Quality Assurance &
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Framework and Features of Performance Indicators
The Rationale for Performance Indicators
Levels of Performance and Evidence of Performance
Contents of Performance Indicators
1
4
7
9
Foreword
Background
Way Forward Development
Introduced in 2003, the School Development and Accountability (SDA) framework aims to promote systematic and evidence-based school self-evaluation (SSE) in accordance with the spirit of school-based management. Complemented by external school review (ESR), SSE facilitates schools’ continuous development and improvement as well as enhances their accountability.
Performance Indicators (PI) for schools are a set of important tools in support of the implementation of the SDA framework. With related evidence and data, PI serve to assist schools in reviewing systematically their development priorities and the effectiveness of major tasks conducted in order to refine the school development plans continuously for the enhancement of students’ learning effectiveness. Since their publication, PI have been widely adopted. They have been serving as a common platform for the evaluation of school development by schools and the Education Bureau (EDB).
The EDB will continue to take into due consideration the feedback and experience of education practitioners, as well as the education trends, and update the related content in due course, with a view to providing schools with suitable PI and evidence of performance for reference.
Enquiries, feedback and suggestions concerning PI are welcome, and members of the public may wish to direct them to the Indicators Section of the Quality Assurance & School-based Support Division, the EDB:
In line with the implementation of the next phase of the SDA framework starting from the 2015/16 school year, the EDB has conducted a comprehensive review of the contents of PI so as to align with the latest education development and make timely revision. In the process, views of the working group formed by frontline school personnel have been collected and the education sector has been consulted. Based on the views and experience gathered since the implementation of the SDA framework, the Bureau has updated the evidence of performance at two levels, namely “excellent” and “acceptable” while other contents including the PI framework, the rationale, levels of performance and focus questions remain unchanged.
This document is a revised edition of the PI for schools. It consists of four chapters, with detailed elaboration on the framework and features of the PI, the rationale for the PI, levels of performance and the contents of PI, for the reference of schools. This revised edition will be adopted from the 2016/17 school year onwards by secondary, primary and special schools and by inspection personnel. This document can be downloaded from the EDB web site ( http://
www.edb.gov.hk/pi ).
Address: Room 1214, 12/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2892 6507 Fax: (852) 2119 9074 E-mail: indicators@edb.gov.hk
Chapter 1
Framework and Features of Performance Indicators
1.1 Framework
The framework of PI is of three-tiers, comprising Domains, Areas and Performance Indicators. There are altogether four domains which are subdivided into eight areas and 23 performance indicators. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the Domain, Area and PI structure.
Evidence of performance is provided against each PI area under the first three domains to serve as the basis for SSE and for reviewing school development and effectiveness.
Figure 1 : Diagrammatic Representation of
the Framework of Performance Indicators
Domain
& OrganisationManagement Learning &Teaching Student Support
& School Ethos Student Performance
Area ManagementSchool
Planning Implementation
Evaluation
Leadership
& Monitoring Collaboration
& Support Professional Development
Curriculum Organisation Curriculum Implementation
Performance Assessment
Curriculum Evaluation
Learning Process Learning Performance
Teaching Organisation
Teaching Process Feedback and Follow-up
Support for Student Development School Climate
Home-school Cooperation
Links with External Organisations
Affective Development
& Attitude Social Development
Academic Performance Non-academic
Performance Professional
Leadership
Curriculum
&
Assessment
Student Learning &
Teaching
Student
Support Partnership Attitude
&
Behaviour
Participation
&
Achievement
Performance Indicator
Domain Area Performance Indicators
I. Management and
Organisation
1. School Management
1.1 Planning 1.2 Implementation 1.3 Evaluation
2. Professional Leadership
2.1 Leadership and Monitoring 2.2 Collaboration and Support 2.3 Professional Development
II. Learning and Teaching
3. Curriculum and Assessment
3.1 Curriculum Organisation 3.2 Curriculum Implementation 3.3 Performance Assessment 3.4 Curriculum Evaluation
4. Student Learning and Teaching
4.1 Learning Process 4.2 Learning Performance 4.3 Teaching Organisation 4.4 Teaching Process
4.5 Feedback and Follow-up III. Student Support
and School Ethos
5. Student Support 5.1 Support for Student Development 5.2 School Climate
6. Partnership 6.1 Home-school Cooperation
6.2 Links with External Organisations
IV. Student Performance
7. Attitude and Behaviour
7.1 Affective Development and Attitude
7.2 Social Development 8. Participation
and
Achievement
8.1 Academic Performance 8.2 Non-academic Performance
Figure 2 : Overview of the Framework of Performance Indicators
1.2 Features
The EDB expects schools to conduct holistic evaluation of school key tasks, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of the evaluation. PI features the following characteristics:
1.2.1 Fully embedding SSE
1.2.2 Focus questions for promoting reflection
1.2.3 Evidence of performance depicting overall performance
Emphasis is laid on the concept of “Planning-Implementation-Evaluation” (P-I-E) in the SSE cycle. The on-going cyclical process of SSE helps drive schools’ sustainable development and self-improvement. Through SSE, schools formulate their direction of development and strategic planning for their future. The experience derived from implementation and evaluation feeds forward into the planning of the next school development cycle. This version of PI categorically defines “Planning”, “Implementation”
and “Evaluation” as the PI under “School Management” and the concept of P-I-E is also embedded in the PI areas of “Curriculum and Assessment”, “Learning and Teaching” and
“Student Support” with a view to embedding SSE within the schools’ routine work.
A set of “focus questions” is provided against each PI to point school personnel towards the direction of review, so that they may use them as the starting point for their approach and inquiry, stimulating reflection and discussion. When reflecting on “focus questions”, schools should make reference to their Key Performance Measures, Stakeholder Survey (SHS) and other school data, in order to review schools’ overall condition more clearly and to support objective and evidence-based SSE. However, schools should not treat the “focus questions” as a checklist and it is not appropriate for schools to undertake piecemeal stocktaking, which could give rise to the possibility of overlooking schools’ uniqueness and overall performance.
The evidence of performance depicts the overall standard of performance against each PI area under the first three domains. The illustrations are of “excellent” and “acceptable”
practice so as to enable school personnel to have a firmer grasp of the standard of performance at these two performance levels. When making reference to the evidence of performance at “excellent” and “acceptable” levels, school personnel should note that the illustrations are for schools’ reference only.
Chapter 2
The Rationale for Performance Indicators
Performance Indicators for Hong Kong Schools is an important tool for evaluating school performance. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the rationale for PI, summarising what the four PI domains cover. At the core are the two PI areas under “Student Performance”, the outer layer consisting of the four PI areas under “Learning and Teaching” and “Student Support and School Ethos”. These further extend outward to cover the two PI areas under “Management and Organisation”. Figure 3 also highlights the need for schools, when using the PI, to take their own context into full consideration.
Figure 3 : The Rationale for PI
School Context
School Management
Professional Leadership
Student Performance
Student Support
Attitude &
Behaviour
Participation &
Achievement
Curriculum
&
Assessment
Student Learning
& Teaching Partnership
2.1 The rationale for the domain of “Student Performance”
2.2 The rationale for the domain of “Learning and Teaching”
Student performance is the core business of the school and requires maximum attention.
In accordance with the aims of education in Hong Kong, schools should provide students with opportunities for whole-person development. It follows that schools should examine students’ performance in the areas of “Attitude and Behaviour” and “Participation and Achievement” in order to understand students’ whole-person development. At the same time, student performance constitutes a major outcome of school education. On the basis of student performance in the above two areas, schools can better understand students’ needs and evaluate the effectiveness of performance in other PI domains.
“Curriculum and Assessment” is integral in nature, with the two components complementing each other. On the basis of the central curriculum framework recommended by the Curriculum Development Council as well as the latest education trends and school development, schools should develop their school-based curriculum according to students’ needs, interests and abilities, and strategically implement appropriate initiatives for enhancing learning and teaching. This should be undertaken with a view to enriching students’ learning experiences, helping them consolidate their foundation knowledge, fostering their generic skills as well as developing their positive values and attitudes, thus laying the foundation for self-directed and lifelong learning. At the same time, schools should formulate their assessment policy in alignment with curriculum goals, so that effective performance assessment yields useful feedback on students’ performance to enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching.
Quality teaching promotes student learning. Teachers should adopt a student-centred approach and implement the school-based curriculum with lucid teaching objectives, appropriate teaching strategies and resources to promote class interaction and help students construct knowledge. Teaching should stimulate thinking, develop students’ potential and foster their learning ability. Positive values and attitudes are also fostered in the process.
Teachers should cater for the needs of different learners, offer suitable feedback and, at the same time, enhance their confidence and interest in learning. Teachers should extend student learning through providing life-wide learning opportunities. Schools should strive for student autonomy in the learning process by encouraging them to actively engage in sharing, collaboration and exploration, thus enabling them to enjoy learning, enhance their effectiveness in communication and develop their creativity and sense of commitment.
2.4 The rationale for the domain of “Management and Organisation”
2.5 The rationale underlying the application of Performance Indicators
Quality school management and organisation are built on two key factors, namely good
“Professional Leadership” and “School Management”, the presence of which serves to enhance the effectiveness of the other three domains. To realise the school mission and to foster student learning and development, school leaders at various levels need to display professional leadership in different capacities, build a shared vision with other staff members and set a clear direction for school development. Effective measures have to be put in place to support teachers, to promote collaboration and professional development, with a view to making the school a learning community. The school management also needs to monitor the implementation of school work and evaluate its outcomes through an effective quality assurance mechanism. This should include reporting on school performance to its stakeholders, for the purpose of enhancing transparency and accountability. In this connection, the SSE cycle of P-I-E has to be effectively put into practice and integrated in different key aspects of school work for continuous improvement and sustainable development.
As illustrated in Figure 3, in order to enhance “Student Performance”, schools should ensure a good connection between the two domains, namely “Learning and Teaching” and
“Student Support and School Ethos”. “Management and Organisation” of good quality can facilitate the planning, implementation and evaluation of the relevant plans in “Learning and Teaching” and “Student Support and School Ethos”, which leads to self-improvement. School performance in the four domains is inter-related. This represents the nature of PI which is interlocking, with mutual impact upon each other. Hence, school personnel should adopt a holistic approach in evaluating school work. In addition, given the variations in their pace of development and in students’ backgrounds, schools should take into full consideration their own context when using the PI in SSE, in line with the principles of ensuring that evaluation is school-specific and target-oriented.
2.3 The rationale for the domain of “Student Support and School Ethos”
To ensure that students have all-round, healthy development, schools should create a good ethos, offer appropriate support services and diversified activities and work in collaboration with parents and the community. In the area of “Student Support”, schools should formulate policies which are student-centred and promote whole-school participation. Students’
development needs should be strategically identified and support services should be provided for students with different learning needs, to help them integrate into campus life and develop their potential. Schools should help promote students’ personal and social development through various support measures. They should also foster good interpersonal relationship among different members, so that they readily accept one another, give full play to their ability, forge an active and cheerful school atmosphere and foster a sense of belonging and team spirit. At the same time, the school should regard parents, alumni and external organisations as “partners” and maintain good communication and close ties with them.
Home-school cooperation is to be encouraged and external resources optimised to promote school development. The school should also promote students’ participation in activities organised by the community both for self-enrichment and as a contribution to society.
Levels of Performance and Evidence of Performance
3.1 Levels of Performance
PI adopts the four levels of performance of “excellent”, “good”, “acceptable” and
“unsatisfactory” for rating school work. The school can make reference to the following criteria in deciding where it stands in terms of developmental stage, and formulate appropriate and viable plans to promote self-improvement and enhance accountability.
Levels of School
Performance Assessment Criteria
Excellent School work in the area in question is often characterised by major strengths, attainment of expected outcomes and outstanding performance, presenting an exemplary case worthy of dissemination.
Good Strengths outweigh weaknesses in the area of school work in question; the school is advancing steadily towards pre-set goals with pleasing outcomes.
Acceptable School work in the area in question is marked by some strengths and some weaknesses. The school is advancing towards pre-set goals with some initial observable outcomes.
Unsatisfactory School work displays major weaknesses in the area in question with undesirable outcomes; pre-set goals fail to be attained and immediate remedial action is required.
Chapter 3
3.2 What is Evidence of Performance?
To facilitate schools’ use of the Performance Indicators for Hong Kong Schools in SSE, evidence of performance in this version continues to be drawn up against each PI area of the first three domains at two levels, namely “excellent” and “acceptable”. The evidence of performance, which has been formulated with reference to quality assurance inspection (including ESR) findings and views of frontline education practitioners, reflects the general situation in local schools and constitutes useful, practical reference. Nonetheless, a school’s own SSE should be evidence-based, evaluate the effectiveness of its work and formulate goals for development plans with due consideration of the school context, characteristics and pace of development. The illustrations of performance, as depicted, should not be regarded as mandatory requirements.
Performance in the domain of “Student Performance” reflects the outcome of school education, with the focus on students’ performance pertaining to “Attitude and Behaviour”
and “Participation and Achievement”. Due to variations in student intake, student background and student abilities across schools, it is not appropriate to state the evidence of performance. Schools should set their expectations for student performance at reasonable levels, according to their school context, and monitor student performance and progress through regular assessment so as to review the effectiveness of their work.
Contents of Performance Indicators
Chapter 4
A R E A 1 • School Management Performance
Indicators Focus Questions
1.1 Planning • Is a school self-evaluation mechanism in place? Does this mechanism function effectively?
• Is there due attention to transparency and accountability in school management?
• Does the school formulate appropriate development priorities, taking into account its mission and vision, students’ needs and self-evaluation findings?
• How does the school, in the light of its development priorities, formulate clear and concrete implementation strategies pertaining to manpower, resource deployment and among others to foster school development?
1.2 Implementation • Is the school able to effectively coordinate and monitor the implementation of its priority tasks?
• Is the school able to enhance communication and collaboration among subject panels/committees for realisation of the school plans?
• Does the school deploy resources effectively for the implementation of priority tasks to promote student learning, to strengthen student support and to enhance the effectiveness of school management?
• Can the school properly handle exigencies that affect student learning and safety?
1.3 Evaluation • How does the school evaluate the effectiveness of its priority tasks?
• How does the school use the evaluation findings to feed back into planning?
• How does the school inform the stakeholders of its performance?
• Is the school able to foster a culture of self-evaluation?
Domain I Management and Organisation
Evidence of Performance
Exemplar of Excellent Performance
• The SSE mechanism is well-developed and a self-evaluation culture is effectively promoted.
The school recognises and appreciates the positive impact of SSE. It places due emphasis on outcome evaluation and reflection on teaching effectiveness as well as upholds the evidence- based principle in conducting SSE. The school conducts systematic and comprehensive review of its strengths and weaknesses, taking into account changes in societal expectations and education policies, its mission and vision as well as students’ backgrounds and attributes.
Based on the analysis of SSE data and findings and recommendations in inspection reports, appropriate development priorities are drawn up and work plans, with clear targets and practicable implementation strategies, are formulated. Subject panels and committees also actively formulate appropriate and concrete operational plans in line with the school development priorities. Appropriate evaluation methods and success criteria are developed for the priority tasks. Manpower and resources are effectively deployed, and external resources are strategically tapped to carry out the priority tasks. Grants for specific purposes are also suitably utilised. The overall planning by the school is thorough and comprehensive. The decision- making process is transparent with extensive teacher participation and full consideration of the views of other stakeholders. To enhance the accountability and transparency of school management, the public and stakeholders are properly informed of the effectiveness of school work through various channels.
• The school conscientiously coordinates the implementation of priority tasks and effectively monitors the progress of implementation at subject panel/committee level, keeping track of the utilisation of resources and evaluating the effectiveness of outcomes. Subject panels and committees regularly report work progress, enabling the school to effectively evaluate the outcomes of school work in conjunction with other evaluation data. There is good use of evidence at both the school and subject panel/committee levels for focused review and analysis of the implementation of work plans and student learning outcomes. Timely adjustment of strategies and resource redeployment ensure that the school is steadily attaining its set targets. Good communication and collaboration among subject panels and committees, coupled with appropriate resource utilisation, bring about enhanced learning outcomes.
• The daily running of the school is systematic and there is flexibility in handling ad hoc issues.
There is timely review and re-engineering of workflow to enhance work effectiveness.
Exigencies are handled properly and promptly. The school also takes prompt follow-up action to identify the sources of exigencies, heightening teachers’ and students’ awareness of crises, and formulating appropriate contingency measures to help teachers and students deal with them positively.
• The school makes good use of the SSE tools developed by itself and the EDB to collect data, systematically analyse and synthesise the evaluation findings of subject panels/committees and student performance, with an aim to reflect deeply on work effectiveness. A plan is subsequently devised to feed forward to the next planning cycle, with a focus on improving student learning outcomes. The P-I-E SSE cycle is thus effectively translated into practice, with the SSE culture having taken root in learning and teaching, and embedded as school routines.
Teachers and students pursue excellence, contributing to the school’s continuous improvement and sustained development.
Exemplar of Acceptable Performance
• The school formulates its development goals and implementation strategies in line with its mission and vision, trends in education policies, the school context and the recommendations in inspection reports. Manpower and resources are properly allocated for the implementation of various priority tasks, and grants for specific purposes are properly utilised. In drawing up policies, views of stakeholders are solicited and the school also informs them, through appropriate channels, about the latest school development and its direction and strategies for the future. The formulation of policies is generally based on the evidence collected or students’
needs. However, extensive teacher involvement is still lacking in major policy decisions and the transparency of the school management needs to be enhanced.
• Most subject panels and committees have formulated their work plans in line with the development goals of the school, deployed resources appropriately, and implemented and reviewed their work plans as scheduled. The school has appointed a suitable co-ordinator to take charge of the priority tasks and monitor the use of resources. Subject panels and committees periodically report on work progress and review their work effectiveness. However, there is a need for better cross-panel/committee collaboration to facilitate implementation. In conducting reviews, some subject panels and committees report mainly on the progress of the implementation details in the work plans without evaluation of their effectiveness in relation to targets set.
• Daily operation of the school is smooth. Clear procedures and specific guidelines for handling crises are in place. Appropriate contingency and follow-up measures are taken to provide students with a safe and orderly learning environment.
• The school has put in place its SSE mechanism and systematically collects data and information for self-evaluation. Evaluation tools, developed by the school and the EDB, are used to analyse students’ needs and the strengths and areas for improvement of the school for identifying development priorities. However, the data are not well utilised to evaluate work effectiveness in a focused manner, to formulate concrete follow-up actions or to feed forward into subsequent planning. Overall, there is room for improvement in the P-I-E SSE cycle for a culture of self-evaluation to firmly take root.
A R E A 2 • Professional Leadership Performance
Indicators Focus Questions
2.1 Leadership and Monitoring
• How does the school managementNote 1 lead the teaching staff in building a common vision for school development?
• How does the school management enhance school effectiveness, with a focus on students’ learning outcomes and whole-person development?
• Do the school management and middle managersNote 2 have sufficient professional knowledge? Are they able to keep abreast of the latest trends in education development, including those in their respective areas of expertise?
• Do the school management and middle managers have strong commitment? Are they committed to driving the school’s sustained improvement?
• Are the school management and the middle managers able to fulfil their planning, coordinating and monitoring functions?
2.2 Collaboration and Support
• How good is the working relationship between the school management and middle managers? Are they able to foster communication and collaboration, promote team spirit and enhance morale among the teaching staff?
• How do the school management and the middle managers provide effective support to basic rank teachers?
2.3 Professional Development
• Does the school management assign duties to members of staff commensurate with their abilities/expertise, thus making optimal use of them?
• How does the school draw up and implement appropriate teacher professional development plans with the ultimate aim of enhancing student learning and the effectiveness of student support?
• How does the school management facilitate the development of the school into a learning community by cultivating a climate of professional sharing?
• How does the school make use of staff appraisal to identify the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the training needs, of teaching staff for continuous improvement of their work performance?
Note 1 The school management generally refers to the Incorporated Management Committee/ School Management Committee,
Evidence of Performance
Exemplar of Excellent Performance
• The school management has vision and aspirations. It always takes into full consideration the views of different stakeholders in formulating school-based development strategies and measures that address students’ needs. School resources are deployed flexibly and external resources are tapped actively to support the implementation of various measures, thus effectively enhancing school development. The school conducts review on the effectiveness of work and deploys resources in a timely manner. Priority tasks in various domains are showing either good or outstanding performance, or continuous improvement.
• Both the school management and the middle managers have rich professional knowledge and are conversant with the latest education trends. They are visionary, capable of supporting teachers to meet the challenges arising from change with a positive attitude, and building up a shared vision with their staff. They are ready to undertake responsibilities, and actively draw up specific plans of subject panels and committees in line with the school’s direction of development. To ensure the attainment of goals, they play an effective role in planning and coordination, also monitoring the progress and quality of work at appropriate intervals, and rendering support to basic rank teachers in need.
• The school management and the middle managers work in close collaboration and support each other. They maintain close contact with teachers and are capable of motivating them to be proactive. A harmonious working atmosphere has been created, thus effectively boosting teacher morale and team spirit. With outstanding leadership and interpersonal skills, the school management can successfully promote professional exchange and teacher reflection on their own work. A culture of striving for continuous self-improvement, in respect of learning and teaching, is cultivated. The school management strategically empowers middle managers to share the leadership role, which gradually achieves distributed leadership and nurtures future leaders.
• The school management suitably deploys manpower to the effect that staff members can suitably contribute their expertise. The school management is able to make effective use of staff appraisal to inform staff members of their strengths and weaknesses and formulates continuing professional development plans that suit the needs of the school and teachers. As a result, teachers’ professional knowledge, skills and experience are updated, enriched and broadened for bringing about greater work effectiveness. The school management makes effective utilisation of internal and external resources to strategically strengthen teachers’
professional exchange, enabling the school to achieve its aim of enhancing the professional capacity of teachers and establishing the school as a learning community.
Exemplar of Acceptable Performance
• With a grasp of education trends and various education policies, the school management is able to lead the school in the formulation of development goals. Internal resources are deployed and external resources are tapped to support various priorities. The progress of work and the utilisation of resources are reviewed regularly. The school’s overall performance in the priority tasks under various domains is fair.
• The school management and key middle managers mostly have professional knowledge of the work under their purview. They are responsible, assiduous and able to discharge their duties properly. Most middle managers formulate the work plans of their subject panels and committees to align with the direction of school development and implement them systematically. However, their monitoring and evaluating role needs to be strengthened.
• The working relationship between the school management and most teaching staff is harmonious and communication is generally smooth. There is agreement on the direction of school development. However, consensus has yet to be reached with the teaching staff on the formulation of implementation strategies. Team collaboration is only acceptable, with room for enhancement. A small number of middle managers require more professional support from the school management to exercise their roles and perform their functions effectively.
• The school management assigns tasks in accordance with established principles and clearly delineates the duties and responsibilities of the staff members. Evaluation is conducted and timely feedback given on work performance of staff members for enhancing their work effectiveness. The school management attaches importance to the professional development of staff members. Teachers, in general, pursue professional development from time to time.
The school has developed professional development plans that generally address the needs of both the school and the students with the aim of enhancing learning effectiveness, and has provided a platform to facilitate sharing among teachers. Professional sharing is satisfactory but there is still some way to go before the school develops itself into a learning community.
A R E A 3 • Curriculum and Assessment Performance
Indicators Focus Questions
3.1 Curriculum Organisation
• Is the school able to align the planning of its curriculum with the trends in education development, the school’s development goals and students’ learning needs?
• How does the school map out a curriculum framework that is balanced and broad in coverage, so that students’ learning experiences can be enriched?
• How does the school adjust its learning content and formulate its learning and teaching strategy to cater for students’ learning needs?
3.2 Curriculum
Implementation • How strategic is the school in implementing its school-based curriculum?
• Are the various Key Learning Areas (KLA) able to enhance the implementation of school-based curriculum through communication and collaboration?
• Is the school able to effectively monitor the implementation of its school-based curriculum?
3.3 Performance Assessment
• How strategic is the school in implementing its assignment and assessment policy?
• Does the school have a good grasp of Assessment for Learning?
Is it able to effectively adopt multifarious modes of assessment and assess students’ performance in respect of knowledge, skills and attitudes?
• Is the school able to make reference to different sources of assessment data and provide timely and effective feedback to students according to their performance in order to enhance the effectiveness of student learning?
3.4 Curriculum
Evaluation • What mechanism is in place for the school to evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum implementation?
• How does the school make use of curriculum evaluation data to inform curriculum planning?
Domain II Learning and Teaching
Evidence of Performance
Exemplar of Excellent Performance
• Taking into consideration the trends in education developmentNote 3 , the school’s vision and mission as well as learner diversity, the school has formulated well-defined and prioritised school-based curriculum development objectives. Clear and concrete curriculum plans, including whole-school language policy, assignment and assessment policy, are drawn up against the set curriculum objectives. There is timely review and refinement of the planning and implementation of the curriculum. Organisation and coordination are also strengthened to cater for students’ diverse learning needs and student learning is considerably enhanced. A flexible and open curriculum framework is formulated, through appropriate allocation of lesson time, to provide students with a broad and balanced curriculum and opportunities for whole- person development. In terms of overall curriculum planning, due consideration is given to vertical curriculum development and smooth interface between curricula in each key stage.
Students’ knowledge in different KLA is enriched and their generic skills, positive values and attitudesNote 4 are fostered. The curriculum content ensures that learning is well connected to students’ daily life and provides students with diversified learning experiences. Students’
learning motivation, interests and abilities are effectively catered for and self-directed learning is promoted. The various KLA are able to formulate plans geared to the curriculum objectives and follow them through.
• The school properly deploys its human and financial resources, and creates room for teachers to support and carry out the curriculum strategies and formulated plans. The curriculum co- ordinator effectively discharges his/her function as a curriculum leader, and ensures thorough implementation of work plans. KLA are able to make good use of discussion on learning and teaching and observation for arranging well-focused school-based professional development activities. These latter include collaborative lesson preparation, lesson observation, and action research in which a culture of professional sharing is effectively fostered. More opportunities for teacher collaboration and exchange are provided, thus enhancing the quality of learning and teaching effectively.
• The school has devised assignment and assessment policy in accordance with students’
levels, needs and the development of their abilities. By different means including the school website, the details of the related policy are explained to the parents in a timely manner and close communication with parents is maintained. Parents are encouraged to provide feedback to their children on their performance in assignments. Different KLA are able to implement and follow through the school assignment and assessment policy. They design effective assignments and implement assessment for learning strategically to further help students
Note 3
Note 4
• Five essential learning experiences: moral and civic education, intellectual development, community service, physical and aesthetic development and career-related experiences
• Seven learning goals: responsibility, national identity, habit of reading, language skills, learning skills, breadth of knowledge and healthy lifestyle
• Four key tasks: moral and civic education (including national education and basic law education), reading to learn (including reading across the curriculum), project learning (including subject-based and cross-curricular projects) and information technology for interactive learning (including e-learning)
Values are explicit or implicit beliefs that students should develop. It is suggested that schools should first cultivate students’
connect assessment with learningNote 5, so as to develop self-directed learning. The school can promote learning through making good use of multifarious assessment methods that befit the teaching objectives, such as the introduction of students’ self-assessment, peer assessment and parent assessment, and through timely and effective feedback. The assessment contents duly cover students’ knowledge, attitudes and skills. The design of assignments takes into due consideration students’ interests and abilities and helps consolidate and extend what they have learnt. The assignments are designed in such a way that major elements of the KLA are given prominence and cross-curricular learning elements are duly covered, while students’ generic skills are effectively cultivated. The school systematically maintains records of students’
academic and non-academic performance and experiences, thus fully capturing students’
achievements and abilities in different aspects.
• The school has established a well-articulated mechanism to monitor curriculum implementation through a variety of methods in an effective and timely manner. Appropriate measures are geared to the curriculum development focuses. The measures include lesson observation and assignment inspection and are adopted to gather information about the implementation of the teaching programmes and learning activities and the effectiveness of curriculum development and of learning and teaching. Different KLA strategically review, and reflect on, the outcome of work in the light of set objectives, the findings of which inform the school’s direction of curriculum development. Through sharing and discussion, teachers review the curriculum framework and design as well as students’ performance in internal and external activities.
The school makes good use of different evaluation findings to analyse and keep following up on students’ performance and learning difficulties. These findings are also used effectively to inform curriculum planning and teaching strategies, thus enhancing the quality of learning and teaching on the whole.
Note 5 In order to develop skills and habits for self-directed learning and effective learning, students should not passively wait for their teachers to judge whether their answers are correct or not, or rely on their teachers’ advice on how to improve learning.
They should be more proactive in connecting learning and assessment, which is the essence of “Assessment as Learning”.
Exemplar of Acceptable Performance
• The school formulates its school-based curriculum development objectives and implementation strategies in alignment with the trends in education development, its mission and vision and students’ abilities and needs. The curriculum framework encompasses all KLA, provides life- wide learning opportunities, enriches students’ learning experiences and helps enhance their knowledge, generic skills and positive values and attitudes. The school adopts the four Key Tasks as strategies to facilitate student learning. It also reviews the balance of curriculum and formulates its assessment policy according to its curriculum objectives. However, the collaboration among subject panels, committees and the school library could be strengthened in order to develop students’ self-directed learning habits and abilities.
• The school can generally deploy its human and financial resources properly and make room for teachers to support the curriculum strategies and plans formulated. The curriculum co-ordinator has yet to fully discharge his/her function as curriculum leader to facilitate and improve the holistic planning and development of the curriculum. School resources are deployed to cater for students’ diverse learning needs, with suitable split class arrangements, provision of learning support and extended learning beyond lesson time, among others. Nevertheless, the school does not fully cater for students’ learning motivation, interests or abilities in its curriculum tailoring and teaching strategies. Some of the KLA strengthen collaboration and exchange among teachers through lesson observation and discussion on learning and teaching.
• Parents are informed of the assignment and assessment policy through the school website and other channels. Some of the KLA can implement the school assignment and assessment policy. They can generally grasp the concept of Assessment for Learning. To promote learning, a variety of assessment modes has been adopted, assessment by students and parents to promote learning has been initially introduced and attempts have been made to make reference to different sources of assessment data. The assessment contents cover the knowledge, attitudes and skills that students have learnt, and are appropriate in terms of the level of difficulty. The design of some assignments is able to cater for students’ abilities and needs, with content and modes aligning with the learning focuses of the subjects concerned.
The assignments mainly aim at consolidating learning and some are able to develop students’
generic skills. Some teachers can provide specific feedback on student performance in their assignments to facilitate improvement in their learning.
• A mechanism for monitoring curriculum implementation has been established. Different means, such as lesson observation and assignment inspection, are adopted to review and understand the progress and effectiveness of the curriculum plans. Information and data in relation to curriculum and performance assessment are collected and used to evaluate the curriculum plans and their implementation, and to assess students’ learning performance. Some of the KLA are, however, less effective in their evaluation work. They have neither made concrete analysis on students’ learning performance and their learning difficulties nor made good use of their evaluation findings to inform curriculum planning and the learning and teaching policy to enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching.
A R E A 4 • Student Learning and Teaching Performance
Indicators Focus Questions
4.1 Learning Process
• Do students possess good attitudes, motivation and interest in learning?
• Are students able to effectively apply learning strategies and resources in their learning, thus attaining their learning goals?
• Are students able to utilise feedback to improve their learning?
4.2 Learning
Performance • Do students successfully acquire and apply knowledge and skills?
• How well do students perform in their learning activities and assignments?
• How well do students perform in the aspect of generic skills?
• How developed are students’ reading habits?
4.3 Teaching Organisation
• How do teachers design their teaching content and adopt teaching strategies according to their teaching objectives and students’ abilities?
4.4 Teaching
Process • Are teachers’ communication skills effective in promoting student learning?
• How do teachers flexibly adjust their teaching pace and strategies to promote student learning to cater for different learning needs?
• Are teachers able to create a good classroom learning environment for students? Is classroom management effective?
• Are teachers able to provide various opportunities for students to participate and share experiences, with a view to promoting class interaction and enhancing learning effectiveness?
• Are teachers equipped with subject knowledge and do they have a good teaching attitude? Do they pitch their expectations of students at an appropriate level?
4.5 Feedback and Follow-up
• Are teachers able to provide appropriate feedback to students to help them improve?
• Are teachers able to follow up on students’ learning progress and provide opportunities to extend their learning?
Evidence of Performance
Exemplar of Excellent Performance
• Students are strongly interested and motivated in learning. They actively participate in learning activities, showing good initiative and confidence. Students adopt a serious attitude to learning, and are capable of independent learning. They are attentive in listening, and active in raising questions, expressing views and responding to teachers’ questions. Students are able to apply appropriate learning strategies and use a variety of resources in attaining their learning targets.
They are adept at applying information technology and extending their space of learning. They have formed a reading habit and acquired reading strategies and possess comprehension, analytical and thinking skills. Students have a good grasp of key learning points and can flexibly apply the knowledge and skills learnt to solve problems in different situations, reflecting their ability to learn independently. Students have good communication skills. In answering questions and making oral presentations, they express themselves clearly, being fluent, well- organised and presentable in their delivery. In group activities, students are ready to exchange ideas, work collaboratively to solve problems and display good collaborative skills. Students complete their assignments seriously and their work demonstrates much originality. Students readily accept others’ views and, through feedback, continuously recognise their own strengths, identify areas for improvement and strive for it. In the process, their grasp of the learning content is enhanced.
• In line with students’ prior knowledge, motivation, interests and abilities, teachers are able to set appropriate teaching objectives with suitable learning content, flexibly adopt teaching strategies, provide students with a variety of interactive learning opportunities and meaningful learning contexts, and relate the content suitably to students’ daily-life experiences, thus promoting students’ active learning. They are able to engage students in ample exchange of ideas, collaboration and experiential learning and have their generic skills effectively enhanced.
In line with the teaching objectives, teachers aptly deploy classroom and subject resources as well as information technology to create learning environments conducive to enriching students’
experiences and fostering their self-learning.
• Teachers are skilful and accurate in using the medium of instruction to conduct learning and teaching activities, in a way that is geared to students’ abilities and creating an appropriate language environment for students to adequately express their opinions. Teachers’ delivery is fluent, lively and well-organised. Their instructions and demonstration are clear. They can raise questions at different levels to prompt students to think and to encourage them to learn through enquiry. Teachers successfully create a lively classroom learning atmosphere with good class discipline, so that students can learn in a safe and orderly environment. Teachers have good professional knowledge of both their subject and of teaching strategies. They are serious and conscientious about teaching. They have appropriate expectations of their students. They are able to adjust the pace and content of lessons with reference to students’ learning progress, infusing elements of positive values and attitudes where appropriate. Through a good repertoire of teaching strategies, they enable students with different abilities to make progress, including encouraging the more capable students to strive for excellence in learning.
• Teachers adopt relevant methods appropriate to the teaching objectives to assess and follow up on students’ learning progress, and adeptly use students’ self-assessment and peer assessment to facilitate self-reflection from different perspectives. They often encourage students to express their opinions and provide them with opportunities to demonstrate learning, offer them timely praise and provide specific feedback on their strengths and areas for improvement, reinforcing their learning performance and guiding them to self-improvement.
Teachers aptly guide students to summarise their learning, have a good understanding of students’ learning progress and arrange opportunities to extend classroom learning, thus helping students consolidate, apply and reinforce what they have learnt in class, stimulating their thinking and encouraging them to pursue continuous improvement and to realise their potential.
Exemplar of Acceptable Performance
• Students are interested in learning and take part in activities, following teachers’ instructions.
They are attentive and generally observe class discipline. They are also willing to learn under teachers’ guidance and respond to teachers’ questions. However, their initiative in learning needs to be strengthened. Students in general can express their ideas clearly and completely when answering questions and giving oral presentations. In group activities, they are able to take part in discussion and complete set tasks under teachers’ guidance. Most of the students are receptive to others’ opinions. They understand their learning performance through feedback and try to seek improvement. Students understand the key learning points, have some grasp of the knowledge and skills and can, under teachers’ instructions, complete their assignments in a tidy and well organised fashion. Students are generally interested in reading and their reading habit is being gradually fostered. They have acquired basic learning strategies and can apply information technology in learning, although the use of these strategies and skills need to be enhanced. Their independent learning skills, too, need to be strengthened.
• Taking into account students’ prior knowledge, teachers are generally able to set appropriate teaching objectives with suitable learning content and arrange multifarious learning activities to help students grasp the learning focuses. On the whole, teachers are able to use learning materials and teaching resources against the learning objectives. Teachers, however, need to fully consider the learning needs of students of different abilities in designing and conducting learning activities.
• The medium of instruction adopted by teachers is in line with school policy. Teachers’
explanations and instructions are clear. They can sustain students’ motivation to learn and enhance classroom teaching through questioning. Some teachers use graded questions to provoke students’ thinking and develop their higher-order thinking skills. The classroom setting is geared to the teaching needs so as to create a serious mood for students to learn. A lecturing mode is generally adopted and so students’ participation in activities is not active enough. More opportunities are required to foster students’ generic skills. Teachers possess professional knowledge and understand the development of their own subjects. They are dedicated in their attitude to teaching, and have appropriate expectations of their students. They are supportive and encourage students of different abilities to engage in learning.
• Teachers assess students’ learning progress through different assessment modes. They also encourage students to respond to questions, understand their viewpoints and point out the errors they have made. Occasionally they give students encouragement and praise, although
A R E A 5 • Student Support Performance
Indicators Focus Questions
5.1 Support for Student Development
• How does the school identify students’ varied needs in the area of support for student development?
• Is the school’s planning for school-based student support services effective?
• How does the school arrange different learning experiences to cater for students’ personal development needs, in order to foster students’ self-management ability and help them set personal goals for learning?
• How does the school formulate strategies to cater for students’
social needs, with a view to fostering their positive values and attitudes and enhancing their interpersonal relationships and social responsibility?
• Does the school suitably support students with diverse learning needsNote 6 to help them integrate into campus life and develop their potential?
• How does the school evaluate the effectiveness of student support services?
5.2 School Climate • How good are staff relationships, teacher-student relationships and student-student relationships?
• What unique characteristics has the school developed in accordance with its vision, mission and goals?
• How does such uniqueness shape the culture and development of the school?
Domain III Student Support and School Ethos
Evidence of Performance
Exemplar of Excellent Performance
• The school understands students’ attitudes, behaviour and intellectual development at different stages, and can make good use of information obtained from various means such as observation, SHS and Assessment Program for Affective and Social Outcomes to identify students’ varied needs for development support. The school sets up a good mechanism for gaining consensus on its policies and measures on support for student development based on the identified needs. The development plan is holistic and directional, covering a diversified range of activities and support services to help students set and achieve their personal development goals. A sound mechanism for organising, coordinating and monitoring the activities and services is also put in place in the adoption of a whole-school approach to their implementation and evaluation, with timely adjustment and follow-up actions.
• The school makes use of daily life themes and current issues in a timely manner to guide students to think from different perspectives and help them clarify the related values before they make sensible judgments. Various kinds of student development activities and challenging tasks are aptly arranged both inside and outside school for students to apply what they have learnt and develop their potential. Whenever appropriate, they are guided to reflect on their performance and learning outcomes with a view to enhancing their self-confidence and self-management skills. Through systematic training offered by the school, student leaders’ leadership skills and potential in planning and organising activities independently are developed. In the light of students’ problems and needs at different developmental stages, the school strategically provides them with appropriate developmental, preventive and remedial counselling services to consolidate their experience gained in relation to their personal and social development as well as foster their power of resilience for facing challenges.
• The school helps students progressively realise the significance of life planning education from an early stage through which they are guided to understand their interests, abilities and orientations for making informed and responsible choices among the multiple pathways available for further studies and careers. In the process, they are helped to connect their academic and career aspirations with whole-person development and life-long learning. The school also provides group and individual counselling and guidance to address the different needs of students. Building on the existing career and guidance services, the school makes good use of resources to further widen and deepen their scope as well as enhance teachers’
professional capacity for promoting comprehensive life planning education and making timely review and amendments.
• The school has strategically fostered a caring, harmonious and supportive campus. Through its class management and peer support scheme, students’ sense of belonging to school is enhanced effectively. Planning for values education is both systematic and meticulous.
Coupled with positive encouragement, reward and punishment system as well as guidance and discipline activities, the planned provision helps students establish positive values and attitudes, with special emphasis on perseverance, respect for others, responsibility, national identity, commitment, integrity and care for others.
• An effective student support network has already been set up by the school to systematically develop students’ potential and help them establish good interpersonal relationships through group activities. The school succeeds in broadening students’ perspectives and heightening their social, national and global awareness through its strategic plans on life-wide learning outside the classroom. The school also adopts diversified modes to assess students’ academic and non-academic performance so as to help students understand themselves and set their personal goals for improvement.
• The school is able to identify students with diverse learning needs at an early stage as well as cater for their diversity and create a culture of integration in accordance with the requirements stated in various discrimination ordinancesNote 7. Through a comprehensive and systematic approach, the school can formulate specific policies for developing the potential of every student. The coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation work is effectively put in place. Subject panels and functional committees maintain professional collaboration among themselves and make good use of resources to provide students with appropriate support services such as remedial programmes, enrichment programmes, bridging/adaptation programmes and treatment services. To help teachers cater for students’ diverse needs more effectively, the school systematically formulates appropriate professional development plans to enhance teachers’ competence.
• The entire staff collaboratively promotes and creates a proactive school climate. The staff has appropriate expectations of the students and encourages them to strive for excellence.
Teacher-student rapport is good. The students are self-disciplined, diligent, respectful of their teachers and courteous to others. They enjoy amicable and harmonious relationships with one another. They are also actively involved in school activities and services.
• The staff and students love campus life and there is strong cohesion among them. The school’s vision and mission and school goals are followed through to accord with the school’s tradition.
The teaching staff actively promotes educational research and adopts a professional attitude in enhancing the effectiveness of learning and teaching, as well as continuously developing the culture of a learning community in the school.
Exemplar of Acceptable Performance
• The school can identify the basic needs of students in the area of support for development and provide them with sufficient learning experiences according to their development needs.
Subject panels and functional committees can plan their respective activities to align with the school’s development direction and focus. The school has started to foster a collaborative culture among the different panels and committees. However, there is room for improvement in the student support monitoring mechanism. The school has yet to make appropriate use of the assessment information to analyse and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the student support services for taking necessary follow-up actions and informing planning.
• The school provides students with a spectrum of experiences or training in self-recognition, interpersonal relationships and social life through the provision of school-based counselling services, moral and health education and personal counselling. These measures stimulate students’ intellectual development, train them to attain physical fitness, help them manage emotions and develop personal interests as well as equip them with knowledge about personal growth appropriate to their age. The school can generally use resources, such as the “Career and Life Planning Grant” to help students understand their individual abilities, interests and orientations at an early stage as well as provides information on further studies and careers to assist students in pursuing their personal goals and demonstrating their potential. However, the school is unable to systematically provide students with comprehensive life planning education at different developmental stages and render appropriate individual guidance and support relating to further studies and careers through a whole-school approach. Although various posts of responsibility have been created for students to develop their positive attitudes in serving others, students are not guided to reflect on their performance and suggest areas for improvement in a timely manner so as to help them enhance their self-management skills and establish their faith in serving others.
• The school is also able to help students observe the school regulations, learn how to get along with peers, take care of students at junior levels, understand social restrictions and develop appropriate values through a clear reward and punishment system, appropriate guidance activities, focused values education, prefect training, etc. However, the school has not yet established a comprehensive support network for students so as to offer timely support to students in need.
• The school is able to identify students with diverse learning needs and address the requirements as stipulated in various discrimination ordinances to cater for their diversity.
Although respective subject panels and functional committees have provided students with appropriate support services such as remedial programmes, enrichment programmes, bridging/adaptation programmes and treatment services, collaboration among them is not strong in catering for students’ learning needs systematically. The school is also unable to continuously review its use of resources in enhancing the quality of programmes and monitor the effectiveness.
• The management and middle managers of the school can maintain a harmonious working relationship among the staff and mutual cooperation is thus promoted. The staff cares about the students and gives them praise and encouragement. Teacher-student relationships are generally good. The students demonstrate self-discipline, respect their teachers and know how to get along with others. They are also willing to participate in school activities and services.
• The staff identifies with the school’s vision and mission and members duly perform their duties.
They are cooperative in school activities and affairs. Students enjoy campus life and are satisfied with the school environment. The school conducts regular reviews for improvement, though it has yet to cultivate the culture of a learning community.
A R E A 6 • Partnership Performance
Indicators Focus Questions
6.1 Home-School Cooperation
• How is parent education, offered by the school, geared to students’ development needs?
• How are parents mobilised to support the school?
• How does the school assist the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to fulfil its function as a link between parents and the school?
• Are there appropriate channels for parents to express their opinions? How are parents’ opinions considered and followed up?
6.2 Links with External Organisations
• Is the school able to develop appropriate links with external organisations in accordance with its development needs?
• Can the school suitably support student learning and its priority tasks through links and collaboration with external organisations?
• How does the school maximise its alumni network to support development?
