I was recently lucky enough to be hosted by Ballarat Clarendon College, the highest achieving school in Victoria when it comes to year 12 results.

I wanted to work out what it is that helps BCC achieve what they do!

I was generously hosted by Principal Jen Bourke, Deputy Prin Greg Ashman, and many department heads for a great day of classroom visits and discussions.

There were three core things that I took away from my visit: PD, A prescriptive and shared curriculum, and effective data use.

PD: BCC has focussed on the same few important things in the PD over the past decade or so. Fundamentals like Cognitive Load Theory, Rosenshine’s Principles, Formative Assessment, and Explicit Instruction. This has enabled them to ensure that all staff have a truly deep understanding of these core ideas, rather than flittering from one fad to the next.

A prescriptive and shared curriculum: At BCC, teachers teach from shared lesson plans. If you ask the head of maths what’s being taught in year 10 today, she can literally bring up the powerpoint that all teachers will be using. Having a lesson plan to work off is powerful because it means that any discussion that occurs about effective teaching can be based upon this concrete lesson plan, and can occur to a much deeper level. It also acts as a consistent artefact to improve over time, meaning that the accumulated wisdom of both current and past teachers can continue to benefit students. (see my last post on the crucial role of quality curriculum resources for more on this…)

Effective data use: BCC judiciously uses student achievement data on tests to improve their shared lesson plans. At the end of each unit, they compare how each class did on each test question, and look for any classes who did consistently better on any single concept. The teacher with better results from that concept then shares with the group what they did differently that likely led to the improved results, and the build that teacher’s wisdom into the structured lesson plans for next year.

It’s a simple but powerful cycle: PD informs lesson planning, lessons are trialled, data is collected, and data is used to inform PD foci and to improve lessons for next time.

I discuss these three important points, and more, in the most recent episode of the ERRR podcast, just out: ERRR #091. Greg Ashman on the Essential Elements of a High Performing School 

Announcements and Opportunities

Steplab Instructional Coaching Intensive - July 23rd

If you’re free on June 23rd, and you’re keen for a phenomenal one day of training with the worlds leader in Instructional Coaching (Josh Goodrich), the inventor of the term ‘Responsive Teaching’ (Harry Fletcher-Wood), and yours truly, check out the details here.

To whet your appetite, listen to episodes 74a and 74b of the Education Research Reading Room with Josh Goodrich : )