Overview
- Schools use a range of data and performance reporting products to inform school improvement and planning, for example, annual implementation plans, and improve teaching and learning.
- The Department uses Differentiated School Performance Groups (performance group) to inform how it undertakes school reviews and supports schools’ improvement processes. The 5 performance groups are:
- transform
- stretch
- influence
- renew
- recharge.
- Schools will usually receive a school performance report towards the end of the year.
- In 2021 the methodology for performance groups was refined in one domain: the ‘school climate’ domain now includes the instructional leadership factor from the School Staff Survey.
- Data coaches are available to help schools interpret and use school data most effectively.
Advice
School performance reports
For more information about school performance groups, performance reports and benchmark growth, refer to the Guidance tab.
Panorama
(staff login required) is home to your school's performance data. Panorama supports your school to identify school strengths and potential areas for improvement.
The Panorama site provides a list of Frequently asked (staff login required) about the features of the site and available data.
Data available on Panorama
Panorama provides your school's information and data through its interactive dashboards, reports and the School Information Portal (staff login required). Information you will find includes:
- school profile (SIP)
- enrolments and projections (SIP)
- school financial data (SIP)
- NAPLAN
- teacher judgement
- VCE achievement
- average and chronic absences
- student, staff and parent opinions
- similar school comparisons (dashboards and supplementary school reports).
Accessing Panorama
The dashboards, reports and the SIP are available using the main icons on the homepage.
Panorama dashboards, reports and SIP are available to principals. Principals can delegate access to dashboards and SIP to staff within their school.
Further information on accessing and delegating access are available on the Panorama support (staff login required).
If you access Panorama regularly, add it as an application in My (staff login required).
Data use
The Department encourages the sharing of performance information within the school community. This includes school staff, students, councils and key stakeholders.
The information provided through Panorama is intended to support detailed and structured conversations on school improvement and aid ongoing monitoring, understanding and planning. We do ask, however, that you take all necessary precautions to prevent unauthorised access to, or copying of, Panorama information.
The Department's senior education improvement leaders (SEILs) and EILs use the data from Panorama to help guide discussions with schools. They can also provide insight into practices at high performing similar schools that feature in Panorama dashboards and supplementary school reports.
Data coaching and support
To assist with navigating dashboards, identifying key features and reading the various charts and tables, support materials, such as further information sheets, hover text and videos, are available.
Data coaching services are available to help schools interpret and use school data most effectively. Data coaches are experienced in using evidence to support school improvement discussions with leadership teams.
Data coaches offer customised support to schools and principal networks in the effective use of performance reporting products such as:
- Panorama dashboards and (staff login required)
- School performance (staff login required)
- School Information (staff login required)
Available services
Data coaches can support your school to:
- use data to review the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) and School Strategic Plan (SSP) (in the Strategic Planning Online Tool )
- use data to support pre-review self-evaluation activities as part of the School Review process
- use data to better understand a school or network’s performance, and support self-assessment
- understand specific data sets and results, for example, the Attitude to Schools survey, Teacher Judgement and NAPLAN in the Panorama dashboards and other Department school level reports
- improve general data literacy of leadership teams and/or for staff using Panorama and other reporting and data products such as school performance reports.
Access data coaching services
Department data coaches can work with principals, school leadership teams or attend principal network meeting to support the use of data and evidence to inform school improvement planning.
To request a meeting with a data coach, complete the data coach support (staff login required).
Schools can also access support via phone and email – refer to contact information.
Related policies
Reviewed 30 January 2023