Key Stage 3 National Strategy

1
Key Stage 3 National Strategy
Introducing curricular targets and reviewing
action points Science
2
Objectives for the unit

• To have a clear understanding of numerical
  targets including aspirational targets
• To take a numerical target and translate this
  into specific curricular or teaching targets that
  will improve pupils knowledge and understanding
• To refine practice in relation to identifying and
  constructing action points
• To be clear about the sources of evidence that
  can be used to monitor and evaluate action points

Slide 1.1
3
Overview of the unit

• Session 1 From numerical targets to
• curricular targets
• Session 2 Reviewing action points
• Session 3 Monitoring, evaluation and next
  steps

Slide 1.2
4
Objectives for session 1

• To have a clear understanding of numerical
  targets including aspirational targets
• To take a numerical target and translate this
  into specific curricular or teaching targets that
  will improve pupils knowledge and understanding

Slide 1.3
5
Task A

• Do you need to give greater attention across
• the curriculum to identifying, communicating
• and pursuing curricular targets for individuals
• and groups of pupils?
• (Key Stage 3 National Strategy Managing the
  second year,
• page 29)

Slide 1.4
6
Task B part 1

• In pairs, briefly discuss and agree a shared
• understanding of the phrase
• the science target for Key Stage 3.

Slide 1.5
7
Task B part 2

• In pairs, take turns to explain to each other how
• you have established a departmental target for
• Key Stage 3.

Slide 1.6
8
Sources of evidence forcurricular targets

• These might include
• Key Stage 3 test analysis
• internal test analysis
• lesson observation
• scrutiny of samples of work
• small-group interviews with pupils
• monitoring planning and assessment procedures.

Slide 1.9
9
Discussion points

• How does the current view of an aspirational
  target differ from the more accepted notion of a
  target?
• What systems will you use (or are you currently
  using) in your department to establish
  appropriate curricular targets?
• How will you develop the idea of curricular
  targets with your staff?

Slide 1.13
10
Plenary for session 1

• By the end of the session participants should
• be clear about the structure of the unit
• be clear about numerical targets
• be clearer about aspirational targets
• have clarified their understanding of what is
  meant by a curricular target
• have identified how numerical targets are related
  to curricular targets.

Slide 1.14
11
Objectives for session 2

• To refine practice in relation to identifying and
  constructing action points
• To develop action points from curricular targets

Slide 2.1
12
The DfES five-stage cycle for school improvement
Slide 2.3
13
Key principles of writing action points

• Define purpose
• State how it will be done
• State the resources needed
• State how you will know it has been done
• Consider how it could have been done better

Slide 2.4
14
SMART targets

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time related

Slide 2.5
15
Identifying priorities for action

• Manageability
• How much can we realistically hope to achieve?
• Coherence
• Is there a sequence that will ease
  implementation?
• Consonance
• The extent to which internally identified
  priorities coincide or overlap with external
  pressures for reform.
• From The empowered school by Hargreaves and
  Hopkins (Cassell, 1991)

Slide 2.6
16
Task E

• Record your initial impressions of the quality of
  the presentation and the clarity of the
  statements before moving on to a more systematic
  analysis of the action points using the criteria
  on the analysis sheet.
• You have 5 minutes to consider the action points
  and fill in handout 2.8.
• Then for 2 minutes in pairs discuss how helpful
  the criteria on handout 2.8 were in supporting
  your analysis.
• Finally repeat the process, looking at extracts
  from your own action plan (or another one
  provided by your consultant).

Slide 2.7
17
Task F

• Retrieve the curriculum target you worked on in
• part 2 of task D.
• Write an action point that is drawn from this
• curricular target.
• Try to incorporate the messages from task E
• into writing your action point.
• If you need a format to write your action point,
• ask for handout 2.14 and use the same
• headings to construct your action point.

Slide 2.13
18
Discussion points

• Having completed session 2
• What are the strengths in your departmental plan?
• What are the areas you would like to review?
• What do you find easy about writing action
  points?
• What are the more demanding aspects of writing
  action points?

Slide 2.15
19
Plenary for session 2

• By the end of the session participants should
• have
• reviewed the DfES five-stage cycle for school
  improvement
• a clear understanding of the features to look for
  when reviewing action points
• developed action points for a curricular target.

Slide 2.16
20
Objective for session 3

• To be clear about the sources of evidence that
  can be used to monitor and evaluate action points

Slide 3.1
21
Some definitions

• Monitoring
• The collection of evidence concerning the quality
  of
• the departments provision of education or of the
• outcomes for the pupils in order to ascertain the
  extent
• to which the department is successful in
  achieving its
• objectives.
• Evaluation
• The assessment of the value of actions, or of the
• implementation of a policy. It requires a set of
  criteria
• against which the evidence collected from the
• monitoring process can judged.
• From NPQH access stage material

Slide 3.2
22
Sources of evidence for curricular
targets/self-evaluation

• These might include
• Key Stage 3 test analysis
• internal test analysis
• lesson observation
• scrutiny of samples of work
• small-group interviews with pupils
• monitoring planning and assessment procedures.

Slide 3.5
23
Task H

• Look at the improvement plan extract you have
• been given.
• What positive features can you identify in
  relation to
• monitoring?
• evaluation?
• How could monitoring and evaluation be improved?
• What evidence is being gathered for monitoring?
• Which other sources would you include?

Slide 3.7
24
Task I

• Consider the action point you produced
• in task F.
• How will you monitor this action point?
• How could you evaluate the success of its
  implementation?
• Make a note of your decisions and discuss
• them in pairs.

Slide 3.8
25
Plenary for session 3

• By the end of the session participants should
• have identified a range of appropriate monitoring
  activities
• have identified how monitoring informs the
  evaluation of progress made with action
• have reviewed the suitability of the monitoring
  and evaluation procedures in place in a number of
  sample improvement plans
• have begun to identify the next steps needed in
  order to monitor and evaluate action points.

Slide 3.12