickSmart Numeracy or the Taking Off With Numeracy intervention program.

Independent schools have included parent workshops as a means of supporting students in the individual reading and numeracy programs identified in their school plans. In some government schools, parent volunteers have been trained in individual student reading or numeracy intervention programs. 

Milestones and measures

All milestones for the reporting period have been reached.

Milestones
Signing of the Literacy and Numeracy NP Bilateral Agreement 
The Bilateral Agreement was signed by the New South Wales Minister for Education and Training on 18 December 2009 and by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 January 2010.

Acceptance of New South Wales’ Final Implementation Plan
NSW’s Final Implementation Plan was submitted to the Commonwealth on 22 December 2009 and was formally accepted on 22 January 2010.

State Annual Report 2010
This report was submitted to the Commonwealth on 1 April 2010.

Facilitation payment milestones 
Teachers in participating schools have ongoing access to e-learning modules SMART data analysis
All teachers have ongoing access to School Measurement, Assessment and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) Data Analysis e-learning modules to monitor program student progress in reading or numeracy.

By December 2009, SMART e-learning will be fully functional
One e-learning module has been created, combining material for both novice and experienced users. All teachers in participating schools have ongoing access to e-learning modules for SMART data analysis.

All students in Years 3, 4 and 5 in participating schools complete the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy March 2010 assessment
The National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy March 2010 assessment was completed in March 2010.

Publication of school plans on school websites
All 147 National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy schools have published school plans on their respective school websites.

Data Analysis Skills Survey baseline data collection completed by all schools
Data Analysis Skills Survey (DASA) baseline data collection has been completed by all 147 schools participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy.

Other April 2010 reporting commitments
In the Bilateral Agreement for the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy, NSW committed to report on the following measures in this first annual report:

Baseline data for the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy Assessment in April 2009
All 147 schools implemented the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy Baseline Assessment for students in Years 2, 3 and 4 in 2009.

Teachers have used this baseline assessment to determine growth, together with other student and school data to identify and monitor the allocation of support for individual students.

Mean scale scores for the baseline tests conducted in April 2009 were:

Year	Literacy	Numeracy	
Year 2	42.1	39.6	
Year 3	48.5	47.6	
Year 4	52.0	53.2	

Baseline data from the Data Analysis Skills Assessment
As outlined in New South Wales’ Implementation Plan, state baseline data was collected from a sample of 113 schools participating in this National Partnership.  The average of teachers ranked in phase one (the lowest phase) across the seven common domains of DASA was 65.5%.

Single school DASA baseline data has been collected by all 147 schools participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy.

The Data Analysis Skills Assessment (DASA) measures teacher and school executive use of data in each of seven domains:
•	navigating SMART data
•	analysing SMART data for the classroom
•	analysing SMART data for the school
•	integrating school and external assessment
•	using data to drive pedagogy
•	ethical practice
•	professional contribution

DASA is completed online and provides immediate feedback to the user. Once the survey is complete, the user's results are mapped onto the matrix for each domain. The user is also provided with access to professional learning materials to help them to increase their skills and awareness of data usage, in order to improve teaching and learning. A professional learning plan is created in the DASA tool which can be monitored by the user over time.

All three school sectors will measure the use of data against four phases of achievement described in the DASA Matrix (see pp.165-166 of NSW’s Implementation Plan for details).

Baseline data from assessment of school practice in literacy and numeracy (e.g. Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy)
Each of the 147 primary schools has formed a school improvement leadership team. All school improvement leadership teams have completed facilitation training to support the implementation and monitoring of schools’ selected literacy or numeracy intervention.

Teams from the 114 NSW National Partnership public schools plus 11 Catholic schools from the Dioceses of Bathurst, Canberra/Goulburn, Wagga Wagga, and Armidale participated in facilitator training in the Team Leadership for School Improvement Program in October 2009.  

During this training, each school team completed an evaluation of school practice in relation to literacy and numeracy, which resulted in the development of a set of practical measures customised to the school’s individual circumstances.  This will enable schools to use student and school data to design and implement school plans that clearly focus on meeting individual students’ and teachers’ learning needs to maximise whole school improvement.

The measures identified will form the basis of school planning, school improvement and cultural change over the life of the National Partnership. Increased leadership capacity is expected to develop as the schools progress through core and support modules of the Team Leadership for School Improvement Program.

Data was captured by school leaders using the Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy at the beginning of the course and will continue to be collected annually until the end of the NP. 

The Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy articulates 25 statements of best practice at levels (bands) in literacy and numeracy.

Participants of the Team Leadership for School Improvement Program have been extremely positive about its relevance to improving school performance: 

“This is the program I’ve been waiting for, founded on research and providing highly practical strategies for school improvement that I can directly relate to my school targets.” (Principal)

“The program is fabulous. I know that we are a school that needs to develop its outcomes and that is why we are involved but on a professional level this looks to be one of the most exciting things I have done in a very long time.” (Principal)

“Thanks. I really like the ‘Analytical Framework’. There is a bit of a ‘wow factor’ with it, but it is full of great strategies and content. I will be using it as a basis for a lot of my work towards accreditation at Professional Leadership level.” (Deputy Principal)

School leadership teams from 80% of NSW schools in the National Partnership, including all NSW National Partnership public schools, completed the pre-program assessment of leadership practice using the Analytical Framework Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy.

In addition, 15 Catholic schools undertook team leadership training developed by or provide through their diocese.

All seven independent schools involved in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy have completed the Independent Schools Leadership Centre (ISLC) Course – Leadership for Enhancing Data Driven Reading and Numeracy Improvement.

The ISLC course consisted of a three-day face-to-face workshop that provided participants with practical strategies to enhance teaching team capability and student learning outcomes in reading and numeracy, followed by a one-day workshop at each participant school site designed to build upon school leaders’ data analysis skills and enhance their strategic planning, resource allocation and teacher programming activities. A major focus of the ISLC course is to assist leaders to manage the change involved in building the school’s capacity to implement productive interventions to produce sustained improvement in student results.

Number of teachers implementing whole school/whole class reading and numeracy programs 
Classroom teachers in all National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy schools have accessed the first phase of professional learning for the selected whole class intervention program in reading or numeracy and have defined dates in place for professional learning in 2010.

Teachers have demonstrated willingness and commitment to extend their knowledge of teaching strategies in reading and numeracy with an explicit focus on what students need to learn and understand to improve their achievement.

Whole school or whole class reading programs
Whole school or whole class reading programs have been implemented by almost 1300 teachers in New South Wales:

Reading Programs – 
Whole Class/School	Number of Teachers	Number of Schools	
Focus on Reading 3-6	412	37	
Accelerated Literacy	399	30	
Reading to Learn	180	21	
Mindful Learning: Mindful Teaching	159	8	
First Steps Literacy 2nd Edition – Reading	67	4	
Effective School Wide Reading Model	22	1	
English as a Second Language	57	1	

Whole school or whole class numeracy programs 
Whole school or whole class numeracy programs have been implemented by almost 600 teachers in New South Wales:

Numeracy Programs –
Whole Class/School	Number of Teachers	Number of Schools	
Taking Off With Numeracy	497	41	
Learning in Numeracy K-8	4	1	
Other whole class	87	3	

Number of students who have individual learning plans in reading or numeracy
All schools have identified students who are at-risk of achieving at or below national minimum standards in 2010 and developed an individual learning plan for each of these students.

As a result, 3,262 students have individual learning plans in reading or numeracy.

Where indicated in school plans, students have access to an individual student reading or numeracy intervention program such as MULTILIT, QuickSmart Numeracy or Taking Off With Numeracy.

Individual reading programs 
Individual reading programs have been implemented by over 100 schools in New South Wales:

Reading Programs – 
Individual Student Intervention	Number of schools	
MULTILIT	74	
Individual learning plans
(may include other literacy intervention programs)	12	
Mindful Learning: Mindful teaching	8	
Working Out What Works	3	
Supporting individual readers	1	
LEXIA	1	
Successful Language Learners	1	
Reading for Students at Risk	1	
Reading Tutors	1	

Individual numeracy programs 
Individual numeracy programs have been implemented by over 45 schools in New South Wales:

Numeracy Programs –
Individual Student Intervention	Number of schools	
Taking Off With Numeracy	28	
QuickSmart Numeracy	14	
Individual learning plans
(may include other numeracy intervention programs)	3	

Number of teachers participating in the Cultural Immersion Program (Term 1, 2010)
287 government and Catholic school teachers and executives participated in school-based or locally developed Aboriginal cultural information sessions. Through this program, teachers who take up duty in government Aboriginal community schools will have the opportunity to be immersed in the local Aboriginal community by learning about Country, being linked with local Aboriginal people and sharing the knowledge of local Aboriginal elders.

For further information on cultural immersion programs, please see the ‘Activities supporting Indigenous students’ section below.

Impact of the National Partnership and implementation issues

Impact of the National Partnership
Funding under this National Partnership has enabled professional learning across the whole school in numeracy or reading interventions, with teachers working collaboratively and collectively when producing teaching and learning programs.

The Team Leadership for School Improvement Program and the NSW DET Analytical Framework for Effective Leadership and School Improvement in Literacy and Numeracy provide valuable tools in ensuring that the school capacity building sustains the new whole school reading and numeracy interventions in the NP schools.

Many schools have developed action plans that bring together strategies from the Team Leadership for School Improvement Program, professional learning from reading or numeracy programs and student data analysis.  In this way, implementation of these programs in the classroom is supported and individual reform components are linked to provide a single focus on whole school improvement.

The opportunities to build the capacity of school and classroom leaders has been welcomed and reported by schools as one critical component in the collective commitment schools have made to changing classroom practice. This initiative has delivered positive outcomes in building staff capacity to undertake new roles as classroom leaders in schools.

Implementation issues
Publication of School Plans
The publication of school plans on school websites is a milestone for April 2010 and will be achieved by all schools participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy.

The development of a school plan represents considerable work by school teams comprising comprehensive data analysis and professional development for teachers to plan for the implementation of reading and numeracy programs in the classroom. However, work still needs to be done to reflect the depth and scope of this activity in some school plans.

All sectors are continuing to work with National Partnership schools to enhance school websites where needed and provide a clear ‘line of sight’ between the NP reform agenda, the strategies being implemented in NSW schools and the National Partnership funding allocation in the school plan. Sectors are committed to working with schools to refine the school review process and embed practices that align priorities identified within the school self-evaluation to strategies and actions in the school plan.

Activities supporting Indigenous students

Focus on Reading 3-6
The newly developed cross-sectoral reading program Focus on Reading 3-6 (FOR 3-6) includes resources to support teachers working with Aboriginal students in collaboration with an Aboriginal academic (Dr Wendy Hanlen, PhD University of Newcastle, a specialist in the field of Aboriginal literacy), and the DET Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate.

Dr Hanlen delivered a presentation to 61 participants from 37 schools, regions and dioceses across the three sectors. Participants received training as FOR 3-6 certified trainers. Connections between explicit teaching of comprehension and providing support for Aboriginal learners were made throughout training for Phase 1 of the program.

Materials provided as part of professional learning for teachers in Phase 1 of FOR 3-6 include a paper and accompanying DVD Aboriginal students: Cultural insights for teaching literacy; professional learning suggestions to facilitate engagement with ideas in the paper and DVD; and an annotated bibliography of useful and interesting resources related to teaching Aboriginal students. These resources have been endorsed by both the DET Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate and the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.

Accelerated Literacy
Accelerated Literacy is a whole class reading program being implemented in 28 Literacy and Numeracy schools. This is a research-based K-12 mainstream pedagogy that has been proven to improve the literacy outcomes of Aboriginal students at an accelerated rate referenced in Rose, Rose, Farrington and Page (2008) ‘Scaffolding Literacy for Indigenous Health Sciences Students’ in the Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 7(3), pp.166-168.

Accelerated Learning is a whole class approach and the schools implementing this program have also taken a whole school approach to professional development, with 399 teachers undertaking training. Culturally appropriate texts are used to provide specific links to Aboriginal cultural knowledge for all students.

Taking Off With Numeracy
A two-day training conference was held in November 2009 for 41 schools and their 126 teachers and supporting regional and state office personnel on the numeracy program Taking Off With Numeracy (TOWN). 

The conference included a session on supporting the numeracy development of Aboriginal students. This session focussed on embracing culture and achieving mathematical excellence. In addition, a series of professional learning events were conducted via video- conference during Term 4, 2009 and Term 1, 2010. 

The team leading these events included officers from the NSW Department of Education and Training Mathematics Unit; Curriculum K-12 Directorate; and the Numeracy Coordinator, Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate who provides advice regarding the numeracy development of Aboriginal students.

Individual Learning Plans
Individual learning plans have been developed for all students at risk of not meeting minimum NAPLAN standards, including Aboriginal students.

For government schools, it is a priority for all Aboriginal students to have a personalised learning plan, which has been developed in consultation with the student, teacher and parent(s). In 2009, there were 3,970 Aboriginal students in 111 schools.

The personalised learning plan is a goal-setting process for the student and parent(s) with the core demands of literacy or numeracy underpinning the process. In the light of the requirement in New South Wales’ Smarter Schools National Partnerships implementation plan for individual learning plans for identified Aboriginal students, many personalised learning plans are being redeveloped to include a stronger academic focus.

In Catholic dioceses, Aboriginal education support officers have worked with school teams to profile the learning of Aboriginal students. They have set targets, devised individual learning plans and are monitoring and tracking student progress for their 330 Aboriginal students.

In each of the seven independent schools involved in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy, individual learning plans have been developed in consultation with teachers, school executive and, where possible, parents. Independent schools with Aboriginal students (54 in total) are developing personalised learning plans with support from the Association of Independent Schools consultants.

Cultural Immersion Programs
Cultural immersion programs are intended to develop cultural knowledge and understanding of local Aboriginal communities among teachers and school leaders. The focus of these programs is on connecting newly appointed staff with the local Aboriginal community in the early stages of appointment to the school.

The Catholic Education Commission of NSW
66 Catholic school teachers and executives have participated in school-based or locally developed Aboriginal cultural immersion programs. 

The Catholic Schools Office, Armidale has developed an Aboriginal cultural immersion program, Let’s Talk Dhwunda, designed for school leadership teams and beginning teachers in Catholic schools with a significant Aboriginal student enrolment that are involved in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy. The program engages staff with local Aboriginal elders and community members and focuses on Aboriginal cultural history, the effects of European settlement on Aboriginal communities and the educational needs of Aboriginal students.

The program runs for five days and is offered in semesters one and two. Let’s Talk Dhwunda includes pre- and post-immersion meetings and ongoing follow-up at the school level. The program is open to all educational sectors and it is anticipated that the diocese will expand the program to include schools not participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy.

NSW Department of Education and Training
221 government school teachers and executives have participated in school-based or locally developed Aboriginal cultural immersion programs. 

In addition, a specially developed three day in-the-field cultural immersion program is planned for newly appointed teachers in regions with significant numbers of Aboriginal students. 

This cultural immersion program has been planned, developed and designed by the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) specifically for new-service and relocating in-service teachers employed by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. The program provides a much-needed cultural conduit between the Department’s teaching fraternity and Aboriginal peoples and communities. 

Teachers will be presented with a unique opportunity to engage directly with Aboriginal Australians at the local community level.  Over the course of three days, teachers will be introduced to local Aboriginal histories, cultures, languages, modes of communication and social experiences. With the support of AECG, teachers will connect with Aboriginal parents, Aboriginal community members, representatives from Aboriginal community organisations and key Aboriginal education personnel.

This experience will be followed by in-school professional development activity to integrate the knowledge and understandings gained from the in-the-field experience into teaching and learning activities linked to subject curriculum.

By the end of the program, it is anticipated that participating teachers’ understanding of the myriad of social, cultural, historical, economic and political issues that continue to affect and concern Aboriginal peoples and communities will have significantly increased.

Teachers will develop a deeper knowledge of the cultural geography of their local school precinct and, more broadly, their school’s region. They will also encounter the concept and meaning of Country from an Aboriginal cultural understanding first-hand. 

Additional funding is being provided by the NSW State government to extend this program to schools beyond the 147 schools participating in this National Partnership. 

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Independent schools have undertaken to participate when a cultural immersion program is available in their local geographical area.

Good practice

School self-evaluation
All 147 schools participating in the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership have completed a school self-evaluation. This process involved a number of tools including an online survey for students and staff, NAPLAN school performance analysis and focus group interviews. Targeted school self-evaluation implementation teams were formed at a sector level to work with schools.

The self-evaluation process identified key priority areas for each school in addressing their chosen area in reading or numeracy and the necessary changes to the school plan to reflect these needs.

Overwhelmingly, school principals in all sectors have reported that the tools provided for the school self-evaluation have been very useful resources, as has the process itself. In addition, undertaking the school self-evaluation process has confirmed for schools why improvement was required and provided support in leading cultural change and targeting National Partnership resources to best achieve improvement.

For example, according to principals in the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, the school self-evaluation process was a valuable tool to focus the school community, parents, staff and students on school needs and to drive improvements in the school plan.

Case Study 1: Rutherford Public School
Rutherford Public School in the Hunter/Central Coast region is an example of a school that found the school self-evaluation process tremendously valuable. The school identified reading as a priority area, using NAPLAN results for 2008 and 2009 and benchmark testing for the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy assessment, which provided reading progress data for year 2, year 3 and year 4 students. The school also used staff survey results, student survey results and focus groups were conducted with parents and students. The results of the school self evaluation are reflected in the strategies and actions that have been incorporated into the school plan.

Rutherford Primary School has published its school plan on the school website at: http://www.rutherford.ps.education.nsw.gov.au

All independent schools have conducted a school self-evaluation process, including the use of School Measurement, Assessment and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) data tools, Data Analysis Skills Survey (DASA) and the collection of other school data to inform the selection of either a literacy or numeracy program. The results of the school self-evaluation process have clearly defined specific areas of both strength and concern for each school.

Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy
The Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy (MULTILIT) Reading Tutor Program is an intensive one-to-one remedial program for students who are experiencing difficulty in reading.

59 government, eight Catholic and six independent schools are implementing MULTILIT as an intervention strategy for students experiencing difficulty in reading through the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy.

Schools in Hunter/Central Coast, New England, South Western Sydney, Illawarra South East and Western Sydney regions have confirmed that they have commenced the program. By mid-March 2010, a total of 177 participants will have been trained in the delivery of MULTILIT for implementation in National Partnership schools. Workshops have been conducted in Dubbo, Toronto and Sydney during 2009 and further workshops are scheduled for Armidale and Rutherford in 2010.

Hunter/Central Coast region
•	all 16 schools in the region that selected reading are implementing MULTILIT as their chosen individual student intervention program
•	schools have commenced implementation with individual students identified as experiencing difficulty in reading
•	a government school principal in this region reported that the school already had its first graduate from the program who was reported to be extremely positive and excited about the progress he had made in reading

New England region
•	all six schools in the region that selected reading are implementing MULTILIT as their chosen individual student intervention program
•	feedback from schools in this region shows overwhelming and positive support for the program

South Western Sydney region
•	13 out of a total of 18 schools in the region that selected reading are implementing MULTILIT as their chosen individual student intervention program

Western NSW region
•	all 10 schools that selected reading are implementing MULTILIT as their chosen individual student intervention program

Focus on Reading 3-6
37 schools from NSW’s Catholic, government and independent education sectors have selected Focus on Reading 3-6 (FOR). 

336 government, 71 Catholic and five independent school teachers are implementing Focus on Reading 3-6.

In October 2009, 61 certified trainers attended a three-day workshop to build an in-depth understanding of how to explicitly teach six key comprehension skills (making connections, questioning, visualising, monitoring, summarising, predicting) in balanced and integrated ways. Training participants have since passed on this knowledge and understanding of comprehension to their colleagues in schools. Ongoing support for the classroom leaders and teacher educators has been provided through an online wiki and video-conferences.

Case Study 2: Ingleburn Public School
Ingleburn Public School, a government primary school situated in South-Western Sydney near the growing Ingleburn industrial belt, has chosen ‘Focus on Reading 3-6’ as its whole school reading intervention. 

Ingleburn Public School’s improvement plan targets raising student achievement in literacy and decreasing the proportion of students at risk of not achieving the minimum national standard in literacy. 

The school self-evaluation process identified reading as an area for improvement and informed the targets to improve reading specified in the school plan. 

A school improvement team was formed to analyse internal and external school data, drill deeply into specific focus areas for improvement and to identify students’ literacy needs to inform innovation in classroom practice for reading. 26 teachers have completed the Data Analysis Skills Assessment (DASA).

To achieve these reading targets, teachers at the school are implementing ‘Focus on Reading 3-6’ strategies in comprehension, vocabulary and fluency in text reading. 81 students, including all Aboriginal students attending the school, have individual learning plans that have been developed using SMART data analysis to identify where support is needed. These plans were reviewed in Term 3, 2009. 18 students identified as having difficulty in reading are participating in the ‘MULTILIT’ intervention strategy.

Ingleburn Public School has joined with three National Partnership schools and another local primary school to ensure that the teaching of literacy is a shared responsibility across this community of schools. 

The principal of Ingleburn Public School has indicated that an early result of using ‘Focus on Reading 3-6’ in the school has been improved teacher understanding across the curriculum continuum for literacy learning. In addition, the school has used the National Partnership as an opportunity to develop teachers’ leadership capacity to mentor colleagues on the practical implementation of the literacy continuum in reading.

Ingleburn Public School’s school plan is published at: http://www.ingleburnpublicschool.com.au/about-us/school-plan.htm

Case Study 3: St Francis of Assisi, Warrawong
Another school, St Francis of Assisi, Warrawong in the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong, has taken a leadership capacity building approach to improving whole school literacy outcomes. 

All teachers in years 3 to 6 have engaged in the professional learning modules of comprehension. A classroom facilitator has been working with classroom teachers to embed the six key comprehension strategies into the teaching and learning practices for reading. The school leadership team has also engaged in a two-day Leadership Plenary session with the Australian Catholic University Leaders ‘Transforming Learners and Learning’ program. 

The school has set up a systematic process for monitoring school and student data to effectively collect, analyse and refine teaching practices for reading. 

The school plan is available at: http://www.sfawdow.Catholic.edu.au/page8/page8.html. 

Mindful Learning: Mindful Teaching
160 teachers in eight National Partnership schools in the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta are using an inquiry based process that allows a personalised approach for each learning community as documented in Timperley, H., Phillips, G., & Wiseman, J. (2003) The sustainability of professional development in literacy (Wellington: Ministry of Education). This approach to teaching reading addresses key understandings that underpin high-yield strategies for teaching reading comprehension.

School leadership is an integral component of Mindful Learning: Mindful Teaching, with the school principal actively leading learning in literacy. School leaders have developed effective partnerships with others participating in school leadership to form a National Partnership community of schools in the Parramatta Diocese.

Teachers have used evidence-based strategies in their classrooms to develop effective student readers as well as key processes to develop their knowledge and skills in supporting the development of reading comprehension.

School-based teaching educators have received specific training in a range of reading strategies and are working with academics from the University of Sydney to provide classroom support to teachers. Teachers are working with teaching educators to engage students in a range of innovative practices for reading including such as the Readers’ Theatre initiative, which develops comprehension, vocabulary and oral fluency in creative group learning contexts.

In addition, Mindful Learning: Mindful Teaching contains an intervention for students experiencing difficulty with reading as a key component. The intervention includes strategies such as expanding the access to and volume of daily reading, and providing personalised expert instruction to students that complements and enhances the daily reading activities designed for all students. Individual learning plans have been developed for all students at risk of not achieving the literacy targets. Parents/caregivers will be provided with DVDs outlining how they can support their child’s reading.

A variety of assessment tools (including the Neale Analysis and an engagement and motivation student survey) are embedded in Mindful Learning: Mindful Teaching to assist in understanding and monitoring student progress.

Case Study 4: Holy Trinity Primary School
Holy Trinity Primary at Granville is implementing the ‘Mindful Learning, Mindful Teaching’ program. This program has given rise to a number of positive outcomes for the whole school community:
•	teachers have been actively involved in a number of professional learning opportunities that aim to improve their knowledge and practice. As a result, students are engaged in more purposeful and personalised reading instruction
•	teachers meet regularly to plan collaboratively and discuss students’ reading comprehension needs. 
•	data collected on each student informs the direction of planned, explicit teaching
•	research-based references and resources are the springboard for all teacher-led inquiries. These inquiries allow for information to be properly examined by the staff as a whole, so that a shared understanding underpins the planning and execution of lessons that focus on reading comprehension from K-6

Taking Off With Numeracy
In 2009, 467 government teachers and 42 Catholic teachers implemented Taking Off With Numeracy (TOWN).

41 schools in the government and Catholic sectors selected Taking Off With Numeracy for their whole class intervention program. 28 of those schools are also implementing the individual student intervention component of this program. This component of the program addresses the specific needs of those students experiencing difficulty in numeracy.

In November 2009, 131 teachers, principals and sector consultants attended a two-day workshop to deepen their understanding of how to explicitly teach numeracy skills, with a particular focus on the conceptual development of place value, multiplication and division. The workshop also covered the program’s assessment and analysis process, including the use of Newman’s Error Analysis to identify students’ difficulties in working with numeracy word problems. 

The assessment process enables teachers to discover the specific learning needs of each student and to identify a target group of students requiring individual intervention support. The teachers attending the training further developed their knowledge and understanding through guiding colleagues in their implementation of the new numeracy assessment and teaching strategies.

Ongoing support for the classroom leaders and teacher educators has been provided through the TOWN website. Additional supporting resources are regularly uploaded and a series of professional learning events have been delivered via video-conference.

Each teacher in the schools participating in the individual student intervention component of TOWN receives ongoing support from an identified case manager through a secure portal. The case manager provides expert knowledge and advice on how best to support the continuing numeracy development of each student identified in the target group. A program mentor has also been allocated to every school involved in the TOWN program, to provide ongoing advice to teachers and team leaders.

Case Study 5: St Brendan’s Primary School
There are 400 students enrolled in St Brendan’s Primary School on Lake Munmorah from approximately 270 families. Analysis of previous Basic Skills Test results and more recent NAPLAN results identified numeracy as the area for focus. Teachers are using the ‘TOWN’ program as a resource to improve numeracy outcomes through whole class teaching strategies and small group targeted interventions (whole class and individual).

As part of the National Partnership initiatives, a classroom leader works two full days per week with colleagues in supporting interventions and in professional learning activities. The classroom leader is fully supported by the executive leadership and the Catholic school sector numeracy officer. 

Teachers use the Newman’s Error Analysis class-based assessment to identify students at/below the minimum national benchmarks and diagnostic testing instruments such as the SMART data analysis package to identify and select numeracy strategies from ‘TOWN’ that work best with their students.

Where a student has been targeted for extra numeracy support, their parent/s have been informed of the student’s learning needs and encouraged to support numeracy learning at home. The St Brendan’s school community is working to develop more effective partnerships with parent/s and caregiver/s to analyse what works or has not worked. 

Following on from this analysis, the Catholic school sector Aboriginal education support workers are exploring new ways of working collaboratively with the school to target numeracy improvement.

St Brendan’s Primary School’s school plan is published at: http://www.dbb.org.au/schools/stbrendanslakemunmorah/Pages/Default.aspx.

Case Study 6: Forest Hill Primary School
Forest Hill Public School, located outside the Wagga Wagga RAAF Base, is one of 39 government schools implementing ‘TOWN’. This school provides an educational setting for students from the defence force and local civilian families.

The school self-evaluation process identified numeracy as an area for improvement and informed targets to improve numeracy that are specified in the school plan. The school improvement team used the SMART data analysis processes to analyse internal and external school data to engage in specific focus areas for improvement in working mathematically and to identify students’ numeracy needs to inform innovation in classroom practice.

The school analysed student data to target where support was needed and 20 students who have been identified as having difficulty in numeracy are participating in the TOWN intervention strategy.

All 12 Aboriginal students at Forest Hill have personalised learning plans developed. Individual numeracy programs have also been provided for particular cohorts within the school, such as Aboriginal students, groups of high achieving students and students experiencing difficulties.

The Forest Hill Public School plan is published at:
http://www.foresthill-p.schools.nsw.edu.a

Section 5 – Other evidence

Part A: Evaluation, scoping, research and case studies

NSW evaluation strategy
National evaluation 
New South Wales is an active contributor to national evaluation activity, led by the Commonwealth.

State-level evaluation
NSW’s state level evaluation strategy consists of two components:
1.	major strategic evaluation of high profile, high cost state-wide reforms that have potential for expansion
2.	program evaluation of specific Smarter Schools National Partnerships programs, such as literacy and numeracy programs

Major strategic evaluation
The main purpose of major strategic evaluation is to understand the impact of National Partnership activity on student learning outcomes. The evaluation framework will accommodate investigation of the total activity/impact as well as the impact of component initiatives.

The advice of the New South Wales National Partnerships Evaluation Committee (see below for details) will guide the scope of strategic evaluations. The strategic evaluation is not intended to be the only evaluation activity undertaken. For example, sectors may wish to undertake their own specific program evaluations (see below). 

Program evaluation
Evaluation of New South Wales’s implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership will include the program evaluation of reading and numeracy programs developed by the NSW Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission NSW and the Association of Independent Schools of NSW.

The importance of robust evaluation
Evaluation of National Partnership initiatives will provide the underpinning rationale for future decisions about resource allocation, enabling national and state funding to be better directed toward effective, high-impact programs.

New South Wales will use evaluation results to improve outcomes by learning and adapting, expanding successful programs, and reconsidering activities that are not achieving intended outcomes or not realising anticipated benefits.

NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee 
Evaluation of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships is overseen by the NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee which was appointed by the NSW Minister for Education and Training in 2009.

The primary role of the NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee is to provide high-level, cross-sectoral oversight of the evaluation of National Partnership activity. 

Terms of Reference
The NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee will:
1.	oversee the design and implementation of major strategic evaluations of National Partnership reforms
2.	develop clear governance and quality assurance processes that will apply to evaluation activity under the National Partnerships
3.	provide input into the progress of all National Partnership evaluations to ensure they meet the standards established under the evaluation framework
4.	monitor the implementation of the evaluation framework across National Partnership evaluation activity
5.	approve the appointment of external contractors and review evaluator reports
6.	provide advice on national evaluation arrangements as they develop and ensure the NSW evaluation framework is consistent with the agreed national approach 
7.	report to the NSW National Partnerships Steering Committee on evaluation findings and activity
8.	provide advice to the NSW Minister for Education and Training on National Partnership evaluations, in particular the findings of major strategic evaluations

To date the National Partnerships Evaluation Committee has met twice (1 December 2009 and on 5 March 2010). The Committee meets a minimum of four times a year. 

Committee membership
The National Partnerships Evaluation Committee is chaired by Dr. John Ainley, a highly respected and qualified external expert, with extensive experience in research and evaluation principles.
Name	Title	Position	Organisation	
Chair	
John Ainley	Dr	Deputy CEO, Research	Australian Council for Educational Research	
External Members	
Shirley Alexander	Professor	Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Teaching, Learning and Equity)	University of Technology, Sydney	
Peter Aubusson	Associate Professor 	Program Head,
Teacher Education	University of Technology, Sydney	
Denise Bradley AC	Emeritus Professor	President	Australian College of Educators	
John Buchanan	Dr	Director, Workplace Research Centre	The University of Sydney	
Meredith Edwards	Emeritus Professor	Former Director	ANZSOG Institute for Governance	
Jim McMorrow	Associate Professor	Faculty of Education and Social Work	University of Sydney	
Geoff Riordan	Associate Professor	Associate Dean Academic Programs, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences	University of Technology, Sydney	
Non-Government Education Sector Representatives	
Geoff Newcombe	Dr	Executive Director	Association of Independent Schools NSW	
Seamus O’Grady	Mr	Director of Curriculum	Catholic Education Office, Sydney	
NSW Government Representatives	
Tom Alegounarias	Mr	President	NSW Board of Studies	
Trevor Fletcher	Mr	Deputy Director-General, Schools	NSW Department of Education and Training	
Patrick Lee	Mr	Chief Executive Officer	NSW Institute of Teachers	
Leslie Loble	Ms	Deputy Director-General, Strategic Planning & Regulation	NSW Department of Education and Training	
Caralee McLiesh	Dr	Deputy Secretary, Human and Social Services	NSW Treasury	
Mary O’Kane	Professor	NSW Chief Scientist and Scientific Engineer	NSW Office of Science and Medical Research, Industry & Investment NSW	
Peter Riordan	Mr	Deputy Director-General, Workforce Management and Systems Improvement	NSW Department of Education and Training	
Secretariat	
New South Wales Department of Education and Training (Planning & Innovation Directorate)	

The Committee may, on occasion, establish a working group to oversee specific aspects of the evaluation strategy. Individual members may also contribute to the Committee’s discussions out of session via a secure online discussion board.

Evaluation of first stage implementation in NSW schools
At its inaugural meeting, the NSW National Partnerships Evaluation Committee commissioned a formative evaluation of first stage of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships’ implementation in NSW schools.

This evaluation is managed through a reference group chaired by the Executive Officer of the National Partnerships Evaluation Committee secretariat.

Purposes of this evaluation project were:
•	to provide formative information that will inform systemic support provided for later schools joining the Smarter Schools National Partnerships across the full range of schools
•	to provide system level information, including:
o	initial baseline data on what stage schools are at in planning and implementation of their chosen initiative(s)
o	early warning regarding potential challenges or lack of clarity related to schools’ National Partnership activities
o	identification of any gaps in knowledge of, or access to, available resources
•	to supplement the collection of information for reporting to the Commonwealth on National Partnership implementation

The evaluation covered the implementation of the National Partnerships on Improving Teacher Quality, Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities, and Literacy and Numeracy in 2009 and early 2010. The evaluation methodology included:
•	an online survey of school principals of participating schools
•	one-to-one interviews of school principals of selected non-government schools where a survey was not appropriate
•	40 one-to-one interviews via telephone, video-conference and face-to-face methods with a sample of school principals/teachers representative of the range of sectors, rural/regional and metropolitan regions, National Partnership initiatives, and types of interventions being implemented
•	video-conferences and one-to-one interviews with selected sector support staff (Catholic, government, and independent school sectors)
•	analysis of school plan data for DET Low SES National Partnership schools

The formative evaluation, being conducted by ARTD Consultants, commenced in early 2010. Preliminary findings have been used to inform the preparation of this report. 

The final report will be provided to the National Partnership Evaluation Committee in March 2010 and will be incorporated into NSW’s Smarter Schools National Partnership progress report (due to the Commonwealth in October 2010).

Case studies
Case studies and good practice findings can be found in sections 2-4 of this report under ‘Good Practice’.

Part B: Data
Part B1: NSW milestone reporting	
Milestone	Detail of achievement	
Teacher Quality National Partnership	
Improving Teacher Quality - Signing of Bilateral Agreement and State Implementation Plan 	The Bilateral Agreement was signed by the NSW Minister for Education and Training on 18 December 2009 and by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 January 2010. The State Implementation Plan was formally accepted by the Commonwealth in January 2010. 	
Acceptance of NSW's Final Implementation Plan	NSW’s Final Implementation Plan was submitted to the Commonwealth on 22 December 2009 and was formally accepted on 22 January 2010.	
State Annual Report 2010	The Annual Report was submitted to the Commonwealth on 1 April 2010.	
Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership	
Signing of Bilateral Agreement and State Implementation Plan	The Bilateral Agreement was signed by the NSW Minister for Education and Training on 18 December 2009 and by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 January 2010. The State Implementation Plan was formally accepted by the Commonwealth in January 2010.	
School Plans developed for 2009 and 2010 cohorts
	By December 2009: 
•	All DET 2009 and 2010 plans completed
•	All CEC 2009 and most 2010 plans completed
•	1 AIS 2009 school plan revised and approved by the sector authority
January - February 2010: 
•	Remaining CEC 2010 school plans revised and approved by sector authority
End March 2010:
•	AIS 2010 school plans completed and approved	
Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership	
State Annual Report 2010	The Annual Report was submitted to the Commonwealth on 1 April 2010.	
Teachers in participating schools have ongoing access to e-learning modules SMART Data Analysis (by December 2009 SMART e-learning will be fully functional)	All teachers in participating schools have ongoing access to e-learning modules for SMART Data Analysis. 
One e-learning module has been created, combining material for both novice and experienced users. 	
All students in years 3, 4 and 5 in participating schools complete the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy March 2010 Assessment	The National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy March 2010 assessment was completed by all relevant students in March 2010.	
Publication of school plans on school websites	All 147 National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy schools have published school plans on their respective school websites.	
Data Analysis Skills Survey (DASA) baseline data collection completed by all schools	DASA baseline data collection has been completed by all 147 schools participating in the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy.	

Appendices

Appendix A – Acronyms used in the NSW Annual Report for 2009 

AECG	Aboriginal Education Consultative Group	
AIS	Association of Independent Schools of NSW	
AITSL	Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership	
CCER	Catholic Commission for Employment Relations	
CEC	Catholic Education Commission of NSW	
CLO	Community Liaison Officer	
DASA	Data Analysis Skills Assessment 	
DEEWR	Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations	
DET	NSW Department of Education and Training	
ESL	English as a Second Language 	
FOR	Focus on Reading 3 - 6 program	
HAT	Highly Accomplished Teacher	
HSC	Higher School Certificate	
ISCA	Independent Schools Council of Australia	
ISCE	Independent Schools Centre for Excellence	
ISLC	Independent Schools Leadership Centre	
LBOTE	Language Background Other Than English	
MULTILIT	Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy program	
NAPLAN	National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy 	
NP	National Partnership	
NSWIT	New South Wales Institute of Teachers 	
NSS	National Standards Sub-group	
PARS	Principal Assessment and Review Schedule	
SCCVC	Southern Cross Catholic Vocational College	
SES	Socio-Economic Status	
SLL	Successful Language Learners program	
SMART	School Measurement and Reporting Toolkit	
TOWN	Taking Off with Numeracy program	
TARS	Teacher Assessment and Review Schedule	
TEC	Teacher Education Council	
VET	Vocational Education and Training