School professional learning self-assessment tool
A support tool for school leadership teams and staff to reflect on and strengthen school-wide professional learning practice.
Access the tool
The tool is available as an online app or a PDF document. Choose the version that best suits the way you and your leadership team prefer to work.
About the tool
The School professional learning self-assessment tool is designed to support school leadership teams and staff to reflect on and build a school-wide culture of continuous professional learning. It supports the application of the High Impact Professional Learning (HIPL) model and aligns with the Professional learning for teachers and school staff procedure within the School Excellence policy.
School leadership teams can use the tool as part of an inquiry process to identify practices within a school's current approach to professional learning for teaching and non-teaching staff. It can be used flexibly to best meet the context of schools by suggesting strategies that will support the establishment of a culture of continuous professional learning.
School leaders can:
use the tool as part of a leadership meeting or planning session and work through one or more aspects together
allocate a particular aspect to different members of the leadership team to reflect on and share findings together
work through one or more aspects with faculties or the whole staff in teams to build understanding across the school.
The tool functions in a way that is similar to the School Excellence Framework (SEF) through the use of the familiar three levels of the SEF: Delivering, Sustaining and Growing, and Excelling. It is supplementary to, not part of, the School Excellence Framework.
The tool helps schools to identify strategies to strengthen whole-school-wide professional learning practices focused on learning and teaching practice or building non-teaching capability for all staff.
The use of the School professional learning self-assessment tool is optional. Schools are not required to use this tool or to report on it.
Elements, principles and improvement strategies described in the tool have been identified through extensive global research into professional learning practice and are informed by fieldwork across NSW public schools. When applied holistically to school-wide professional learning practice the evidence suggests professional learning will have the greatest impact on student growth and performance and school excellence.
Purpose of resource
The School professional learning self-assessment tool is designed to support school leadership teams and staff to reflect on and build a school-wide culture of continuous professional learning. It supports the application of the High Impact Professional Learning (HIPL) model and Principles for building capability embedded in the Professional learning for teachers and school staff procedure within the School Excellence policy.
Target audience
School leadership teams can use this resource to work with all school staff to reflect on and strengthen school-wide professional learning practice.
When and how to use
Schools can use the tool as part of an inquiry process to identify practices within a school's current approach to professional learning for teaching and non-teaching staff. It will help suggest pathways that will move them towards a high-impact professional learning environment. It has been designed to be used flexibly to best meet the context of schools.
School leaders can:
use the tool as part of a leadership meeting or planning session and work through one or more aspects together
allocate a particular aspect to different members of the leadership team to reflect on and share findings together
work through one or more aspects with faculties or the whole staff in teams to build understanding across the school.
The tool is available as an online app or a PDF document. Choose the tool that best suits the way you and your leadership team prefer to work.
Research base
This resource is informed by and aligns to the department’s High Impact Professional Learning (HIPL) model and Principles for building capability which are embedded in the Professional learning for teachers and schools staff procedure within the School Excellence policy. The HIPL model is underpinned by extensive research about teacher professional learning to ensure that professional learning in schools has maximum impact on student growth and performance.
Contact
Provide feedback on this resource by completing this short survey.
Email questions, comments, and additional feedback about this resource to Email questions, comments, and feedback about this resource to professionallearning@det.nsw.edu.au using the subject line ‘School PL self-assessment tool’.
Alignment to system priorities and/or needs – This resource supports teachers and school leaders to implement the department’s Professional learning for teachers and school staff procedure within the School Excellence policy.
Alignment to School Excellence Framework – This resource aligns with the following elements and themes within the Leading Domain:
‘Professional learning’ theme within the ‘Learning and development’ element
‘Leading, teaching and learning’, ‘High expectations culture’ and ‘Performance management and development’ themes within the ‘Educational leadership’ element
Alignment to Our Plan for NSW Public Education – This resource aligns with the following themes:
Support staff development through high-quality and accessible professional learning
Support schools to deliver school excellence through continuous improvement
Strengthen educational and instructional leadership
Alignment with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – 6.1.4, 6.3.4, 6.4.4
Consulted with: Quality Teaching Practice evaluation and PL teams, School Leadership Institute, School stakeholders (through a number of school reference, consultation and validation processes), DELs, Executive Director Teaching Quality and Impact, School Excellence Directorate
Reviewed by: Director, Quality Teaching Practice and Executive Director, Teaching Quality and Impact
Using the tool
The tool is designed to be used flexibly to best meet the contextual needs of schools. School leaders can use it in the following ways:
| Approach | Next steps | Sharing |
|---|---|---|
As part of a meeting or planning session, work through the tool together discussing the information and agreeing on a level. Use the whole tool or focus on one or two elements most relevant to the context. |
Use the report to identify areas of success and areas for development. Incorporate these into your School Excellence Plan (SEP). |
Feed the information back to staff through planning sessions and PDP processes. |
| Approach | Next steps | Sharing |
|---|---|---|
Ask each member of the school leadership team to complete the tool (or specific elements). Review anonymised responses together to identify points of alignment and difference. |
Discuss the responses and clarify reasons for responses where there are significant differences. Identify points for further clarification with the team/whole school and use this to set priorities for professional learning to incorporate into the School Excellence Plan (SEP). |
Feed the information back to staff through planning sessions and PDP processes. |
| Approach | Next steps | Sharing |
|---|---|---|
Split the staff into smaller groups (either faculty/Stage or mixed) with a school leader in each group. Give each group the same or different element from the SSA app and work through the questions. |
Review responses together, identify common themes or patterns and/or any areas of difference between groups working on the same element. Use report to identify areas of success and for development. Incorporate these into the School Excellence Plan (SEP). |
Feedback to DEL/community as appropriate. |
To help us better understand and improve your experience using the School professional learning self-assessment tool please provide us with your feedback by completing this short survey.