Hard work pays off as schools rise from good to great

Hard work at two Logan schools has paid off with both having meteoric rises in NAPLAN results to get them top spots on a list of schools making the biggest improvements.

Burrowes State School high achieving: year 5 students Alicia Caldwell, Austin Luamanuuae and Taylor Kelly with teacher Aaron Beckett.

HARD work at two Logan schools has paid off with both having meteoric rises in NAPLAN results to get them top spots on a list of schools making the biggest improvements.

An analysis of five years’ worth of NAPLAN results has revealed the schools that have improved their year 5 and year 9 student scores the most in Logan were Burrowes State School at Marsden and Beenleigh State High.

NAPLAN’S BEST IMPROVERS IN LOGAN 2019

LOGAN NAPLAN 2019

Burrowes posted an average 9.3 per cent improvement across all year 5 subjects and Beenleigh High had an average 5.8 per cent improvement across all year 9 subjects.

The outcome was not just the results of a bright year of students.

The analysis compared each school’s combined results for each NAPLAN subject in 2015 and compared to the same results in 2019.

Beenleigh State High School principal Matt O’Hanlon said his school had introduced a range of measures to bolster the NAPLAN results.

Methods to increase reading competency included getting students to read aloud in class and getting teachers to lead by example before students take over their own learning.

He said another successful method to improve reading skills was to get students to work together in small groups.

A year 9 class at Beenleigh State High which was one of the Logan schools to post large improvement gains in Naplan across the past five years.

The school’s P & C also helped by encouraging students to achieve with incentives such as movie tickets and food vouchers.

“We’ve also had a lot of dedicated work by teachers with a focus on reading conferences and getting kids to read in class every day,” he said.

“We have a weekly focus which often relates to reading and it’s that intense concentration which has paid dividends.

“Teachers have got up on parade and spoken about what books they liked to read as kids and our librarian has also gone and bought the books the kids want to read.”

Beenleigh State High school principal Matt O'Hanlon mixes with students and said teachers had dedicated time to reading conferences.

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Mr O’Hanlon said the school gauged improvements using the PAT testing model which measured pre- and post- test results and allowed teachers to target weaknesses.

Despite a focus on improving reading, Mr O’Hanlon said the school was also concentrating on improving overall numeracy and said more would be done on maths next year.

The Logan school with the second biggest Year 9 improvement between 2015 and 2019 was St Francis’ College, in Crestmead, where results improved 5.1 per cent.

Average results at Windaroo Valley State High School, in Bahrs Scrub, increased 5.1 per cent, the third highest increase in Logan.

At the primary school level, Burrowes State School principal Trish Wilmott said the improvement was the direct result of teaching “the whole child”.

“From the principal, to the leadership team, teachers, teacher aides and students, we are all on the same page with our belief that in order to be at their best and succeeding, students need to have all of their needs met.

“Our results are proof we are making a difference and that with the right support, all students can succeed.”

Another secret to the school’s success was getting school leaders to work closely with teachers to ensure that all students’ needs were met.

Signature programs, developed by teams from inside the school, also contributed.

Logan’s second biggest improvement in year 5 results over those five years was Beenleigh State School, where scores increased 8.9 per cent.

Logan’s 10 Year 5 NAPLAN improvers over five years

Burrowes State School: 9.3 per cent

Beenleigh State School: 8.9 per cent

Woongoolba State School: 8.4 per cent

St Paul’s School: 7.5 per cent

Flagstone State School: 5.4 per cent

Eagleby South State School: 4.7 per cent

Mount Warren Park State School: 4.5 per cent

Chatswood Hills State School: 4.2 per cent

Marsden State School: 4.0 per cent

Woodridge North State School: 3.6 per cent

Logan’s 10 Year 9 NAPLAN improvers over five years

Beenleigh State High School: 5.8 per cent

St Francis’ College: 5.1 per cent

Windaroo Valley State High School: 5.1 per cent

Browns Plains State High School: 4.3 per cent

Loganlea State High School: 4.3 per cent

Emmaus College: 3.1 per cent

Groves Christian College: 2.8 per cent

Chisholm Catholic College: 2.7 per cent

Kingston State College: 2.7 per cent

Marsden State High School: 1.8 per cent