LAW TING PONG SECONDARY SCHOOL School Development Plan 2008/09-2012/13
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Page Background 2 Major Challenges Facing LTPSS 2 Positioning of LTPSS under DSS 3 A Plan to Address the Challenges Vision and Mission 7 Guiding Principles 7 Roles and Expectations of Principal 8 Roles and Expectations of Staff 8 Roles and Expectations of Students 9 The Students Pledge Our School Song 9 Goals 9 Performance Targets 10 Goal 1 A Sound Viable Curriculum 11 Goal 2 Personalized Learning Support 15 Goal 3 Character Building 19 Goal 4 School Improvement Project 23 Goal 5 Distributed Leadership 25 School Self-evaluation Mechanism Background 28 Purposes of School Self-evaluation 28 School Self-evaluation Framework 29 Review Mechanism 30
Introduction School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 1
Background Law Ting Pong Secondary School (LTPSS) is an English medium of instruction (EMI) co-educational school located in Tai Po using English as medium of instruction. It was founded by the Law s Foundation Limited in 1991. The School has achieved tremendous success in the last 16 years. 1. A recipient of the Outstanding School Award 2001 Merit Award in Management & Organization. 2. LTPSS was one of the resource schools of the Schools Professional Collaboration Project (SPCP) organized by the Education Department in 2001-02 and we share our educational experience with over 1 300 teachers, principals and school administrators in 50 sharing and training sessions. 3. The External School Review (ESR) Report in 2006 confirmed our areas of excellence in learning and teaching, curriculum and instructional leadership, and staff professional development. 4. Admission to full-time undergraduate studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for entry in 2007 of our S5 student - Hardy Chan Hon To (being the youngest student admitted through non-jupas mechanism by CUHK) We are proud of the quality of achievements of our students and graduates, the dedication of our teaching staff, our school s effort put into whole-person education and the commitment of our School Sponsoring Body (SSB) to education. The cornerstone of the School s success is a series of innovative school-based academic programs, a modern IT infrastructure and a focus on catering for learner differences. Based on the foundation we have built, LTPSS is determined to scale new heights of excellence upon her switching into DSS mode. Major Challenges Facing LTPSS Nowadays, society as a whole is changing. People from different countries are brought together by the media. We are influenced daily by cultures which used to be very remote. Schools should promote awareness and respect for other people and their cultures. The world of work into which our graduates will emerge is changing too. Equipping young people with transferable skills, particularly a life-long learning habit and an ability to work collaboratively, will be essential. Furthermore, new technologies help to knock down the walls of classrooms and learning could take place anywhere and at any time. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 2
Teachers should be highly sensitive to the changing societal expectations on the new generation. Schools also have to be highly responsive in introducing necessary changes in learning and teaching. To face the challenges of this changing world, LTPSS should provide a caring and positive environment that is conducive to teaching and life-long learning, and try our best in bringing out the potentials of our students. Positioning of LTPSS under DSS The School s educational philosophy focuses on the development of the whole child. In order to nurture our students to be the STARS of tomorrow and our staff to be MODELS in the era of change, the School will aim at developing into an exemplar secondary school reflecting the work of cutting-edge educational researchers and local education reforms an elite school by nurturing our students to become a community of learners not only in the classroom and within the school but also in the global context a learning organization which is characterized by collective enquiry, action learning and collaborative reflection A Strategic Response to the Challenges To respond to these challenges, LTPSS will identify and implement effective instructional and operational strategies maximizing student learning, preparing students to meet life challenges, and exceeding expectations of key stakeholders. To be successful, the new LTPSS will focus its energies and resources on developing herself as: a Cooperative Learning School nurturing learners to be excellent teammates and independent learners. a school with an innovative content-based English curriculum catering for the different needs of our learners by designing a coherent and comprehensive range of courses. a school facilitating personalized learning by allowing flexible grouping, differentiated instruction and Fast Track for the top-notch students. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 3
a school offering a comprehensive Student Support Program to develop happy, independent, articulate and confident learners who see learning as a positive life-long experience. It seeks to ensure that learners achieve their highest potential and that home and school are developed as a learning community. a research-based school ensuring that learning, teaching, and assessment practices are informed by research, quality assurance processes, and a concern for best practice. Under DSS, LTPSS will enjoy autonomy and flexibility in selecting the medium of instruction, curriculum, and students. With our committed team of highly qualified teachers, we are confident that we can elevate LTPSS into a high quality secondary school and a source of pride, showcasing the best of Hong Kong education. The LTPSS School Re-design Model is shown in the following: School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 4
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A Plan to Address the Challenges School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 6
The vision and mission statements, the guiding principles for school development, the roles and expectations of our students, as well as the pledges of the Principal, teachers and students serve as a guide to the process of developing focus areas, strategies, and action plans to achieve the goals. Vision Every student a STAR Every teacher a MENTOR Every staff member a MODEL Mission All for our children Our school strives to provide quality education to bring out the best in our students by providing them with experiences that will enable everyone in school to grow spiritually, physically, intellectually, aesthetically, psychologically, and affectively as individuals, and to become an informed, sensitive, responsible member of society. Guiding Principles 1. To build a reputation for academic excellence by providing a well-rounded education through a set of rigorous academic and co-curricular programs The School has a team of enthusiastic and professional curriculum developers. The School will continue to focus on developing school-based curricula and nurturing students to be responsible, independent and creative learners and thinkers. 2. To assist students in becoming responsible global citizens by nurturing their global perspectives and enhancing their capacity for understanding multi-cultural differences The School will explore more opportunities for overseas study trips, student exchanges, local internships and foreign language programs. 3. To prepare students for leadership in a variety of fields and endeavors The School will provide training programs and ample opportunities for students to apply the skills they have learned. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 7
4. To create and maintain a caring and supportive learning community The School will continue to focus on values education and character building. Resources will be spent on developing a LTPSS learning community - integrating the parents, teachers, learners and community to promote common sharing in all walks of life. 5. To maintain LTPSS as a learning organization for the advancement of learning and teaching quality In order to ensure that educational quality continues to improve, the key to success is individual teachers dedication to the welfare of students and their collaborative effort in curriculum, instructional and assessment development. The School will also provide opportunities for teachers, students, alumni and parents to get together to exchange views and plan for learning and teaching enhancement. A school symbolizes certain qualities, values, aspirations and experiences for individuals. Based on the above Guiding Principles, the future LTPSS will be expressed through the architectural design of our school-based programs, students pursuing learning on their own, the use of technology, and moving out of the school to participate in the community. Such an open learning atmosphere would stimulate curiosity, provoke interaction, enhance learning and eventually lead LTPSS to be an outstanding school in Hong Kong. Roles and Expectations of Principal As LTPSS Principal, he or she is at the same time a/an educator who is both a learner and a teacher person in the community who views colleagues as friends, who celebrates diversity and views differences as richness and strengths organizational architect who helps to cultivate organizational structures that respond to and shape the directions of change social advocate for just treatment of all Roles and Expectations of Staff As LTPSS staff members, we will strive to be true to our mission to bring out the best in our students to be exemplary in the discharge of our duties and responsibilities to guide our students to be informed, sensitive and responsible members of our society to continue to learn and pass the love of learning to our students to win the trust, support and co-operation of parents, and the community so as to enable us to realize our Mission School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 8
Roles and Expectations of Students Student as learners Students should be empowered to become competent and confident independent learners, to enjoy learning and to see learning as a life-long activity. Students as members of society Students should be encouraged to become informed, sensitive and responsible members of society by successfully guiding them to make the transition from childhood to adulthood, and from school to work place and society as a whole. Students as individuals Students should be educated to become respectable individuals within LTPSS where they are given the security to flourish and gain in confidence and self-esteem. The Students Pledge Our School Song Sing, oh, we sing of pledges to our school, whose light forever be our guide. May we knowledge, virtues all pursue; may we follow honesty and truth, never swerve from paths of righteousness. No darkness shall we dread. Our dauntless spirit flies so high; our aspirations touch the sky. We ll strive to learn, to love, to serve and in the world to shine. Goals The goals of the coming 5 years would be: 1. To provide a broad and balanced curriculum to equip students with the academic foundation necessary for further study and life-long learning 2. To offer personalized learning environment and support programs to bring out student potentials and to better cater for learner diversity 3. To promote positive and healthy character building with a caring, supportive and harmonious school culture 4. To conduct school improvement projects to promote independent learning and facilitate teaching of flexible class sizes 5. To build leadership capacity for accountability and effectiveness The implementation strategies and the related success criteria for respective goals are described in the subsequent sections. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 9
Performance Targets Performance targets have been set to ensure that our school will provide students value-added education and all-round development in the light of the school s vision and mission. 1. Student Performance Academic The percentage of S1-S3 students borrowing reading materials from the school library "once a week or more frequently" over 30% and "once every two weeks or more frequently" over 50%. The percentage of S3 students achieving Basic Competency on Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics will be kept more than 95%. At least 90% of the students will get Level 2 or above in Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies on the HKDSE in 2012. The percentage of students qualified for tertiary education placement will be kept over 80%. Non-academic Students' average attendance rates will be kept more than 98% per day. Students' average tardy rates will be kept less than 0.6% per day. The total external service hours of all students will be more than 5,000 hours per year. The student-time participating in external competitions will reach over 1,500 per year. 2. Staff Professional Development Average number of CPD hours undertaken by teachers each year will be kept over 70 hours and more than 40% are job-embedded training CPD hours. Our professional teaching team will continue to develop exemplary practice in Language across the curriculum; Interdisciplinary collaboration in school-based curriculum development; Use of Cooperative Learning in classrooms; Share our experience in local and overseas education conferences, seminars and on-site staff development programs. The non-teaching staff will continue to pursuit the professional development in IT support, laboratory technical support and administrative support, in order to facilitate the learning and teaching and maintain a favorable school environment. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 10
Goal 1 A Sound and Viable Curriculum To provide a broad and balanced curriculum to equip students with the academic foundation necessary for further study and life-long learning School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 11
Implementation strategies: 1. A broad and balanced curriculum is to be provided which caters for the learning and developmental needs of students For junior forms (S1-S3), the following subjects are ready to be offered with school-based elements meeting student needs: Key Learning Areas Subjects (1) English Language Education English Language (2) Chinese Language Education Chinese Language Putonghua (3) Mathematics Education Mathematics (4) Personal, Social & Humanities Education Liberal Studies China Studies (5) Science Education Science (6) Technology Education Computer Literacy (7) Arts Education Music Visual Arts (8) Physical Education Physical Education School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 12
For senior forms (NSS1-NSS3), the following subjects are to be offered with an adequate choice of elective subjects to cater for students needs and interests: Key Learning Area Subjects Remarks English Language Education Chinese Language Education English Language Literature in English Chinese Language Chinese Literature NSS core NSS elective NSS core NSS elective Mathematics Education Mathematics NSS core Liberal Studies Liberal Studies NSS core Personal, Social & Humanities Education Science Education Technology Education Economics Geography History Chinese History Tourism & Hospitality Studies Integrated Science Combined Science Physics Chemistry Biology Information & Communication Technology Business, Accounting & Financial Studies Health Management & Social Care NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective NSS elective Arts Education Music/ Visual Arts Non-HKDSE subject Physical Education Physical Education Non-HKDSE subject 2. English as the medium of instruction is to be adopted for all subjects except Chinese Language, Putonghua, China Studies, and Chinese History. EMI might need to be adopted for all content subjects if the school admits non-chinese-speaking students in the near future. 3. Classroom learning and teaching characterized by: Differentiated instruction to accommodate different learning styles and preferences and to maximize the achievement of all students Adopting a process-oriented approach to learning with an emphasis on self-enquiry and knowledge construction Cooperative Learning to promote individual accountability and group accountability in the knowledge construction process Extending learning beyond the classroom context by means of co-curricular activities, life-wide learning opportunities and other learning experiences such as service learning Encouraging reflective teaching with an emphasis on research-based teaching practice and evidence-based evaluation for continuous improvement and advancement School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 13
4. Promoting reading to learn in content subjects to help students develop a broader knowledge base 5. Implementing curriculum mapping for junior-form curricula to provide students with holistic, coherent and meaningful learning experience across Key Learning Areas, in and out of classrooms When successfully implemented, these strategies will help students develop: a solid academic foundation for students in terms of essential knowledge and concepts and various generic skills required for life-long learning; an acceptable level of proficiency in both English and Chinese languages for academic study and for social purposes; commitment in learning how to learn and being accountable for their own learning; good habits of mind; positive values and attitudes and become responsible members of society; and a healthy lifestyle and an interest in aesthetic and physical activities. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 14
Goal 2 Personalized Learning Support To offer personalized learning environment and support programs to bring out student potentials and to better cater for learner diversity School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 15
Implementation strategies: 1. LTPSS is developing itself as a Cooperative Learning School whereby students of all achievement levels experience success and satisfaction in the learning process in a cooperative and supportive environment. A cooperative learning classroom is characterized by: clear group goals to encourage positive inter-dependence dual emphasis on individual and group accountability in the learning process heterogeneous membership with equal opportunity for success shared responsibility with each team member taking on different roles in the learning process dual emphasis on tasks completion as well as on working relationships teacher observation of and intervention in the group functioning at appropriate times and with suitable strategies 2. The school is to adopt Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) to meet the language needs of students with the following strategies Content-based English curriculum design: Within the English language curriculum, it takes the form of content-based curriculum design, whereby topics and themes from content subjects are incorporated into the syllabus, and language is used a tool for learning about topics. The rationale for content-based teaching is that it infuses cognitively demanding content, thus creating a more content-compatible language programme. Common language targets across EMI subjects: Between departments, the Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) programme is a mechanism for raising language awareness among content teachers and building common expectations and development targets across subjects. Implementation takes the form of collaborative work between language and content teachers, including design of instructional materials and assessments, developing reading and writing strategies in content subjects, and co-teaching classes, in which students are instructed in language functions and spoken and written genres of academic discourse. Teacher professional development and capacity building: The school will continue to sponsor both language and content teachers to receive training in LAC with reference to practices in USA, UK and Australia and supported by experts from local and overseas academic institutions. With enhanced teacher professionalism and sensitivity to language issues, the school s approach to language across the curriculum provides a sound framework for sustained development of students capacity to learn in an EMI environment. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 16
3. Fast Track for the Gifted: There will be a series of Intensive Courses to provide services to selected high caliber students via curriculum compacting and individualized programming, as well as exploring special admission arrangements such as early entry to local/overseas universities and concurrent registration for local university courses. Students of LTPSS will be prepared to sit for the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). The School will also support selected high caliber students to enter other international examinations without entry requirements such as International General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (IGCSE) and General Certificate Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level Examinations (GCE AS/AL). 4. A tailor-made English summer bridging programme is provided to prepare S1 students for meeting the challenges they may face in an English-medium secondary school. One of the unique features of the English Department is that a school based curriculum is developed with rich elements of Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) integrating English with the needs of other subjects. The streaming exercises conducted at the beginning and at the end of the first term will ensure S1 students receive the most appropriate learning experiences. In order to maximize individual attention afforded to learners, S1 students are grouped into eight sections to be taught by eight English teachers. After school assistance would also be provided for students in need. 5. Organize Learning Support Programs refer to learning activities outside normal lessons which students take part in voluntarily. Its purpose is to improve students motivation, build their self-esteem and help them become more effective learners. Above all, it aims to raise achievement. The programs can be categorized into (i) Drop-in activities, (ii) Programs which extend the curriculum, (iii) Subject-focused study support, and (iv) Theme-based holiday schools and supplementary schools. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 17
6. Foreign language courses: Besides English and Chinese (Cantonese and Putonghua), the students in LTPSS will be given an opportunity for learning a third language from S.1. The uptake of foreign languages in junior forms is high. Spanish is to be offered from the beginners level to IGCSE and International AS level. Students may choose to take Spanish as electives in international examinations. They may also take the Cambridge Assessments, which the result will be indicated in the certificate of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education. Extra subscription fees for the Spanish courses are necessary. 7. Life-wide learning experiences including extra-curricular activities, physical and aesthetic learning experience (such as One Student One Musical Instrument), service learning, and leadership training programs will be organized for both junior and senior students to develop their initiative, leadership, and responsibility. From these experiences, students will have the opportunity to build up character and skills that are needed to lead to successful and productive lives. When successfully implemented, these strategies will result in: a more engaging and productive classroom learning environment; more constructive use of individual differences in learning and teaching; higher proficiency in students use of English for academic study; better catering for the learning and developmental needs of both gifted students and academically-low achievers; improvement in students learning motivation and self-confidence in meeting academic challenges; students interest in learning and acquiring the basic use of a third language; wider exposure and concern for society; and students getting prepared for future workplace challenges. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 18
Goal 3 Character Building To promote positive and healthy character building with a caring, supportive and harmonious school culture School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 19
Implementation strategies: 1. The WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH to pastoral care implemented through the adoption of the Comprehensive Guidance Programme by Norman C Gysbers, is infused into the Mentor System and Life-education Programme: The Life-education Programme which integrates different functional groups and subject disciplines, involves Life Education lessons, educational talks, sex education, extra-curricular activities and parent education. All these incorporate specific values and concepts into students learning outcomes. The mentor system is an essential mechanism in catering for students individual needs. The system will be characterized by following strategies. Every student is allocated a mentor who will meet students at least once a week and provide appropriate individual guidance on academic, personal/social, physical/health, and career development. Mentors also deliver a significant Life-education curriculum in the weekly timetabled lesson. Students are encouraged to assess their own development, to negotiate targets with teachers and to record their progress within a specifically designed file called The Growth Puzzle. A Head of Year, who has special responsibility for care and organization of a year group, leads the team of mentors in each form and reviews the effectiveness of various student support measures. 2. The introduction of the Induction Program consisting of the Orientation Week and the S.1 English summer bridging programme will be offered for newcomers. For the Orientation Week, elements of both academic and generic skills are infused into the program. These help students from different forms to taste what a new secondary school life is like, to develop students cooperative learning, team-building skills as well as fostering their sense of belonging to school and to tap students potentials in various areas and provides an opportunity for everyone of our stars to shine. The English summer bridging programme is organized to help our would-be S1 students overcome psychological barriers in speaking and using English as well as to enhance and boost their English language proficiency. Students would have a chance to engage in and adapt to an English environment where English is fully used, before the school term starts. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 20
3. The Self-actualization is our main emphasize in guidance work. Under the strategy of the Self-actualization, Every teacher who needs to be a good role model for students, adopts positive attitudes and appropriate methods, including Praise, Encouragement & Reward", to provide students with positive reinforcement so that they are guided on the right track. Students take a leading role in their presentations which emphasis is placed on sharing, praise, encouragement and reward in the Assemblies held once a week. If students admitted mistakes, they would first accept the responsibility for the wrong deeds and then establish and implement a correction plan. This helps them self-correct and achieves self-perfection within counselling targets. 4. The Student Think Tank, a formal organizational set-up to listen the Student Voice, provides a platform through which both students and school management meet regularly and discuss school policies which might affect student learning and achievements. With this solid foundation in student consultation, students and teachers jointly initiate enquiry; students play an active role in decision making; and, together with teachers, students plan action in the light of data and review the impact of the intervention. 5. Create a good Home-School Cooperation environment. The strategy will be implemented through maintaining a well established Parents-Teachers Association, good Home-school Communication and implementation of the Parent Education. The well established Parents Teachers Association will be: The members of the LTPSS Parents - Teachers Association consist of the principal, all teaching staff and parents. The executive committee consists of school official representatives and parent representatives serving as the PTA chairperson, vice-chairperson, treasurer, secretary and liaison, who are responsible for overall planning and development of the work in home-school cooperation. PTA Committee members are elected every year at the Annual General Meeting in November. The PTA has one representative on the Incorporated Management Committee who helps to establish new developments of the school and also pass on parents views. The good partnership of student, school and parents can help to create a harmonious environment in school and to meet the challenges of parenting in an increasingly complex world. In order to strengthen the Home-School Communication, the school actively involves parents in providing learning support to their children by following means: Issuing a Parents Handbook with guidelines and advice on supporting their children s learning and personal growth Running classes in effective parenting in partnership with school social worker and other outreach organizations School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 21
Organizing class teacher-parent conferences in the evenings on a regular basis Telephone conversations The Parent Education Programme is designed to meet the following objectives: To enable participants to gain a thorough understanding of the developmental effect of parenthood on parents themselves. To facilitate participants to be aware of and to appreciate the potential benefits and difficulties of being a parent. To develop participants' effective parenting skills and abilities, review the strengths and weaknesses of these and, to help their children. To involve participants in their children s education at school The PTA also strives to realize these goals by sponsoring programs that address educational and social issues. The programmes we organized are parents conferences, parents evenings, excursions, workshops of parental skills and parent-volunteer teams. When successfully implemented, these strategies will result in: A more positive learning culture and harmonious environment in school will be established Students feel that they are valued and respected members in LTPSS A reduction of demerit records Increase in the number of successful applicants benefited from the Self-correction Scheme Increase in parents participation rate in PTA meetings, parents seminar and workshops, and other whole-school activities School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 22
Goal 4 To conduct school improvement projects to promote independent learning and facilitate teaching of flexible class sizes School Improving Project School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 23
Implementation strategies: 1. Converting the existing school library and Home Economics Room (on 3/F, Old Wing) into a new school library which will double the size of existing library. Key features include: The original library will be for a collection of books of general interest and for organizing activities promoting reading habits; The new extension will be for a collection of academic books and references; A digital library will be set up in the new extension to facilitate students self-access-learning through the use of various electronic resources; and The number of book items will be increased to 30,000 by year 2012 covering a variety of subjects including NSS subject reference books. 2. Converting the existing recreational ground (on 5/F, New Wing) into a Multi-function Room to provide additional space for conducting group activities, group presentations, group tutorials, and mass lectures. The seating capacity will be about 160. 3. Renovating the school hall by upgrading the existing stage lighting system and the PA system for drama productions, which will be one of the elements required in NSS English Language as well as Independent Enquiry Study of Liberal Studies. 4. Existing furniture in the classrooms will be replaced and the IT equipments will be enhanced for better teaching material presentations. When successfully implemented, these strategies will result in: increase in self-study space; increase in collection of books and self-access learning resources with academic references on NSS subjects; additional classrooms with added flexibility for small-group tutorials and large-class teaching; and better learning environment which enhances the organization of learning activities like drama performance and project presentation. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 24
Goal 5 Distributed Leadership To build leadership capacity for accountability, inclusivity and effectiveness School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 25
Implementation strategies: 1. Building the capacity of students and teachers in managing and leading the development of our school through the establishment of Student Think Tank and Teacher Think Tank, which are proper channels for teachers and students to voice their opinions and suggestions for school improvement 2. Empowering teachers in exercising their leadership in curriculum development, instructional development and student support through setting up different functional committees looking after the different aspects of school development: The school organization structure might change over time in response to the new school development needs. When successfully implemented, these strategies will result in: teachers active involvement in school improvement and collaboration work; teachers greater competence in curriculum and instructional leadership; sound decisions made reference to school data and educational/ academic literature; leadership diversity more closely reflective of the diverse needs of the student population; incorporating self-evaluation in educational practice at all levels; and greater commitment in school development from both staff and students. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 26
School Self- Evaluation Mechanism School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 27
Background LTPSS has developed a culture of self-reflection for continuous improvement and development since its inception in 1991. The school adopts the 3-A (Audit, Aims, Action) process to ensure and strive for quality education through self-evaluation and development planning. The 3-year school development plan and annual school plan provides directions for development and coordinates the efforts of departments, committees and school personnel working towards the school goals and mission. Beside regular programme monitoring and progress review, there is an annual review exercise at both departmental level and school level. When LTPSS begins to operate on the DSS mode, we will continue with our practice in school self-evaluation by: 1. employing the data generated from Stakeholders Survey, APASO and Key Performance Measures for school self-evaluation; and 2. using the framework of Performance Indicators for Hong Kong Schools (latest version) for school self-assessment. Purposes of School Self-evaluation 1. To strengthen the capacity of the school in self-improvement and development in various aspects such as academic development, student whole-person development, and staff professional development 2. To generate new insights and knowledge about the critical elements and key processes of providing quality education for our children, e.g. leadership, ethos, learning and teaching 3. To provide data on school performance and effectiveness for various stakeholders including students, parents, school personnel, the Incorporated Management Committee, and the Education Bureau A whole-school approach is adopted in the process of school self-evaluation, which basically answers the following questions: What are the school s major concerns? Why? What have we done to respond to these major concerns? Is it effective? How do we know? What is our next step? The school observes the following principles in the process of self-evaluation: Self-evaluation based on evidence from various sources, both qualitative and quantitative Collaborative enquiry and open discussions among the key stakeholders to arrive at corporate judgement of the school performance School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 28
School Self-evaluation Framework 1. School level Objectives: In-charge: Means/tools of evaluation: 1. To cultivate a culture of self-reflection and continuous improvement within the school community 2. To collect and analyze school data and views of different stakeholders for school development planning and school self-evaluation 3. To ensure the effective implementation of school self-evaluation through staff training and development, role-modeling and team-building, aligning and monitoring the practice on departmental and individual levels, and developing suitable self-evaluation tools Principal, Senior Management Team 1. Stakeholders Survey 2. APASO 3. SVAIS (HKCEE and HKALE) 4. KPM 5. Student s learning experience questionnaire (adapt the work of Professor Herbert Marsh, University of Western Sydney, 1994) 6. Open class/ Class walkthrough 7. Annual review meeting 8. Student focus groups/ Student Think Tank 9. Parents forum 10. Feedback from visitors from EDB, tertiary institutes, local and overseas schools Feedback & follow-up: Findings will be discussed in teacher base group meetings and staff meetings and follow-up work is documented in the Annual School Plan and/or departmental year plans. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 29
2. Departmental level Objectives: In-charge: 1. To evaluate the progress and effectiveness of learning and teaching 2. To collect data for evaluating the effectiveness of school programs, activities or other initiatives 3. To facilitate collaborative enquiry and reflection Department Heads, Committee Heads, Program Coordinators Means/tools of evaluation: 1. Scheduled class observations by peers, mentors and panel heads 2. Collaborative analysis of students work 3. Feedback from Student Think Tank and focus group meetings with target students 4. Collaborative lesson planning and review 5. Departmental/ form review meetings 6. Analysis of exam scripts, exam results, HKAT results, HKTSA results Feedback & follow-up: Findings will be discussed in departmental or panel meetings and major actions to be taken are documented in meeting minutes, a copy of which is passed to Senior Management Team for their advice and monitoring. 4. Personal level Objectives: In-charge: Means/tools of evaluation: Feedback & follow-up: 1. To empower teachers as reflective practitioners who form a habit of reviewing and reflecting on their teaching practice as well as their teaching paradigm 2. To serve as a means of annual performance review 3. To help the school identify staff development needs Portfolio Review Committee (including Principal, Deputy Principal, Head of Student Development Section and a subject specialist) Teacher portfolio 1. Teachers portfolios will be submitted to the Review Committee at the end of the academic year for scrutiny. 2. Oral feedback/ work review sessions will then be conducted for each teacher. Review Mechanism The school self-evaluation mechanism is to be reviewed annually in Senior Management Team meetings so that the overall effectiveness and efficiency of school self-evaluation can be further enhanced. School Development Plan 08/09-12/13 Page 30