MLOTE

MLOTE REVIEW

Do the MLOTE students do well at this school?

How effectively do we support our MLOTE students in this school?

What is working well and we need to continue and extend or do more of if possible?

What could we do differently or better?

What do other staff think?
What do the students think?
What do their parents think?

An opportunity for schools

in Coopers Plains District

to review the effectiveness

of their achievement with these students

and

do even better!

An activity of the Coopers Plains District ESL Reference Group
supported by the Principals of Coopers Plains
and the Coopers Plains District Office

CONTENTS

Rationale
Scope
School Responsibilities
Implementing the Review by a School Review Team
Review Process
IDEAS - Research Based Framework
IDEAS - 4’D Framework
Timeline if Significant Milestones
Further Information
School Sign on Form

Why should we do it?
What’s in for us?
Where are the carrots?

· Enhanced Outcomes for MLOTE students in our school

· More effective school processes

· The first 10 schools in the district to sign up and participate in the review, will each receive a FREE REGISTRATION for a member of staff of their school (apart from their ESL teacher) who is a member of the School Review Team, to participate in the National ESL Conference, Brisbane, 2 to 5 July 2000 – VALUE $380.00

· Lots and lots more!

RATIONALE

In our schools the students for whom English is language other than their first or main language, are a significant part of our school populations and provide a range of specific challenges. Assisting these children to do well in school involves not only specific instruction in English but support for them in learning across the curriculum and in catering for their differential background experience of schooling as well as managing the cultural diversities, discontinuities and complexities that they are grappling with to operate successfully in our schools.

These students are students of our school.

Assisting them to do well in our school requires understanding and effective action at all levels.

Do we have effective systems and procedures in place at a school level? Do all staff have the competencies and understandings required to best meet the needs of these students? Are the specialist ESL teachers and aides used in the most effective ways?

This is the focus of the review. The key questions are:-

How effectively do we support the MLOTE students in this school?

What is working well?

What can we do differently or better in order to be more effective?

SCOPE

The review may provide implications for action at different levels:-

Ø School Level – How can we most effectively use the resources we get and the people we have?

Ø District Level – Within the district, how can we most effectively use the resources and people we have? Eg.
? Is the staffing allocation formula right?
? Should we establish specialised units in primary schools?
? How can schools better collaborate in providing training for staff?

Ø System Level – Eg.
? Does specialised support need to be funded into Preschool?
? Is the overall resourcing level for specialised support in ESL, adequate to assist schools provide what is needed to help MLOTE students do well in school?

Each school participating will undertake the review of its own school situation to assist the school make decisions about improving the effectiveness of the support for its MLOTE students.

SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To consider and commit to improving the effectiveness of its support of its MLOTE students through participating in this review.

2. To identify a School Review Team – a few (more than one) staff who will be responsible for carrying out the review within the school.

3. The School Team will plan and implement the review process within the school.

4. The School Team will work with school administration and will plan for effective ways of informing and involving all school staff at relevant points throughout the process.

5. The School Team will have a representative who collaborates with other school teams as a part of the District MLOTE Review Group.

DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. The District MLOTE Review Group will comprise representatives from each of the school review teams.
2. Its key role will be to co-ordinate and support schools to achieve effective outcomes through the MLOTE Review Process.
3. It will do this by
? organising sharing-meetings so that school teams can report on and learn from each other’s experience
? organising a planned series of input sessions – forums involving key speakers invited to address significant topics
? gathering information from school reviews that has implications for action at a district level, either directly or indirectly through advocacy
4. The District MLOTE Review Group will report to the District ESL Reference Group as the forum for considering and initiating action to address issues requiring co-ordination across schools, changes to resource allocation processes and methods and advocacy on matters requiring consideration beyond the district level.

IMPLEMENTING THE REVIEW BY A SCHOOL REVIEW TEAM
Start Up Phase

The school review team will:
S1 - Identify initiating issues of particular concerns in the school.
S2 - Become informed of the district process: resources, timeline, sharing strategies etc..
S3 - Find out about the IDEAS Framework to assist them with their planning.
S4 - Plan a timetable of review events and activities to take advantage of the sharing strategies organised at the district level.

Data Gathering Phase

D1.1 - Conduct and analyse a survey of all staff and a survey of MLOTE students in order to assemble data about school performance.
D1.2 - Find, analyse and reflect upon other relevant data from within the school on performance (eg. Year 2, 5, 7 tests; Year 10/12 achievements; destination surveys; retention rates; behaviour records).
D1.3 - Conduct and analyse a survey of parents of MLOTE students.
D1.4 - Find, analyse and reflect upon other relevant data from the community about the perception of the school’s performance.
D1.5 - Compare data from different sources to identify perceived strengths, relative weaknesses and areas in which there is a difference of perception between groups.
D1.6 - Investigate further and draw up hypotheses about:
? What seems to be working well?
? What is problematic and requires further investigation?
D1.7 - Sort data and hypotheses into three groups
? things we can change/influence – matters determined within the school
? aspects beyond our direct control – matters determined at district level or which might most effectively be addressed by collaborative action across schools
? aspects beyond our direct control – matters on which we may need to advocate to decision makers at state and national level
D1.8 - Map this data and hypotheses onto the Research Based Framework to identify areas for action and how actions may need to be linked and staged.

Dreaming Phase

This is about thinking outside the square – finding out about different ways people address problems or issues. Unless we open our minds to new possibilities all we might do is re-discover what we are currently doing!

D2.1 - Participate in sharing strategies facilitated by the district. This will enable school teams to share both process matters (how they are conducting the review) and content matters (what they are finding out). Through this sharing, school teams will be assisted and inspired to keep going, to solve problems and to find new ways of addressing issues.
D2.2 -Participate in “Input Sessions” facilitated by the district. These are a series of forums featuring invited key speakers. This will expand horizons. These sessions will help teams understand how other schools nationally and internationally are addressing issues in practical and effective ways. The forums will provide frameworks for thinking about issues identified in the school review processes to assist teams identify aspects and issues that they may not otherwise have considered.
D2.3 - Investigate, research, read, discuss, question and ponder in all possible ways to inform your framing up of strategies for action.

Designing Phase

D3.1 - From your data mapped onto the Research Based Framework, and from your hypotheses about how things may be done differently in your school to achieve more effective outcomes, plan a series of actions:
? Short term – What can we change most easily that should make a positive impact?
? Medium to longer term – What do we need to plan for and implement that will make a positive impact?
D3.2 - Do it!
D3.3 - Share with other school teams to solve problems, celebrate successes, become re-invigorated.

Destiny Phase

D4.1 - Collect data on the impact of your designed change. Map it onto the Research Based Framework. Analyse impacts, re-design actions, celebrate successes, continue re-cycling through the 4D phases as you modify your hypotheses, search for possible strategies, plan and implement ideas and monitor outcomes, and evaluate your impacts.
D4.2 - Notice and celebrate the difference you have made in the effectiveness of assisting MLOTE students to do well in your school.

REVIEW PROCESS

How do we plan and organise what we do so that it is effective?

The IDEAS ( Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools) framework has been used as the structure around which to plan and carry out the MLOTE Review process.
This has three informing frames:-
1. Research Based Framework: This is used to map the aspects, which need to be investigated and addressed through action. The achievement of enhanced outcomes relies on effective co-ordinated action in four areas:
? strategic foundations: the vision framework of the school
? infrastructure design: the school’s use of space, time, technologies and resources
? “authentic pedagogy”: the effectiveness and skill of the staff
? cohesive community: how well staff, students and community work together in effective ways to achieve common purposes.
2. 4D’s Framework
Discovery – Dreaming – Designing – Destiny. This is a strategy for planning and implementing the review process to achieve enhanced outcomes.
3. Shared Leadership
Effective change has been shown to be associated with empowering staff at all levels to become actively involved in researching, planning and implementing that change.

TIMELINE OF SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES

Sign Up Phase Actions
Informing and enrolling schools · Pilot surveys (Robertson SS & Mac SHS)· Analyse, modify surveys· Develop a “Guide to Analysing the Surveys: What to look for”· Complete marketing package· Ed Views article to promote· Packages to schools· Barb to visit & talk up and enrol

Start Up Phase

Dreaming Phase

MLOTE Forums
For school teams, school administrators and all school community members interested in effective MLOTE programs.

DATE SPEAKER FOCUS ORGANISING DETAILS
Penny McKay Effective models of MLOTE support – National perspective Jacinta Webb
Prof Denise Stalley Effective models of MLOTE support – International perspective Barbara Morris
Jo Lo Bianco Handling Culture issues effectively in schools
Prof Mary Kalantis Where to next with ESL? Melody Smith

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the MLOTE Review will readily be provided by:

Name Base Phone Number Fax Number Email Address
Barbara Morris (District ESL Co-Ordinator) Yeronga SHS 3892 6897 3892 2118
Laraine Goldman Sunnybank SHS ESL SEU 3344 2911 3344 1202 [email protected]
Shirley Pugsley MacGregor SHS ESL SEU 3347 3525 3349 9561 [email protected]
Roger Abell Sunnybank Hills SS 3345 5677 3345 1434 [email protected]
Jacinta Webb Robertson SS 3345 5033 3345 8382 [email protected]
Melody Smith Runcorn Heights SS 3273 2066 3273 5615 [email protected]
Paul Kidston (Manager Education Services) Coopers Plains District Office 3323 1600 3323 1655 [email protected]

This is the enthusiastic group, appointed by the District ESL Reference Group to plan and organise this review.

Why a Review?

A quarter of the ESL students in the state are in schools in this district. Because of the high numbers of MLOTE students in our schools this is a very significant group in our school population. The larger numbers may mean that we could or should be providing services in a way that is possibly different to that in other parts of the state where numbers are small. Is what we do in our schools the very best that is possible with the available resources?

· Overall staff very supportive· Staff appreciate the complexitiy of ESL teacher’s roleEg. Cultural info, empathy with students, language· Value of Community Liaison Officer (funding?)· Student acceptance of ESL support/classes· Enthusiasm, willingness see value in ESL as pathway to learning & integration · Facilities a big issue for staff/parents/students· Lack of space· Intensity of support· Want more ESL resources· No. of students/classes to support· Need to skill/empower more teachers (address new staff)· More computer access · Staff perceptions more negative than parents· Answered in relation to specific situation or child rather than overall view of program· Parent recognition of whole child and all aspects of schooling, not just ESL· Staff - more resources/support?· Student responses specific & narrowWhy?

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