Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO)

Over the past 5 years, FISO has created a shared language and understanding of school improvement across Victorian government schools. The FISO Continua of Practice (the Continua) was refined in 2020 to support schools to better identify key improvement strategies. The guides are designed to build on these strengths and to support school leaders to effectively implement school improvement initiatives. The effective implementation of school improvement initiatives is a universal challenge faced by schools. The guides support schools to identify the right evidence-based improvement strategies for their context, plan for quality implementation and translate these strategies into the day-to-day work of staff.

An analysis of school review reports and strategic plans identified common themes of schools’ key improvement strategies. The most common key improvement strategies align with the selected FISO dimensions — Building Practice Excellence, Curriculum Planning and Assessment, Empowering Students and Building School Pride, Setting Expectations and Promoting Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing and Building Communities. On average 94% of schools each year implement key improvement strategies that align to at least one of these 6 dimensions.

The guides are structured around the FISO Improvement Cycle and are designed to provide school leaders and teachers with suggested reflections, activities and resources at each stage of the cycle. The suggested reflections, actions and resources in the guides are informed by the FISO evidence bases of contemporary research evidence including a mix of meta-analyses, randomised control trials and evaluations of current education programs. School and regional leaders have also been consulted in the design and development of the guides. You can access the evidence bases categorised by the FISO priority areas below:

• Excellence in teaching and learning
• Professional leadership
• Positive climate for learning
• Community engagement in learning

In school review: School leaders can use the guides to gather and examine evidence to inform the pre-review self-evaluation and reflect on the effectiveness of past improvement initiatives and their implementation. The guides can also be used by the school review panel in partnership with the school community to develop a new four-year strategic plan. 

In annual implementation planning and monitoring: School leaders, in partnership with the School Improvement Team (SIT) and school community, can use the guides to develop Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) targets, actions and activities during Term 4. School leaders and the SIT can also use the guides to reflect on how the school monitors progress each term, and during mid-year monitoring activities.

In regular cycles: Professional Learning Communities/Teams (PLCs/PLTs) can use the guides to plan and implement inquiry cycles, where real-time evidence is used to monitor, evaluate and celebrate student progress and reflect on the effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies.

As a starting point, schools use the Continua to self-evaluate and identify their improvement needs. The Continua can also be used at various stages of the FISO Improvement Cycle to measure current levels of practice and monitor improvement. The guides are used after schools have completed their self-evaluation against the Continua and identified improvement needs.

Some actions within the guides can be further developed by reflecting on the strategic enablers. Where this is the case, the Implementation Guides link the reader to the relevant section of the Strategic Enablers for Implementation Guide.

The guides are optional for schools to use. School leaders are encouraged to consider how the guides align to their current improvement needs and plan, and consider how the reflections, activities and resources in the guidance can inform implementation in their context.

This is the first version of the FISO Implementation Guides and Strategic Enablers for Implementation Guide. You can provide feedback by emailing fiso@education.vic.gov.au