High Expectations of All Learners
Effective schools and teachers expect that every student has the ability to learn - they endeavour to ensure that every learner is successful. To maximise opportunities for all students to succeed, teachers adapt their teaching to the individual needs of students, including high potential and under-performing students. The effort required to succeed should be made clear, with parents actively engaged in their children's learning.
Forming answers to the following questions may help to identify what high expectations might mean for your school:
- Does our school community have high expectations for the learning outcomes for all students?
- How effective are the programs or strategies employed by the school to address the needs of students achieving either at a lower level or a higher level than expected?
Links to Blueprint Strategies/Initiatives
Developing high expectations of all learners is supported through:
Flagship Strategy 1
The Curriculum Planning Guidelines support schools in raising expectations that include defining the characteristics of effective curriculum plans and their application, curriculum planning on a whole-school basis and the encouragement for all teachers to be involved in a focused way with discussion about curriculum. Additionally the Guidelines emphasise that every student has the ability to learn and supports schools to maximise opportunities for student success.
The Victorian Essential Learning Standards specify the knowledge, skills and behaviours that students will be aiming to achieve at levels which are broadly associated with two years of learning and teaching where it is essential and developmentally appropriate for standards to apply. They give parents and the community confidence that rigorous standards have been set for students throughout Victoria. The Standards are set at a challenging competence level that is appropriate for students at different levels of schooling.
Teachers need to clearly signal an expectation that students will achieve at a high level and put in effort to produce quality work. Component 4.3 of the Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 outlines how teachers may convey this expectation through expressing and demonstrating confidence that students are capable of significant achievement. It describes how structured support helps students learn effectively so that this expectation does not occur in a vacuum.
The Principles Unpacked document provides examples of how the component might be demonstrated by teachers within their practice through:
- using language that implies an expectation and a confidence that students will work effectively and achieve at a high level
- praising efforts towards the production of quality work, and its achievement
- providing support for students having difficulty on the basis that their work needs to improve to meet expectations
- signalling clearly the standard to be achieved
- not accepting work that is just "good enough" but encouraging students to produce work at the standard they are capable of.
Assessment and Reporting: High expectations improve student learning when assessment information contributes to teachers' planning for future student learning. The assessment information is used by teachers to develop appropriate curriculum and pedagogy to meet student learning needs. This assessment practice is enriched when teachers use sound moderation practices and work collaboratively to share their knowledge of assessment to inform student learning requirements. Assessment practices can assist students to learn more effectively by providing regular, constructive feedback and by supporting the development of students' capacity to reflect on their learning, develop deeper understanding and cultivate higher order thinking skills.
The written report indicates: the progress the student has made over the relevant period (semester), how well the student is progressing in relation to what is expected against a standard and how well the student is progressing in relation to other students.
Flagship Strategy 4
A Performance and Development Culture in schools sustains high expectations by ensuring: all teachers participate in a feedback program that uses multiple sources of data, that teacher development plans are focussed on improved student learning and that professional learning programs are evidenced based and data informed to guide improvement and measure impact.
Flagship Strategy 6
The Effective Schools Model provides a lens through which schools can think about their performance, plans and priorities. Blueprint Flagship Strategy 6 (School Improvement) provides a range of tools, processes and opportunities for schools to improve their planning, reviewing, evaluation and decision-making when they examine their school through the model.
Single Planning and Accountability Document
Enhanced School Review Program
Staff, Student and Parent Surveys
Professional Reading
For discussion about expectations held by teachers and students.
Greater expectations to improve student learning This is a briefing paper from the national association of American Colleges and Universities.