Chester Hill High School

Background

Chester Hill High School is a coeducational, comprehensive high school with 105 staff that caters for the educational needs of approximately 1150 students from over 70 different cultural backgrounds. Over 80 per cent of the student population is from a language background other than English (LBOTE). Chester Hill High School has an Intensive English Centre which helps to integrate newly arrived students. The Priority Schools Funding Program provides additional support for the school.

Several members of the teaching staff attended the South Western Sydney region’s PSP Numeracy Action Groups (NAGs) forum. Following the forum, the school embarked on an action learning project.

Who was involved?

The school’s numeracy team consisted of the Deputy Principal Narelle McNab, Head Teacher Social Sciences, Nichole Benton, Head Teacher Mathematics George Wright, Head Teacher Science, John De Martin, Head Teacher Mentor, Dianne Sepulveda and the Student Teacher Learning Assistance, Ifa Sharma.

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Actions

SNAP questions were analysed by the school numeracy team and a matrix was developed which linked SNAP questions to particular Key Learning Areas (KLAs).

The SNAP student data was presented in class groupings to the whole staff as a PowerPoint presentation. The staff was alerted to the overall improvements in numeracy from 2006 to 2007, and the areas for improvement in numeracy, measurement.

Faculty groups led by Head Teachers discussed the data. It was found that staff needed support with graphs across KLAs. There was also differing and confusing terminology about graphs used in different syllabus documents. In response to this, the school decided to develop a booklet on graphs for the whole staff.

The numeracy team also provided professional learning to the school executive on numeracy and the national benchmarks. Following this professional learning, it was decided that a second numeracy booklet with a focus on measurement should be developed for staff. Teachers across KLAs were released from class to develop resources that they used to teach measurement. The outcome was a staff numeracy booklet that focused on the teaching of measurement across the curriculum to:

• allow staff to identify where they teach measurement in their KLA programs
• provide strategies to teach measurement
• highlight to other staff how measurement was being taught in other KLAs.

The booklet included basic information for teachers and students such as commonly used units and symbols in the metric system, conversion of metric units, understanding ratios and drawing to scale. Also included were a number of lesson activities across KLAs in relation to drawing and understanding of timelines and maps, analysis of data in tables and graphs, fractions and decimals, measuring, directions and bearings.

At a follow-up school development day, all teachers received professional learning on how to identify and explicitly teach the numeracy moments in their classes. The staff was trained on Newman’s Error Analysis as a strategy to assist students experiencing difficulty in processing numeracy.

http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/mathematics/numeracy/newman/index.htm

In mid 2007, the numeracy team developed a partnership with its main feeder primary school. The plan was to work with the primary school staff to identify numeracy opportunities across the Stage 3 KLAs other than Mathematics and to support a smoother transition from Stage 3 to Stage 4 in relation to the teaching of numeracy.

Opportunities were provided for primary and secondary teachers to shadow each other to observe each other’s teaching. The Stage 3 primary teachers became aware that while they were addressing mathematics in a one-hour mathematics session each day, it was disconnected from the other KLAs. They were not teaching numeracy across the curriculum. The Stage 3 primary teachers decided to develop a unit of work that focused on numeracy across the curriculum.

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Collection of data, pre and post

Stage 3 students were assessed, using teacher-developed assessment strategies, on their numeracy skills before and after the teaching of the unit of work on numeracy across the curriculum. In the secondary school, the results of the same cohort of students in Year 7 and Year 8 were analysed.

Resources used

PSP consultancy support was provided at the NAGs meetings. Further assistance was provided by the PSP consultancy to connect the secondary school with other schools that were trying similar approaches. The PSP consultant worked with individual faculties on request.

PSP funding at a state and regional level was provided to support the implementation of the numeracy project. School PSP funds were used to release teachers in the secondary and partner primary school to meet and discuss numeracy issues. Teachers on the numeracy team were released to meet, analyse data, implement the project and plan for future projects. A staff member from each KLA was released to develop teaching activities for inclusion in the numeracy booklet. Time was also allocated for professional learning for the whole staff and the school executive.

Findings

Feedback from staff at the main partner primary school and pre and post testing of Stage 3 students indicates that the numeracy project in the primary school has been successful.

In the secondary school, the improvement in numeracy results have been spectacular and beyond expectations. Analysis of Year 8 students’ 2007 SNAP results shows that the levels of success in Measurement, as measured in value-added, was significant. Girls, in particular, have shown improvement in their results and the results are at their highest since 2002.

Teachers across the KLAs are now including a numeracy focus in their teaching programs.

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Future directions

• Collaboration with partner primary schools will be extended in 2008 to include other schools.
• The National Assessment Program (NAP) results in 2008 will be analysed to identify an area for improvement in numeracy skills for the new cohort of students in Year 7 and another cycle of action research will be implemented
• The focus on numeracy as an across KLA responsibility will be continued to ensure explicit numeracy teaching as a focus in the school plan.

Key messages/Implications for Priority Schools

As a result of the numeracy project at Chester Hill High School a number of implications for all Priority Schools have emerged. Schools need to:

• develop a common understanding of numeracy for all teachers across the curriculum so that teachers can identify and explicitly teach the numeracy skills that students need across KLAs. Teachers need to understand that numeracy is different to mathematics and that numeracy is everyones responsibility.
• develop a team approach so that there is a shared commitment to the promotion of numeracy across the curriculum, to avoid it being seen as the sole responsibility of teachers in the Mathematics faculty. The Mathematics head teacher or other Mathematics faculty members can but do not always need to take sole responsibility for the professional learning of staff on numeracy.
• ensure visible support from the school executive, necessary if this approach to numeracy teaching is to be successful.
• use the concept of literacy across the curriculum as the platform to create staff commitment to numeracy across the curriculum.
• understand that this approach takes time and time must be provided to staff to engage in activities to support its success.

Further information

Narelle McNab

Deputy Principal

Chester Hill High School