School Review

8. Final School Review Panel Meeting

Expected outcomes of the final School Review Panel Meeting

The school review includes 4 main steps: Validation Day, fieldwork, final School Review Panel Meeting, and Review Report.

On the final day of the review, the Panel comes together for the School Review Panel Meeting. The principal chairs the meeting and the reviewer assists as the facilitator of the process. Other core Panel members and challenge partners join this group. These Panel members are well-informed to test findings and arrive at recommendations, accelerating the decision-making process.

The core School Review Panel members are responsible for coming to valid, evidence-based decisions about the directions for the school’s improvement journey. The expected outcomes of the School Review Panel meeting are to reach an agreement about:

• evidence-based findings against the terms of reference (ToR) focus questions
• the extent to which the school has in place effective practices for the 3 domains of the instructional core: student voice, leadership and agency, curriculum content and teaching practice
• the school’s proficiency levels against all 16 dimensions in the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO) Continua
• the school’s performance against the School Strategic Plan, including highlights and challenges
• priorities for the next School Strategic Plan: including goals, targets and key improvement strategies (KIS).

Directions for the next School Strategic Plan

New guidance (released February 2023) is available to support School Review panels to develop key directions for the next School Strategic Plan. Refer to the following chapter: Developing key directions for the next School Strategic Plan.

Roles and responsibilities of Panel members during the final School Review Panel Meeting

Outlined below are the roles and responsibilities of each Panel member during the final School Review Panel Meeting.

Principal

• Collaboratively chair the meeting with the reviewer
• Meet with the reviewer and SEIL to discuss the VRQA minimum standards check

Reviewer

• Collaboratively chair the meeting with the principal
• Provide the Panel with a detailed synthesis of observations and findings from fieldwork
• Record the Panel’s discussion and findings for inclusion in the Review Report
• Meet with the principal and SEIL to discuss findings of the VRQA minimum standards check which includes the Child Safe Standards check

SEIL

• Meet with the reviewer and principal to discuss findings of the VRQA minimum standards check

All core Panel members

• Actively contribute to evidence-based discussions, ensuring decisions are based on multiple sources of evidence
• Come to collective findings about:
  • the ToR focus questions
  • school performance against the School Strategic Plan
  • school highlights
  • the school practices in place for the instructional core domains: student voice, agency and leadership; curriculum content; and teaching practice
  • proficiency status against the FISO Continua
  • key directions for the next School Strategic Plan – goals, targets and KIS

Challenge partners

• Actively participate in Panel discussions by providing input and advice– their input informs decisions, however challenge partners do not have decision-making responsibilities, as this sits with core Panel members

Students, School Improvement Team and community members

• Not be required to attend the final School Review Panel Meeting as it is for core Panel members and challenge partners
• However, their input throughout the review informs the Panel’s decisions, and they will be involved in the preparation of the School Strategic Plan