Data plays a pivotal role in shaping educational strategies and policies worldwide and Chisholm is no exception. Our College Vision is “In Service of Christ and Community, we seek Excellence” with the shared belief that all students possess the potential for excellence and we want them to realise their unique purpose. Data is vital for our staff to make effective decisions in the pursuit of improved student outcomes.

Selena Fisk, an esteemed education researcher, aptly captured this significance when she stated, “Data is not just numbers; it’s the compass guiding our educational journey.” Fisk recognises that data allows teachers to identify areas of strength and weakness in student learning, enabling them to tailor instruction to meet individual needs. Moreover, data helps educators track progress over time, enabling them to adjust teaching strategies and curriculum as needed to maximise student success. Teachers can also use data to assess their own effectiveness, reflect on their teaching practices and make necessary adjustments to improve student learning outcomes. Data assists leaders in our College to identify trends, challenges and opportunities within the education system that may inform decisions about curriculum development, resource allocation and assessment strategies, for instance. To date, our data has included annual numerical results from standardised tests such as the Religious Education Assessment, NAPLAN, OLNA and ATAR, the demographic data of the College community and the bi-annual NSI School Climate Surveys alongside ongoing WACE results, student course selections, individual class assessments and semesterised student reports.

Chisholm has constantly reviewed course offerings, teaching and learning programmes and educational support opportunities to ensure we are meeting the needs of all our students based on this data over time.  From Term 4 this year, all WA Catholic schools are required to administer the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) for Mathematics and Reading with all students from Year 1 to Year 10. The PAT will be completed online at Chisholm early next term using the students’ devices in their current Mathematics and English classes and is designed to adjust questions for each student based on their previous answers. The PAT results will be another dataset that will allow Chisholm staff to measure student achievement to pinpoint where each student is placed in their learning journey and adjust practice to ensure student learning needs are met. 

Mrs Nicole Huggins
Deputy Principal – Excellence