1. School literacy plans Key trends Associate Professor Geraldine Castleton Dr Tim Moss Doc ID: TASED-4-1924

2. Criteria Criteria were developed from: Luke, A. Freebody, P. & Land, R. (2000) Literate Futures, State of Qld: Department of Education. http://education.qld.gov.au http://education.qld.gov.au Checked against literature in the field – e.g. Murphy, J. (2004) Leadership for Literacy: A Framework for Policy and Practice, School Effectiveness and School Improvement 15(1),pp 65- 96.

3. School plan demonstrates: clearly stated vision of literacy & literacy learning; balanced approach to literacy & literacy learning as indicated in curriculum documents (4 Resources model); key leadership roles & responsibilities for literacy; commitment to & involvement in sustained professional development; coordinated focus on pedagogy across the school - How?; broad multi-method instructional programs - What?; clear communication of information & data about student achievement; clear use of data to inform instruction & set targets; community & parental involvement; clear & measurable KPIs that link to Tasmanian curriculum.

4. Important to note: This part of the evaluation/analysis was conducted solely on school literacy plans – not on literacy practices. Plans were analysed without consideration of the context of the planning process. Our focus – what we saw in the plans.

5. Trends from the data Considerable emphasis on sustained PD within the school plans. Literacy instructional programs clearly defined (e.g. First Steps, Writers’ Notebook, Lexia). High number of schools reported the establishment of literacy leaders/coordinators and teams. Strong emphasis on parental involvement.

6. Trends [cont.] While leadership positions were defined, roles/responsibilities for these positions were not. Very few schools stated a vision of literacy within the plans. Specific detail of what was planned in terms of literacy teaching was not commonly included. Intended outcomes were not commonly phrased with specificity in relation to particular strategies/program of instruction, and/or the curriculum.

7. Future planning Clarity and specificity in relation to: –How you define literacy, and your vision for literacy. –Roles/responsibilities for literacy: particularly in terms of instructional leadership. –Program/pedagogy. –Outcomes (and links to the curriculum).