Fixed data walls: the writing is on the wall!
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 126 No 1, 12 February 2021, page no.5 [pdf version]
The use of fixed data walls in state schools will be a choice, not a requirement, following the release of the revised DoE/QTU Joint Statement on the Use and Purpose of Data.
Data walls can be fixed, temporary, digital and interactive, however data displays must be both purposeful and ethical, and most importantly the use of data displays will be determined at the local level through local consultation committee (LCC) consultation. If the LCC agrees that data may be presented in a digital or interactive data display, workload for members will be reduced.
A school’s data plan will be reviewed annually in consultation with teachers and the LCC, so that it accurately reflects the intended use of data within the school for that year.
It is not expected that schools will align to the updated joint statement immediately – members in schools will be able to commence consultation and revise their existing school data plans by the start of 2022.
The Department of Education will release several resources to support the revised joint statement soon.
The revised joint statement will be accompanied by templates for mandated data sets to minimise requirements for multiple data entry points and assist all teachers to focus on their teaching practice. While not mandatory, the use of these templates is recommended, and schools will be provided with advice detailing those data sets associated with teaching and learning that are required by the system and the dates on which these are to be provided.
This is a guide to what the mandatory data sets must include and what is optional.
Student learning data
- Summative data, such as report card data (A-E achievement, behaviour, effort, student assessment folio and moderation of student summative assessment) – bandscales are optional.
- Formative data, such as monitoring tasks and individual curriculum plan development and reviews, can be included in the school’s data plan, but again, this is optional.
- Diagnostic testing data, including Early Start and NAPLAN* are included, but other diagnostic testing data which are selected by schools, for example PAT M testing, are optional and as such are subject to consultation at the local level through the LCC or other consultative mechanism.
- Outcome data, including ATAR, Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA), school- based apprenticeships and traineeships (SAT) and vocational education and training (VET) are included.
Student wellbeing data
- Student attendance, school disciplinary absence data (SDA) and behaviour incident reports are included.
Community data
- School opinion survey (SOS) data, Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for students with disability (NCCD) are included.
Once formally released by the department, the revised joint statement and the accompanying data sets will provide an opportunity for teachers and school leaders to review their school data plan. Systemic and regional initiatives will also take into consideration workload and resourcing implications for schools.
Officers of the QTU and the department continue to work on revising the DoE/QTU Joint Statement on School Reviews, and it is hoped that this work will be completed by the end of Term 1.
*Members should refer to the QTU website for the latest updates in relation to NAPLAN.