| Browse by keyword | Help? |
Telling the story behind the statistics
Schools,departments and individual teachers need to review the result data for both their school and their own departments. This should be a considered and open process, involving all stakeholders and considering all factors.
In analysing the statistics, consideration should be given to information and feedback from a wide range of sources, including students, subject associations, teachers, advisers, employers, tertiary institutions, parents, international studies, curriculum planning and implementation processes, the standards review process and the national assessment panels contracted by the Qualifications Authority.
The following eight questions suggest ways to look at the information emerging from the national and school statistics.
The Curriculum
| Download a template for recording the discussion around these questions |
 |
 |
- Is this an especially difficult/easy aspect of this subject?
- Is this skill dependent on another? (For example, how much is research dependent on reading? Do you need to be able to do algebra well to succeed at trigonometry?)
The Students
- Are our level 1 students in general simply good/weak at this aspect? (Are they better at production/performance skills than conceptual/abstract skills?)
- Does this subject/standard attract relative experts - or does virtually the whole population take this subject? (Students in some sciences, arts and languages tend to be specialising already.)
Teaching
- Are teaching methods and resources especially strong/weak in this area?
- Have we neglected this area in the past? (Areas that have not been formally assessed nationally in the past may not have been given high priority in classrooms. School Certificate may not have demanded high level thinking in some areas. Teachers and students may not have had clear expectations and targets.)
Assessment
- Are the national standards appropriate? (When they are reviewed, do they need to be eased, raised or clarified?)
- Have we got the right assessment approach? (Are students getting ample opportunity to show how well they can do? Are all assessments adequately assessing to the intended standard?)
Last updated: 04 March 2008