POSITION STATEMENT

Kaleen staff hold the belief that all students can learn. Differentiated teaching methods and practices are used to extend the knowledge and skills of all students, regardless of their starting point. Teachers regularly use a variety of assessment strategies to monitor student learning progress and apply targeted interventions. Teachers use a variety of assessment information to check students' skills, knowledge and understandings. This helps to identify strengths, weaknesses and/or skills, gaps and enables teachers to support students to take the next steps in their learning.  

The Kaleen Primary PLC place a high value on differentiation and meeting the social, emotional and academic needs of all students. There are many structures in place to promote a shared professional understanding of what differentiation is and its impact on student learning. These include visible learning (clear learning intentions and success criteria), formative assessment strategies, student centred learning principles, PE@K (Passion and Enrichment At Kaleen) projects  and student goal setting. Staff are encouraged to articulate their differentiation strategies in planning and there is a dedicated section for this in planning templates. In Sub School Collaborative Team (SSCT) and Cohort Collaborative Team (CCT)  meetings, staff engage in professional discussions about what is working well, what is not and where to next for groups and individual students. Teachers engage in action learning and use data to make informed decisions and to try new strategies to improve student learning.

Kaleen also has a Response to Need (RTN) framework to ensure all students receive responsive, high-quality instruction according to their needs. RTN is a multi-tiered structure for differentiating instruction and supporting learning for all students. 

Tier 1 emphasises evidence-based, quality differentiated instruction in the classroom for all students.

Tier 2 instruction is targeted and more explicit than Tier 1, and conducted regularly in a small group setting. 

Tier 3 plan is developed if the student requires additional support in addition to Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 3 instruction involves additional smaller group supports and individualised instruction.

Reading is our current RTN focus Years 1-6 and entry into the Tier 2 level is determined by reading levels and other classroom assessments. Human resources that support students within Tier 2 and 3 levels are heavily directed towards Years 1 and 2 (i.e. executive and lead teachers), with LSA support offered for students in Years 3-6. Year 6 student Boost Tutors (and parent volunteers before Covid19) also support the Tier 2 program from 9-9:30am, three days a week.

In 2020, the school worked with the Directorate's Disability Education team to build a new small group setting and strengthen our approach to supporting our students with disability. The new classroom ensures that students who require a more individualised, targeted learning environment can access necessary support (such as a small group program) as well as mainstream learning alongside their year level peers. Kaleen has worked hard to develop a culture where all staff take collective ownership of students. 

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

NEXT STEPS & FUTURE DIRECTION

Kaleen Primary School continues to develop our ability to use differentiated teaching strategies (with the ultimate aim of) engaging all students to achieve success. In the past few years, we have made huge progress in terms of meeting the social and academic needs of all students, in particular those with disability. Teachers currently work on setting individualised learning goals for all of their students, including those on ILPs. The next step in the process is to enhance our systems and structures to support teachers in developing sharp and narrow student goals that evolve in real time based on student progress and achievement.