Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within twelve months of the Education Review Office and Casebrook Intermediate working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Casebrook Intermediate is a state co-educational school located in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui and caters for students in Years 7 and 8.
Casebrook Intermediate’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
- provide an enriched, inclusive learning environment that tracks and responds to students’ cultural, social, and emotional needs
- track and respond to student progress and achievement across the New Zealand Curriculum
- commit to empowering and developing staff teaching and leadership capacity.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plans on Casebrook Intermediate’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate Casebrook Intermediate’s current practice of ability grouping students in mathematics.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
- The growing body of research that questions the practice of ability grouping
- The school achievement data shows a number of students are achieving at or above the expected levels in Year 7 and Year 8 Mathematics. The aim is to increase this number.
The school expects to use the outcome of the evaluation to redesign the school approach to teaching mathematics. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes, and other indicator data will show improved student outcomes in terms of excellence and equity for all students.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to review mathematics teaching practices:
- teachers share high, clear, and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress, and wellbeing
- internal evaluation practices support the gathering, analysis, and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve individual and collective practice.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- supporting teachers to grow their confidence and capability in mathematics teaching practice to benefit all learners
- analysing achievement data to ensure that the mathematics programme promotes equity and excellence for all students.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
16 June 2022
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home