Evaluation & Review
Learning involves action and reflection, so evaluation and review
of all school processes can be helpful. Opportunities to review 'the
way we do things around here' (the ethos of the school) are already
available in the existing management processes. Identifying the appropriate
partners in each area of school life to particiapte in evaluation
and review is important. Audit tools are available and can be developed
further.
In Brief
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Evaluation and review
Evaluation and review is standing back and reflecting
on what we've been doing. This reflection is a critical
part of learning, both for individuals and for the
community.
School ethos, or 'the way we do things around here'
can be reflected upon through the existing management
processes.
School ethos, values in practice, can be reflected
upon by asking questions like:
does our current practice promote or negate our
school's values ?
do we see the behaviours and outcomes we aspire
to in for example, the classroom, the playground
and the staffroom ?
To answer these questions requires that the appropriate
participants are involved. At times it may be necessary
to find the time and resources to involve the whole
school. It may also mean risking receiving 'difficult'
or unwelcome feedback.
Tools are available to assist in 'benchmarking'
or auditing a whole school approach to education
and values.
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Teachers' Comments
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Reflection: a critical part of learning
Effective learners are people who are aware of
what they are doing and how they are doing it. They
are able to ask critical questions and to reflect
on whether practices are achieving their aims. The
capacity for strategic reflection is central for
all learners and is a key component for continuing
professional development. It comprises the skills
of analysis, intuition and imagination.
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Review and evaluation is a normal part of school
development
The school development planning process will include
regular review and evaluation of all strategic targets.
As well as reviewing the 'hard' objectives of policies,
school leaders and governors can include the review
and evaluation of how those strategic targets measure
up to the school's vision and its explicit core
values.
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School ethos can be assessed by looking at values
in practice
The ethos of the school - that is the quality of
relationships, the values, beliefs and attitudes
of the school as a community and the rituals and
practices of the school - can be assessed. One way
of doing this is by looking at the school's values
in practice.
The values which we hold to or espouse are likely
to be lived out in terms of a range of practices,
outcomes and behaviours. Other practices, outcomes
or behaviours might be indications that those espoused
values are not being successfully lived out in practice.
For example, if a schools' core value includes the
intrinsic dignity and worth of each individual then
its teaching and learning policy is likely to reflect
a range of strategies and approaches that cater
for individual differences. However, if in practice
teaching and learning is unvaried then this may
indicate a gap between espoused and practised values.
Benchmarks or assessment criteria are likely to
be aspects of most school policies. Appropriate
assessment criteria can be identified based on expectations
of practices, outcomes and behaviours that are expressions
of the values being lived.
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Involvement of appropriate participants
It is important that all those who participate
in a particular policy or practice should be involved
in its evaluation and review. It is a particularly
important to include the learners themselves in
the process.
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Tools are available for auditing school values
in practice
While the idea of auditing schools' values in
practice may sound daunting, auditing tools have
been developed for this purpose and are available.
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'How To' Guide
In summary
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Developing value-based evaluation criteria
This Learning Centre contains seven steps with
each step building on the previous one. The first
step has to do with vision. Vision (and the values
that flow from that) affect the whole of school
life.
So, having agreed upon the school's vision and mission,
and the school's values it is then possible to create
policies shaped by these values, for every area of school
life as discussed in step three. This diagram
illustrates the progression we have in mind.
Assessment criteria can be readily developed for
each of the school's values for all aspects of school
life by considering:
since we know what our values are, what behaviours,
dispositions or outcomes do we aspire to in [any
selected area of school life] ?
Using these criteria is made easier by drawing
up a parallel set based upon the reverse question:
'what behaviours, dispositions or outcomes in
this area of school life suggest we are not
living out our values?
We offer some examples of these kinds of criteria
in a diagrammatic form in relation to one core
value - valuing others and some key areas
of school life.
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Benchmarking school ethos
A headteacher or deputy head will wish to evaluate
the progress achieved over time in developing their
school's ethos according to the school's vision
and values.
We can draw upon the audit tool, 'Success for Everyone
- Benchmarks for School Ethos', to develop a simple
model.
Step 1
Create a matrix, three rows by two columns.
Choose three stages of development such as 'Embedded',
'Establishing' and 'Emergent'. Enter these into
the rows of the first column which should be headed
'Stages of development',
Label the first row of the second and third columns
'What' and 'How', respectively. The 'what' is
the benchmark and the 'how' is an explanation.
Step 2
Take an area of school life, such as teaching
and learning. In the second column of the matrix
labelled 'What', write your expectations of some
of the implications of the school's vision and
values for teaching and learning at each stage
of development.
Step 3
In the third column of the matrix labelled 'How'
write a short statement explaining how the expectations
in the 'What' column might be recognised.
See this page of the 'Success for Everyone - Benchmarks
for School Ethos' table for some examples. Notice
that the 'How' statements might also be useful as
methods to achieve the 'What' statements.
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Resources
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Benchmarks for school ethos
The audit tool - 'Success for Everyone - Benchmarks
for School Ethos' provides a means of evaluating where
a school is in terms of development of a values based
learning community.
(We hope to provide some extracts from this resource.
In the meantime please contact the authors at the address
below).
Available from Health Education Unit, Martineau Centre,
74 Balden Rd., Harborne, Brmingham B32 2EH Tel: 0121 303
8200
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Assessing for excellence - a practical guide for self-assessment
Assessing for Excellence is a publication of the British
Quality Foundation which explains and provides examples
of methods for self-assessment using the EFQM (European
Foundation for Quality Management) Excellence Model.
The guide is intended for people who wish to improve
the performance of their organisation.
A
CD-ROM based workbook has been produced which is a
practical tool designed to help an organisation identify
strengths and to evaluate areas for improvement.
'The workbook is a CD-ROM containing a structured set
of 90 questions based on the EFQM Excellence model. For
each question, an individual can log comments and rate
the performance of the organisation. If more than one
person completes the questionnaire, the scores are averaged
but all of the comments are retained. Once all 90 questions
have been answered a menu field, called "Scores"
graphically profiles the results'
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DFES standards site - EFQM excellence model
The model is widely used in education (estimated that
30% of the education sector are or have used the model)
to promote improvement through self-assessment.
This
website has details of the Quality in Education Programme
which is based on the EFQM model.
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