Australian Journal of Teacher Education - Volume 39 - Issue 5 - Article 7 - Finding Ways to Effectively Use Year 12 Achievement Data to Inform Practice in Secondary Schools

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

Action research examined how Year 12 achievement data are used by school personnel to inform practice in seven Catholic secondary schools. Deputy Principals of Curriculum were interviewed about their perceptions of improvements in Year 12 outcomes and ways to strengthen future efforts. Key insights highlighted communication of achievement data to key stakeholders, strategic use by teaching staff, and leadership strategies that build an achievement culture among students. Findings aimed to improve practice in participating schools and support discussions elsewhere.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Purpose of Research

Research Questions

Overarching Question

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Review of Literature

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 39 | Issue 5 | Article 7 | | | --- | --- | --- | | 2014
Finding Ways to Effectively Use Year 12 Achievement Data to Inform Practice in Schools
Frank Italiano
The Catholic Education Office of Western Australia, italiano.frank@cathednet.wa.edu.au
Gregory Hine
The University of Notre Dame Australia, Gregory.Hine@nd.edu.au | | Secondary | Recommended Citation Italiano, F., & Hine, G. (2014). Finding Ways to Effectively Use Year 12 Achievement Data to Inform Practice in Secondary Schools. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39 (5). Retrieved from [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss5/7](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss5/7) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss5/7](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss5/7) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Finding Ways to Effectively Use Year 12 Achievement Data to Inform Practice in Secondary Schools Frank Italiano The Catholic Education Office of Western Australia [italiano.frank@cathednet.wa.edu.au](italiano.frank@cathednet.wa.edu.au) Gregory Hine The University of Notre Dame Australia [hine.gregory@nd.edu.au](hine.gregory@nd.edu.au) Abstract: This action research explored how Year 12 achievement data were used by school personnel to inform practice within seven Catholic secondary schools. Deputy Principals of Curriculum from participating schools were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the improvement of Year 12 student achievement outcomes, and their insights into how to strengthen future efforts (or achievements). Three key insights included: Communication of achievement data to key stakeholders in the school community, strategic use of achievement data by teaching staff, and leadership strategies to promote an achievement culture to the students. The findings of this research will serve to improve and strengthen practice at participating schools and to stimulate discussions in other schools about the effective use of achievement data. Introduction It is apparent that achievement data are readily available in most Australian states and territories. What is not so apparent is the ability and willingness of educators to make effective use of these data to inform educational practices, and consequently, improve teaching and learning. The issue is not about which data to use and how to access these data, but rather how to use data strategically within a given context to assist in the teaching and learning function. This is especially significant if ultimately the aim of education is to cater for the needs of each individual student. Masters (2010) suggested that: A high priority is given to the school-wide analysis and discussion of systematically collected data on student outcomes, including academic, attendance and behavioural outcomes. Data analysts consider overall school performance as well as the performances of students from identified priority groups; evidence of improvement/regression over time; performances in comparison with similar schools (p. 3) . All achievement data should be used to inform general trends at system, local school and individual classroom levels, as well as for the benefit of the individual student. Campbell and Levin (2009) considered data-informed decision making as a key professional skill for all educators – including teachers and principals – in understanding and applying data to inform improved actions and outcomes. The importance of leadership should not be understated when considering the conditions which need to be explicitly developed and administered in the context of dynamic, culturally diverse educational communities (Copland, 2002; Supovitz Vol 39, 5, May 2014 99 Australian Journal of Teacher Education & Klein, 2003; Wayman & Stringfield, 2006a; Young, 2006). Leading to succeed is philosophically founded on the informative use of achievement data for all,

FAQs

What research approach was used to study Year 12 achievement data use in schools?

The study used qualitative action research. Deputy Principals of Curriculum were interviewed in seven Catholic secondary schools.

Which stakeholder and practice areas were identified as key insights from the study?

The research highlighted communication of achievement data to key stakeholders, strategic use by teaching staff, and leadership strategies to promote an achievement culture for students.

What was the primary purpose of the research?

To explore how Year 12 achievement data are used by school personnel to inform practice within seven Catholic secondary schools, and to clarify how these schools might strengthen their commitment to using such data.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine