Hse A BR Se All BB A He RF 77 BC BE SB Dad Education and Manpower Bureau Government Secretariat, Government of the Hong Kong Special Adm ‘The People’s Republic of ative Region ACHE Our Ref ADHIKFE. Your Ref { Telephone: 2892 6687 Fax Line 2530 3780 9 May 2003 Dear Principal, Enhancing School Dev through School Self-evaluat ment and Accountability n and External School Review Over the last few weeks, we have seen how schools respond to the outbreak of atypical pneumonia to ensure that learning continues despite the temporary suspension of classes. I would like to thank you and your colleagues for the efforts you have made in facing up to one of the biggest challenges of our time. The capacity demonstrated by schools in handling this crisis is a reflection of schools’ commitment to enhancing the well-being of our students, the flexibility provided by school-based management and effective processes established under the Quality Ass rrance (QA) Framework, Building on the strengths and experiences from the QA Framework established in 1997, 1 am writing to you to reaffirm our commitment to building a strong school development and accountability framework based on systematic internal school self-evaluation, complemented by external school review. We firmly believe that rigorous and systematic school self-evaluation, based on genuine evidence, including data on student performance, is the driving force for continuous improvement. Education the world, including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States systems acro are in their own context showing how self-evaluation can effectively support continuous school development and ensure public accountability for the quality of education delivered. We have made significant advances with the implementation of School-based Management (SBM) including a well developed and highly valued QA inspection process and a_ performance licators framework in four domains, viz. management and organization, learning and teaching, student support and school ethos, and student performance, for school performance management. However, feedback from the education sector and our current QA processes has identified three key areas for AEE AONE IF AARE HOSE = hmpsiwoemt {fF Wu Chung Howse. Queen's Ron Fast, Wanchai, Hong Kong» Wel jovi ALEC: (852)2803 0858 _ AUFSIPE = embinfozemd gov nk Intpswww em gow hk Fay (852) 28 88 Eamailembinfoiemb gow hk22s improvement: * the need to support school self-evaluation with systematic tools, processes and performance measures; © the need to make available key performance measures (KPM) with various territory norms so that schools are better able to assess their strengths and weaknesses and identify how they might improve; and ‘the need for all schools to benefit from external school review within a timeframe consistent with a school’s developmental cycle. To enhance school development and accountability, the way forward is to strengthen self-evaluation in all schools and conduct external school review as a complementary process. ‘The key elements are presented diagrammatically as follows: (Outcome of Planning 1 School Development and Action Plans ‘Outcome of Evaluation and Review 1B School Report(s) The enhanced school development and accountability framework integrates. planning, implementation and monitoring, as well as reporting and reviewing processes at the school level. I appeal to you and your staff to step up efforts on school self-evaluation with emphasis on the following: a. Whole school approach: This will bring about coherence and strengthen collaboration, communication and ownership among members of the school community.b. Strategic planning and action planning: Educational change is dynamic and complex. Because of this, a school has to understand the needs and cl of its students, evaluate its own strengths and weaknes teristics s, set priorities and goals, devise strategies to achieve its goals, and develop an action plan to build the capacity for educational change and bring about the intended outcomes. ¢. Management of performance against key performance measures (KPM): i, To facilitate schools’ evaluation processes, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) has set out to develop KPM progressively in the four domains of the Performance Indicators as a common platform for the balanced assessment of school performance. The selection of KPM is based on the quality, usefulness and collectibility of the data. Schools may develop additional KPM to suit their needs. ii, EMB will provide measurement tools such as standard stakeholder (parents, students, teachers) survey questionnaires to help schools collect relevant information for self-evaluation and provide feedback to support school-based management. EMB will also provide an electronic platform to facilitate schools in collecting data and compiling the KPM. iii, From 2003/04 onwards, schools will need to provide school level information on a number of KPM for EMB to generate territory norms. The full set of KPM is set out in Appendix I, and those which will be required of the reporting cycle for 2003/04 are underlined in the table. EMB will release the territory norms to schools by stages to facilitate school self-evaluation and reporting. d. Reporting: n line with the current requirement under SBM, schools will report on their performance annually against the KPM with use of evi lence and data, They can include additional measures as deemed valuable in evaluating their own performance and development. The evaluation reports should be accessible to stakeholders for transparency and accountability. €. Preparation for External School Review: From February 2004 onwards, EMB will conduct external school review of public sector schools (including schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme). The focus will be to validate a school’s self-evaluation and to arrive at an agreed post-review improvement agenda with the-4- school, so that school performance can be gauged and developmental potential tapped. By December 2003, EMB will timetable all schools by phases for external school review from February 2004 through to 2006/07. It is expected that by 2006/07, the first four-year cycle of external school review covering all Hong Kong schools will have been completed. We have implemented a pilot project on “School Development through School Self-evaluation” since September 2002. The project schools have formed a network to inform practices in self-evaluation including the design, use of tools and processes. To promote better understanding of self-evaluation and related arrangements, EMB will run a series of seminars in June/July 2003 and organize district collegiate groups for professional sharing and learning. A reference manual will also be made available to all schools by September 2003. It will capture essential elements including templates for school planning and reporting, and guidelines for performance management with us of data and evidence for sustained development and improved learning outcomes. EMB will provide continual support to schools so as to nurture a culture of self-evaluation and enhance accountability in the school system. We pledge to achieve the following as EMB’s commitment to enhancing the quality of school education and student learning outcomes: * To have performance measures readily accessible to all schools to support open and transparent school self-evaluation; * To conduct external school review within a four-year cycle to ‘complement schools’ internal evaluation and performance assessment; * To have all processes involved focus on improved learning outcomes; + To have EMB's support to schools better targeted for the benefits of our students; and + To have a feedback loop established in the school system to influence policy and priority setting. Our core business is to collaborate with schools to bring about improved learning outcom Major milestones with regard to the fulfilment of our above pledge are set out at Appendix II, and a list of useful websites is at Appendix III for your reference. I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to you for your sustained efforts in strengthening your self-evaluation processes. Our colleagues in the Quality Assurance Division (QAD) and the Regional Education Offices (REO) will support you in this regard. If you have any enquiries, please contact your respective Senior School8s Development Officer or our QAD colleagues on 2126 5271/ 2122 5821. With best wishes, Yours sincerely, , 5 av (Mrs Fanny Law) Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpowero6e. Appendix I List of Key Performance Measures Management & | Learning & Teaching) Student Support & | Student Performance Organization School Ethos 1. Composition of | 6. Teachers’ and ul 15, HKAT SMC students’ views on | students’ and 16. BCA a. Sifts views on learning and parents’ views on | 17, HKCEE school leadership | teaching school culture | 1g HKALE 3. Teachers’ 7. Number of active 12. Parents’ views on 19. Academic professional school days home-school value-added development 8. Lesson time for partnership performance (including the 8 KLAs 13. Destination of exit! 59 seident principal CPD) | 9. Students’ reading students including | articipation in 4. Teachers’ habit carly exits inter-school events} qualification and_| 10, Provision of 14; Stodents? attitudes)! 97. Siutent experience co-curricular to school participation in (including LPR) activities uniform / 5. School community service expenditure on groups learning and 22, Students? student support attendance 23, Students’ physical development Notes: (a) Items 13, 17, 18 and 19 — For secondary schools only. (b) Items 2, 6, 11 and 12 ~ Information is to be collected using standard questionnaires prepared by EMB and administered annually by schools. (©) Item 14 ~ Measurement tool is included in the Assessment Program for Affective and Social Outcomes (APASO) developed by EMB. (d) Item 19 ~ Information is provided through the Schools Value-added Information System (SVAIS) developed by EMB. (©) Item 16 (BCA) ~ The use of it in KPM will be reviewed according to its on-going development. (Q. The items for mandatory reporting for 2003/04 are underlined in the table above. Details regarding the requirements will be provided in the subsequent briefing sessions for schools.Appendix II Enhancing School Development and Accountability (SDA) through School Self-evaluation (SSE) and External School Review (ESR) — ‘Time ‘September 2002 May ~ December 2003 June/July 2003 July - September 2003 September 2003 December 2003 February 2004 Major Milestones Activity A one-year pilot project on “School Development through School Self-Evaluation” was launched to support evidence-based and data-oriented SSE, The project schools have formed a good base as EMB collegiate schools in the development of tools and processes Project on “Pilot ESR” to be implemented District collegiate groups for professional sharing and learning of SSE to be organized in phases by REOs Seminars for all schools on the details about the requirements to conduct systematic and rigorous school self-evaluation for development and accountability to be organized The following to be uploaded to EMB’s website: i. guidelines for school self-evaluation ii, templates on school plans and reports iii, key performance measures on which schools will need to report iv. stakeholder survey questionnaires (including teachers, parents and students) A reference manual on evidence-based and data-oriented school self-evaluation to be ready for schools’ use All schools to be timetabled by phases through to 2006/07 for external school review ESR to commence to validate schools’ self-evaluation and to report on standardsAppendix IIT Some Useful Websites on School Self-evaluation and Related Processes Aittp:/Iwww.scotland.gov.uk/hmie (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, Scottish Executive) hitp:/Iwww.gov.bc.calbced (Ministry of Education, British Columbi hitp://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/docs/1033.pdf (A publication on “Action Planning for School Improvement”, Office for Standards in Education) hitp://www.emb.gov.hk/qai/gai.htm (Quality Assurance Division, Education and Manpower Bureau, HKSAR) Canada)