Policy last updated
7 May 2024
Scope
- Schools
Advice
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.
- Support is 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 a school's performance data. Panorama supports a 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 a school's information and data through its dashboards and reports. Information on Panorama includes:
- enrolments and projections
- NAPLAN
- teacher judgement
- PAT achievement
- English Online Interview
- VCE achievement
- average and chronic absences
- student, staff and parent/carer opinions
- similar school comparisons (dashboards and supplementary school reports).
Accessing Panorama
The dashboards and reports are available using the main icons on the homepage.
Panorama dashboards and reports are available to principals. Principals can delegate access to dashboards to staff within their school.
Further information on accessing and delegating access are available on the Panorama support (staff login required).
If staff members 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. Staff members must 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 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.
Schools can also email school.performance.data@education.vic.gov.au with questions about data shown in Panorama dashboards and reports.
Related policies
Guidance
Differentiated School Performance Groups
Differentiated School Performance Groups (performance groups) are a method of reporting school performance that sits alongside the school review model and differentiated supports for school improvement.
This approach:
- utilises 2 dimensions of performance results:
- current performance
- change in performance over time
- using selected school performance measures
- aggregates each school’s results across 6 performance domains:
- achievement
- school climate
- student attitudes
- participation
- engagement
- senior secondary
- assigns schools to a performance group, based upon their aggregated domain level results:
- transform
- stretch
- influence
- renew
- recharge.
Further information on each performance group is available below.
The performance groups inform the types of differentiated support each school will receive to achieve improvement, based upon their specific needs and context.
Schools are allocated to a performance group through the Differentiated School Performance Method that utilises 2 dimensions of performance results – current performance and change in performance over time – using selected school performance measures.
The method undertaken to generate the school performance groups replaced the school improvement measures and associated school threshold reports in 2017.
The 5 school performance groups
What allocation to a performance group means for schools
A school’s performance group and validated pre-review self-evaluation outcomes will be used to tailor the duration and focus of a school review.
A school's performance group will also inform the frequency of monitoring from the department and range of differentiated supports a school will receive following review completion.
School performance report
The level of detail provided by the school performance report supports schools to improve their strategic planning by identifying key areas for improvement, and enabling schools to access targeted supports for improved outcomes.
The Resources tab provides a guide on how to read a school's performance report.
For more information refer to the Differentiated School Performance Method 2021 (staff login required).
Access a school's performance report
To access a school performance report, refer to: School performance (staff login required).
Save this link in the 'applications' section of My workspace for quick and easy access next time.
Resources
Resources
Useful links
- Panorama (staff login required)
- Panorama – frequently asked (staff login required)
- Panorama – School Performance (staff login required)
- Strategic Planning Online Tool (staff login required)
- Guide to improvement measures 2023 (staff login required)
- Guide to improvement measures 2023 (staff login required)
- How to read your School Performance Report 2023 (staff login required)
- How to read your School Performance Report 2023 (staff login required)
- Overview of school performance approach 2023 (staff login required)
- Overview of school performance approach 2023 (staff login required)
- Technical document – aggregation and weights 2023 (staff login required)
- Technical document – aggregation and weights 2023 (staff login required)
- Technical document – split point information 2023 (staff login required)
- Technical document – split point information 2023 (staff login required)
- Differentiated School Performance Method 2023 frequently asked questions (staff login required)
- Differentiated School Performance Method 2023 frequently asked questions (staff login required)
Reviewed 04 October 2020