In 2015, ERO investigated target setting in both primary and secondary schools. We focused on the extent to which targeted actions of schools supported accelerated progress for students at risk of not achieving.
Methodology
ERO focused on two key areas in the evaluation:
Effective target setting. This was defined by three criteria:
- scanning achievement data
- targets building on previous year’s outcomes
- targets having ‘buy in’ from teachers and students.
Effective actions. This was defined as:
- a plan focused on underachievement
- the school having more than 40 percent of targeted students making accelerated progress.
Further information about the methodology can be found in Appendix 2.