Developing a Quality
Framework for Community
Languages Schools
Dr Tim Wyatt
Dr Bob Carbines
Erebus International
Victorian Annual Conference
7 July 2007
On the Journey……….

There is common agreement about the value of a
Community Languages Schools Quality Framework
(Octagon)

The framework contains 8 key dimensions

Every state/territory except NT has contributed to its
development

A draft National Framework has been developed for
school based trialling
Community Languages Schools (CLS)
Quality Assurance Framework
Leadership
and
Teaching
Practice
Monitoring &
Evaluation
Governance
Family
Participation
Quality
Community
Languages
Schools
Student
Well being
Education
Community
Links
Purposeful
learning
Curriculum
On the Journey……….




The draft National Framework is currently being
trialled in a sample of 12 Community Languages
schools in South Australia, Victoria, NSW
Briefing workshops were held in each of the
relevant states in the week beginning Monday 4
June
Schools are trialling selected dimensions within
the Framework throughout June-July
Schools will provide feedback to Erebus in late
July/early August
The Outcomes of the Process
Publication of an agreed National Quality
Framework for Community Languages
Schools
 Provision of professional development in
the use and application of the Framework
later in 2007
 Development of a plan to assist
implementation of Framework in all
Community Languages schools nationally
over the next 3 to 5 years

The Draft National Framework

The contents of the National Framework

How schools can use the National
Framework (workshop)
The Framework…
Framework
Dimensions
…identified through …
Evidence
Pointers
Elements
Elements
Pointers
Elements
Pointers
Elements
Pointers
Pointers
…described by …
Elements
Pointers
...that are made up of …
Dimensions
Domains
Pointers
Dimensions
Domains
Pointers
…
Pointers
… is divided into
The Eight Dimensions of the QA
Framework
Student well-being
 Teaching Practice
 Monitoring and Evaluation
 Leadership and Governance
 Family participation
 School/Community links
 Purposeful learning
 Curriculum

Student well-being
The promotion of a positive, safe
and secure learning environment
that makes educational provision
for each student as a unique
individual.
Teaching Practice
Those strategies undertaken by
teachers to maximise student
learning outcomes, underpinned by
principles of best practice in
classroom pedagogy
Monitoring and
Evaluation
Strategies undertaken to seek and
report information in relation to
student outcomes and to use this
information to enhance ongoing
teaching/learning processes and
school effectiveness.
Leadership and
Governance
The practices involved in inspiring
school community commitment to
student learning and ensuring
policies and procedures facilitate
effective and efficient school
operation
Family participation
The active and meaningful
participation of families in all
aspects of community language
school life.
School/Community
links
Those relationships with other key
stakeholders/organisations that
produce reciprocal benefits for
student learning in community
language schools.
Purposeful learning
Authentic learning activities
engaged in by students, focussed on
their needs, goals and aspirations in
relation to the community language
being taught.
Curriculum
The range of learning experiences,
outcomes and appropriate
assessment strategies, designed and
documented to facilitate student
learning in local community
contexts.
Dimension and Elements
Curriculum
1.1 The school’s curriculum is understood by teachers
and families.
1.2 The structure of the school’s curriculum makes
provision for age appropriate and realistic student
learning experiences.
1.3 The school’s curriculum is appropriately linked to
the relevant State/Territory curriculum structures and
documents.
1.4 The school’s curriculum provides for the teaching
of the language in appropriate cultural contexts.
Dimension and Elements
Curriculum
1.5 The school’s curriculum is appropriately
resourced to promote student learning.
1.6 Structures are in place for monitoring and
updating the school’s curriculum to ensure that it is
reflective of broader curriculum change.
Element 1.1.
The school’s curriculum is understood
by teachers and families
.
Pointers:




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Teachers’ planning documentation reflects the school
curriculum
Teaching strategies used in classrooms are derived from
the school curriculum
Families have been advised about key aspects of the
school curriculum.
Teachers regularly discuss curriculum implications for
teaching the language
Student assessment strategies reflect the objectives of
the curriculum
Element 1.1.
The school’s curriculum is understood
by teachers and families
Evidence:





Each teacher regularly uses these sets of documents to
teach the language.
Each teacher is programming from the school’s
curriculum in collaboration with other teachers.
Teachers’ programming reflects continuity in learning
across years.
Teachers are involved in regular professional
learning/sharing of ideas on curriculum.
Families regularly help students with homework due to
their understanding of the curriculum.
Rating Scale
Always demonstrated
To achieve this rating, it would be expected
that the School Review Team would agree that
the majority of pointers describe the usual
practices in the school.
Mostly demonstrated
It would be expected that the School Review
Team would agree that the majority of pointers
describe the usual practices in the school, but
there may be some significant exceptions, or
some pointers may not be evident.
Sometimes
demonstrated
This rating would reflect a situation that
applied in some cases but not all. For
example, the pointers may not be observed in
some cases or may not be demonstrated
consistently throughout the year.
Rating Scale
Rarely demonstrated
This rating would be appropriate in
circumstances where the School
Review Team would agree that
there is evidence that the pointers
are demonstrated in very few
instances in the school.
Never demonstrated
This rating would be appropriate in
instances where none of the
pointers for the element describe
the practices in the school
Workshop Tasks
In small groups:
 Read the extracts from the QA Guidelines
document
 Discuss how the document could be used at
your school to enhance current teaching and
learning
 Discuss what professional development needs
you believe the teachers at your school may
need to work with the QA Guidelines document
 Prepare a brief report to share at the plenary
session (2-3 minutes)