Wallan Secondary College (Vic)

The School

• Secondary school with years 7-12

• Over 50 participating educators

• Located in the Shire of Mitchell, Victoria

• Pivot Program: Student Survey on Teaching

The Challenge

The school improvement team identified a need of capturing personalised feedback for teacher professional reflection.

Their primary objective was then to cultivate genuine interest and participation among teachers to use Pivot's Student Survey on Teaching (SST) to inform their professional development and impact in the classroom.

Historically, teachers were hesitant to engage with student feedback tools due to concerns about the additional time commitment, the confidentiality of their results, and the accurate interpretation of data, often asking 'What's next?'.

The Approach

The survey was initially integrated using a smaller group of teachers, meanwhile visibility was given to all teachers through staff meetings, the school calendar and regular communications to create interest and familiarity. Discussions around the important dates, processes, and initial results were shared with this group regularly, up to 6 months before they would participate. This allowed the school to build confidence and trust in their teachers and solidify the process before everyone surveyed.

The school leader addressed confidentiality by showing the teachers the Pivot platform and de-identified leadership reports during staff meetings. These reports were also given to the school improvement team where they educated the types of professional learning programs the school would go on to implement.

Accountability was managed by making the survey logistically accessible and immediately supporting teachers who felt they were too time-poor. The school leader encouraged the student feedback to be viewed as supporting teacher reflective practices and included it in their Performance and Development Plans (PDP). The survey’s alignment with the AITSL standards was also really integral at helping them cater to the individual needs of their teachers. 

At the teacher level, access to practical resources that provide evidence-based classroom strategies encouraged conversations around both individual and group professional practice. While at the leader level, data-informed insights and recommendations for school improvement were supported by Pivot's coaching services.

Teachers were also encouraged to discuss feedback in their professional learning communities, and provided with recommendations and resources (such as PowerPoint templates) for how to lead feedback conversations with their students. They are continuing to build this confidence and capability amongst their teachers.

The Impact

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By embedding the survey tools in the day-to-day culture of the school and continually and consistently advocating for feedback, this school was able to build trust and participation among their educators and achieve one of the highest survey completion rates we've seen.