Title of submission: Raise the Bar @ Miles SHS School/s : Miles State High School Cluster name: N/A Region : Darling Downs South West Region Key contact person : Name: Mr John Searle Position: Principal Phone number: 07 46285111 Mobile number: 0421491722 Email address: jsear13@eq.edu.au Principal : Name: Mr John Searle Phone number: 07 46285111 Email address: jsear13@eq.edu.au Please nominate the Showcase category for your project. Please nominate one category only. (See section 1.2 of the guidelines for more information.)

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MILES STATE HIGH SCHOOL

RAISE THE BAR @ MILES STATE HIGH

SCHOOL

Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools 2010

EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

Submission overview: In 2009, using the high performance mantra of “Raise the Bar – High Expectations” the Miles SHS leadership team, under the direction of Principal John Searle, implemented a very focussed set of strategies to drive school curriculum reform and school improvement in response to EQ agenda and particularly “Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland”. The Miles SHS response was a planned, systematic and whole-school approach to “Raising the Bar” with respect not only to the immediacy of NAPLAN but literacy and numeracy in general. The response involved systematic and planned whole-school changes including restructuring the timetable to accommodate a greater time allowance for literacy and numeracy studies, the appointment of several key personnel to coordinatorships within the school, the development of a whole-school curriculum plan as well as targeted NAPLAN programs and the development of strategic teams who collectively redesigned the teaching and learning environment and as a result the school culture. (See Appendix 1) The result was to create a sense of urgency within the school, which drove student engagement in the curriculum with one outcome being a significant and quantifiable improvement in literacy and numeracy standards and student achievement across the whole school. Other outcomes included teachers embracing a culture of change which refocussed pedagogy and curriculum development inline with EQ goals of differentiated learning programs for all students; lifting performance and personalised learning programs.

Personnel involved in the project (names and roles) : • Executive Team

o Mr John Searle – Principal o Mr Stephen Hardy – HOD (Senior School)) o Ms Susan Wayner – HOD (Middle School)

• Key Personnel o Raelinda Allwood – Literacy Coordinator o Maureen Vlasits – English Coordinator o Jillian Taylor – ST:LaN o Fleur Steel – Gifted and Talented

• Other Staff o All staff

ENTERING YOUR STATE SUBMISSION

1. Ensure you have enclosed all compulsory informa tion by completing the Entrants’ Checklist in appendix E.

2. Ensure the principal signs this cover sheet. 3. Send your submission to your Showcase Regional Coordinator for checking by

Wednesday 23 June 2010. Signature of Principal Date

_______________________________________ ____________________________ To be signed by the Executive Director (Schools) af ter completion of the checklist in appendix F.

I support this submission and its entry in the Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools 2010. This submission meets the requirements set out in the Executive Director’s Checklist. Signature of Executive Director (Schools) Date _____________________________________ __________________________

All submissions remain the intellectual property of the Department of Education and Training. If a submission uses material from a source not covered by Department of Education and Training licences, permission for use of that material must be sought prior to entry of the submission and written proof of permission must be included in the submission.

Description: Miles State High School is a medium sized school in south west Queensland with a good reputation and a history of good, although generally average, student results, that in 2009 decided to sharply focus on students and their learning in an absolutely professional leadership approach aligned to the strong improvement agenda of Education QLD. To be successful the leadership approach was on changing the school culture of making things work around “High Expectations and Raising the Bar”, a culture which everyone at Miles State High signs up to. All EQ schools were required to respond to the Director General’s imperative to lift student performance across the state in literacy and numeracy. Further, a major focus of the recommendations of the “Master’s Report” was the important need to improve student outcomes in literacy and numeracy. A review of available data identified areas of concern with respect to literacy and numeracy at Miles State High School. 2008 NAPLAN results indicated that student performance was red flagged in the areas of writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation. The school’s executive leadership team responded to the imperative by embarking on a whole-school curriculum improvement plan across all KLAs and involving all teaching and ancillary staff, in which was embedded a targeted response to NAPLAN. The whole-school plan addressed the five EQ priorities of: strong leadership with an unrelenting focus on improvement; a shared commitment to core priorities; quality curriculum and planning to improve learning; teaching focussed on the achievement of every student; monitoring student progress and responding to learning needs. In order to drive a strong improvement agenda at Miles SHS, Kotter’s 8 Step Change Model provided a theoretical framework in which to focus our leadership. Our leadership action plan was to: Step 1: Create a Sense of Urgency by focusing on NAPLAN results as an indicator of student performance issues. The challenge for 2009/10 was to make the rhetoric of high performance a reality while managing the distractions and other demands on our time and energy. The absolute highest priority communicated to the school community by the leadership team in the beginning of 2009 was for the improvement of student performance in literacy and numeracy which at the time aligned very much with the urgency by the EQ imperative and expectations around NAPLAN. NAPLAN results provided the catalyst for honest frank discussion with our school community which gave rise to convincing reasons to support an agenda of change with an unrelenting focus on improvement. The leadership strategy was really about developing a culture in the school in which everyone would buy into and develop a resolve to focus and deliver on achieving high performance. Our strategy was to urgently develop a set of whole school priorities that focussed our work on the lifting of standards of every individual student to another level of performance:

1) Lifting the performance of those students who are close to achieving the national

benchmark. (See appendix 7) 2) Working individually with students who generally need more support and time to achieve

the standard. 3) Differentiating and individualising learning programs. (See appendix 4)

Step 2: To Form a Powerful Coalition to support the new agenda the leadership team needed to identify and promote key teachers as leaders of change in the school who could invest in building effective curriculum teams. To develop leadership density at Miles SHS it was decided to first work with the early adopters and change agents through targeted professional development (to build further capacity) and programs and projects focussed on the improvement of student achievement in literacy and numeracy. As a result of these people taking on leadership roles within the school and working with the executive team (Principal and HODs) in setting clear expectations of high standards and targets, gradually the numbers of other staff agreeing to join this approach rose. All staff were supported through the change process by professional development; clear and high expectations with the meeting of goals and targets ; monitoring processes in place to ensure alignment across the school and a whole school approach in the development of literacy and Numeracy Strategies and a Whole School Curriculum Plan. After 12 to 14 months everyone in the school followed the new established approach that was initially set by the powerful coalition (the early adopters and change agents) around High Performance, Raise the Bar and Clear expectations of high standards (see Outcomes section). Step 3: Create a Vision for Change. The focus for the new coalition of key teachers was to determine values central to change, in line with the Q2 agenda and create strategies to execute that vision. (See appendix 1) These values would alignment with the mantra of “High Expectations – Raise the Bar”. Improving learners’ performance in literacy and numeracy was the recognised priority for Miles SHS in 2009. The challenge for the leadership team of the school was around the curriculum Leadership priorities, decisions and processes. In meeting this challenge it was important to set and monitor goals, standards and expectations. The role of the leaders in the school in terms of strategic leadership was to ensure clarity of purpose at all times and work towards consensus in decision making underpinned on a strong focus on those things that matter – the learner (literacy and numeracy development), the quality if the learning experience (explicit instruction) and how learning is developed, measured and reported (QCAR curriculum alignment plans, Whole School Curriculum Plan). Step 4: Share the Vision. Once created the vision would need to be incorporated into all aspects of school operations. To be effective a key feature of the vision would be to make the rhetoric of “High Expectations – Raise the Bar” a reality by focussing on practical initiatives to improve the achievement level of every student. At Miles SHS the approach was the development of curriculum/leadership teams to work with teachers, students and parents to support the whole school approach to improving learning with quality teaching and assessment. By sharing the vision and making it work and real then the rhetoric of high performance would become a reality. Curriculum leaders worked with teachers to ensure a consistent set of standards; collaborative curriculum planning; growing a quality assessment culture; using data to inform decisions particularly with the literacy and numeracy levels of all students and designing programs personalised for students particularly those below the National Minimum Standard. (See appendices 3, 4, 6 &7) Step 5: Empower Action : The process of change would require an analysis of the school’s current organisational structure, positions within the school and role descriptions. With restructuring came the need to retrain teachers in their new roles which would necessitate a significant reallocation of funds to professional development. Significant staff support was needed in terms of professional development, planning days, classroom support, mentoring and coaching. In this way actions where aligned across the school with high expectations maintained at all levels.

Step 6: Create Short-Term Wins : A staged and planned roll out of the school improvement agenda created opportunities for intermediate acknowledgement of success. The timelines were determined through a consultative process and were achievable and consistent with the overall improvement agenda. Early results indicated a “bounce” in student’s results (see appendix 3) which further created a momentum for change within the school. Curriculum leaders developed confidence in their new roles and build capacity amongst their staff. Early success breeds more success and with that a whole school commitment for change for the better results. Step 7: Build on Change . A clear leadership strategy around development from within drove people in the school to strive for high performance in their work. The new capacities built through the change process fed back and generated new goals, targets and learnings. (See appendix 1) In this way at Miles SHS we started to see the development of a Continuous Improvement Cycle in which people took responsibility for improving results rather than “explaining the results away”. The use of data to build on the change already created allowed for deeper and more innovation ways to address student/school performance issues. Step 8: Embed the Change. The leadership focus was to continue to drive the school improvement agenda around a culture of “High Expectations”. (See Appendix 5) This strategy involved building a culture where everyone buys into and focuses their work on things that matter. Leadership strategies that ensure we delivered on our main focus included continuing to support staff through targeted and quality professional development and allowing time for and encouraging professional learning conversations (e.g. restructured staff meetings, curriculum meetings etc); – induction of new personnel and making continuous efforts to ensure change is seen in every aspect of school operations with improved processes and more efficient and effective ways of doing things. The development of new professional dialogue ensured we continued to focus on high performance and this was embedded in team structures in the school. Response to the Vision: The response was, in part, to restructure middle management to place key personnel in authoritative positions who could drive the whole-school curriculum plan, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy. As a result, a literacy and numeracy team was formed and was commissioned to lift performance standards within the school across all KLAs. The Team’s brief was to: • collate, analyse and review school and NAPLAN data • create strategic plans to improve whole-school, cohort and individual student performance • set targets and focus teaching practice on quantitative student performance • create effective systems monitor progress and respond to student performance • to embed numeracy and literacy across all KLA’s • develop a shared commitment to improvement As a result of the Team’s work Miles State High School defined four priority focus areas built around an ethos of high expectations (Raise the Bar) and focussed and engaged teaching and learning. (See Appendix 1) The priority focus areas were:

• Curriculum Development focussing on: o restructure of school leadership and coordination team o development of whole school curriculum plan (OnePortal) o unit and alignment planning o front-ending assessment

• Teaching and Learning focussing on: o essential skills for teachers and classroom profiling o ICT pedagogical licence and teaching development o explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy

• Professional Development focussing on: o curriculum, pedagogy and assessment o lead teachers and curriculum teams o integration of ICTs across the KLAs o explicit literacy teaching across the KLAs

• Literacy and Numeracy focussing on: o NAPLAN Action Plan (See Appendix 2) o longitudinal tracking(See Appendices 6 & 7) o timetable support

Statement describing the submission’s connection to Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland: One of the five ambitions articulated in “Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s QLD” is “Smart” which focuses on education and skills. In terms of Miles State High we have positioned the school, as a result of our emphasis on a strong improvement agenda, to take up the challenge of meeting the Q2 target that “Three out of four Queenslanders will hold trade, training or tertiary qualifications”. The intent of our current curriculum reform is to create long term sustainable and quantifiable improvement in teaching and learning to develop and deliver world class education and training. The initial strategy was focused in numeracy and literacy improvement and the development of a whole school curriculum plan which articulates and makes explicit the five EQ priorities outlined in the Roadmap. The development of a whole school literacy and numeracy strategy embedded across all aspects of the school curricula provides a fundamental basis improved an academic improvement cycle. The future challenge for us is to continue to develop the skill set of our young people so that they are best position to exploit the opportunities that new technologies will bring. Outcomes: As a result of strong leadership and an unrelenting focus on improvement and by concentrating on clear, tangible and quantifiable objectives a number of quite extraordinary outcomes were achieved across the whole school. Foremost amongst these was the 2009 NAPLAN results were released and Miles State High was named the “most Improved High School in the state”. “Some of the improvements are truly outstanding – f or example Miles State High School now has 97 per cent of students performing at or ab ove national Benchmarks compared to 67 per cent last year in grammar and punctuation” . Premier Anna Bligh (September 14, 2009) (See also Appendix 8) . Further, the scope of the outcomes across the school was extensive and encompassed the following areas: Curriculum Development* In 2009 the main focus of teachers work was on the development of Quality Curriculum and planning to improve learning as evidenced below: • KLA Coordinators appointed with clear expectations around improvement • New work Programs written for all subjects aligned to Essential Learnings and Year 10

Guidelines • Alignment plans written for all units by all faculties (100% staff trained in QCAR Alignment

Plans) • Curriculum adjustments explicit in lesson planning and monitored by Support Teacher L&N • Higher satisfaction levels in SOS (Parents and Students) – see table below. • Academic Achievement letters home each term for students who improved a KLA result to the

next level * All curriculum documentation available on One Portal under Miles SHS “Whole School Curriculum Plan”.

Teaching and Learning A key focus of our work was around teaching focused on the achievement of every student: • Differentiated Individual Education Plans for all students and incorporated in daily planning

(See Appendices 6&7) • New role and training for our teacher aides in classrooms to focus support in literacy and

numeracy • Increased diagnostic testing to drive data driven decision making – A Whole School Data

Collection program involving Pat-R, Pat-Maths, and the SA spelling test are now embedded in school practice (See Appendix 4)

• Longitudinal tracking for all students as a result of the Whole School Data Collection program (See Appendices 6 & 7)

• G&T Coordinator appointed to ensure we “Raised the Bar and Closed the Gap” (See Appendix 6)

• Focus on micro-skills for teachers and classroom profiling – 100% of staff profiled in Essential Skills

Professional Development In 2009 the school’s PD budget was doubled and curr iculum planning days for all staff supported by the faculty team leaders were built in to the school’s PD calendar: • All staff attended QCAR alignment training • Targeted regional literacy PD for key staff • Literacy training for all staff • 100% involved in curriculum profiling • 100% of staff with ICT certificate • 25% of staff with ICT pedagogical licence Literacy and Numeracy The absolute highest priority for Mils SHS in 2009/ 10 was the improvement of student performance in Literacy and Numeracy: • Literacy Coordinator appointed • Whole School NAPLAN Action Plan developed and implemented (See Appendix 1) • Timetable restructured to allow for a dedicated literacy blocks • Fundamentals class created – dedicated Lit & Num class for students below the NMS in Years

8&9 • Spelling program across all KLAs:checked, monitored, supported, measured (See Appendix 4) • Weekly writing and editing activity • Literacy and numeracy explicitly taught in all KLAs (see Curriculum Development section) • NAPLAN practice testing using Mighty Minds with individual student feedback and follow up • Whole School language conventions program As a result of these outcomes the academic performance of every child improved and consequently the school’s overall performance was also improved. All of the outcomes are the result of a planned, systematic and whole-school Le adership approach to “Raising the Bar”. All staff were involved. Evidence: • Comparison 2008-2009 NAPLAN results – Students above NMS (See Appendices 1 & 2)

o 71.4% (2008) to 93.5% (2009) in Writing o 77.1% (2008) to 83.9% (2009) in Spelling o 85.3% (2008) to 96.8% (2009) in Reading o 68.6% (2008) to 96.8% (2009) in Grammar and Punctuation o 90.9% (2008) to 100% (2009) in Numeracy

Parent Satisfaction (High & Very High) School Opinion Survey 2008 to 2009

74.3

85.8

78.5

82.2

77.277.1

68

70

72

74

76

78

80

82

84

86

88

The school is developingyour child's numeracy skills

The school is developingyour child's numeracy skills

With the standard of schoolwork expected

%

2008%

2009%

• School Opinion Survey results o At or above State Mean and Like-School Mean in all parameters

“The staff at Miles SHS have had a busy term and should be pleased with what has been implemented…you’ve done a great job in “raising the bar” Mr Hall (Parent email 8/4/2009)

“I congratulate the school for taking the imitative…..that meet the needs of a variety of students” Mrs Wylie (Parent email 23/4/2010) • NAPLAN Action Plan (See Appendix 1) • Whole School Curriculum Plan on OnePortal • Improved Literacy (Spelling &

Comprehension) & Numeracy Results (See Appendix 4)

• 61% of teaching staff engaged in targeted teaching of literacy and numeracy

• 100% of teaching staff alignment trained • All staff engaged in ICT Certificate 1 level • 22% teachers engaged at ICT Licence level Other documentation: Appendix 1 – Miles SHS Priority Focus Appendix 2 – NAPLAN Action Plan/ 2008/9 comparisons of NAPLAN results Appendix 3 – 2008/9 NAPLAN Mean Scale Scores & 2009 NAPLAN Achievement Bands by strand Appendix 4 – Whole School Data Collection – diagnostic testing Reading & Comprehension, Maths and Spelling & School Report Achievement Data showing improvement over time Appendix 5 – Media articles & testimonials Appendix 6 – Longitudinal Tracking - Gifted and Talented Profile Appendix 7 – Longitudinal Tracking - Students below Benchmark Appendix 8 – Letter of Congratulations – Hon Anna Bligh 15 September 2009 Appendix 9 – Letter of Support – Principal – Mr John Searle 25 March Appendix 10 – Letter of Support – P&C President – Mrs Sharn Pogan

APPENDIX 1

Curriculum Development � School Leadership and Coordination (Executive Team) � Alignment plans (QCAR) � Unit planning � Whole school curriculum review � Differentiated teaching plans Teaching and Learning � Essential skills � Classroom profiling � ICT Pedagogical Licence � Protected teaching time Professional Development � Promotion of Lead Teachers � Curriculum Teams – Maths/Science, Humanities, Technology � Strong focus on curriculum pedagogy and assessment Literacy and Numeracy � Committee formed � NAPLAN action plan � Longitudinal tracking � Formalisation of literacy in the timetable

Data driven decision making based on targets.

Home School Community Links • Restructure of Parent/Teacher Interview Process • Bulk Mail Outs • 4 Reporting Periods per Year • Students in Action Program • Academic Acknowledgement Letters • Behaviour Level Recognition Letters • Electronic Newsletter • Principal Meet and Greet • No Surprise Policy – increased telephone communication

Gifted and Talented • Coordinator Appointed • International Competitions – English, Science and Maths • State Competitions – Geography • PCAP Enrichment Camp • University Residential Study Program • Support of Specialised Sporting Talents

School / Classroom Environment • Classroom upgrades • New Science/Language centre • Improved signage • Classroom Posters upgraded • Smartboards • Wireless ICT improvement • Staffroom Redevelopment and Alignment of Faculties

Personalised Learning • Whole school data collection • Adjustment planning day (SWD/LD) • Student Performance Reviews • SETP Planning • Year 12 Individual Education Plans • Professional QCS Marking and Feedback • Student Leadership Review (new middle school leadership stream)

Primary Connections • Transition Days • Structured, regular curriculum connections across campus • Administration to visit small feeder schools • Teacher mentoring program • Principal mentoring with Chinchilla SHS • Shared use of facilities

Business / Industry Links • Partnership with Chamber of Commerce • Industry Tours • Employability Skills Workshop • Supervisor’s Workshop • TAFE Connections • Community Support Group for Ag Science • Embarking on new Industry

Miles State High School Priority Focus � High expectations - Raise the bar � Focussed and engaged teaching and learning

APPENDIX 2 NAPLAN ACTION PLAN

2008-2009 NAPLAN RESULTS

% of Students above the National Mean Standard

85.3

71.4

77.1

68.6

96.893.5

83.9

100

90.9

96.8

50

60

70

80

90

100

Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and

Punctuation

Numeracy

Test Type

Pec

enta

ge

2008

2009

APPENDIX 3 NAPLAN DATA

APPENDIX 4 EVIDENCE OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT – RAW DATA DIAGNOSTIC TESTING

PAT-R COMPREHENSIVE AND MATHS

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SPELLING

% of Students within 12 months or above their Chron ological Age

51

5955

66.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Yr 9 - 2010 Yr 10 - 2010

2009

2010

SCHOOL % IMPROVEMENT BY ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL

School % Improvement by Achievement Level

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

%A %B %C

Mid Semester 1 - 2010

End Semester 1 - 2010

End Semester 2 0 2010

% of Students Average and Above

7475.8

54

79

74

84.6

77.777

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Year 9 Year 10 Year 9 Year 10

PAT-R Comprehension PAT-R Maths

2009

2010

APPENDIX 5 NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

APPENDIX 6 LONGITUDINAL TRACKING – GIFTED AND TALENTED

APPENDIX 7 LONGITUDINAL TRACKING – STUDENTS BELOW BENCHMARK

APPENDIX 8 LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS – ANNA BLIGH MP

APPENDIX 9 LETTER OF SUPPORT – MILES SHS PRINCIPAL

APPENDIX 10 LETTER OF SUPPORT – MILES SHS P&C PRESIDENT