Using school performance feedback: perceptions of primary school principals

The present study focuses on the perception of primary school principals of school performance feedback (SPF) and of the actual use of this information. This study is part of a larger project which aims to develop a new school performance feedback system (SPFS). The study builds on an eclectic framework that integrates the literature on SPFSs. Through in-depth interviews with 16 school principals, 4 clusters of factors influencing school feedback use were identified: context, school and user, SPFS, and support. This study refines the description of feedback use in terms of phases and types of use and effects on school improvement. Although school performance feedback can be seen as an important instrument for school improvement, no systematic use of feedback by school principals was observed. This was partly explained by a lack of skills, time, and support

School performance feedback systems: design and implementation issues

School performance feedback systems (SPFS) are specifically designed for providing schools with confidential information on their functioning. They follow the trend of data-driven schools improvement by fulfilling the need of schools of accessible information-rich environments. Several local initiatives have been developed and implemented worldwide. However, little is known yet on the impact of these systems on the schools’ functioning and performance. Furthermore, no detailed studies on SFPS user comprehension have been performed. In this dissertation, five studies have been reported and discussed. In the second chapter, a general introduction in characteristics of SPFSs is provided. A framework for characteristics of SPFSs has been applied to five SPFSs worldwide. This descriptive and analytic study illustrates both the wide variety in features but also provides a discussion on the rationales for making choices in feedback design. Following on a framework of SPFS characteristics, Chapter 3 is devoted to a framework for SPFS use. Parts of this framework are used in further studies described in the successive chapters. Based on the Visscher framework, both influencing factors, SPF use and the resulting effects have been analyzed in the context of the School Feedback Project by examining users’ perceptions. Intrigued by the call for research on feedback interpretability, the fourth chapter focuses on the representation and interpretation of central SPF concepts. Alternatives in representation modes of value added and learning gain have been examined, by integration of literature on graphical data representation. Particular attention has been paid to misconceptions and interpretation difficulties. The Chapters 5 and 6 tackle two crucial variables in SPF use: data literacy competences and support in using SPF. By reporting the results of both a quantitative (Chapter 5) and a qualitative (Chapter 6) study, the outcomes of a field experiment with participants of the School Feedback Project results in recommendations for effective support in using SPF. A final chapter enumerates the key finding from all studies by answering the research questions. A complementary overall discussion and general conclusion conclude this dissertation

Verschilllen in het gebruik van schoolfeedback: een verkenning van verklaringsgronden

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The influence of competences and support on school performance feedback use

Information-rich environments are created to promote data use in schools for the purpose of self-evaluation and quality assurance. However, providing feedback does not guarantee that schools will actually put it to use. One of the main stumbling blocks relates to the interpretation and diagnosis of the information. This study examines the relationship between data literacy competences, support given in interpreting the information, actual use of the feedback and potential school improvement effect. A randomised field experiment with 188 school principals from primary education was set up and a post-test was used to investigate the effects of a support initiative. The results revealed that a minority of schools invested significantly in the interpretation and diagnosis of the school performance feedback (SPF), despite the fact that most of the respondents showed an interest in the SPF report. In addition, data competence support and the subsequent use of feedback were found to be limited

Het gebruik van outputgegevens in basisscholen: concretiseringen en illustraties uit het Schoolfeedbackproject

Van scholen wordt meer en meer verwacht dat ze expliciet aandacht besteden aan hun resultaten. Vanuit verschillende hoeken wordt dan ook gezocht naar manieren om scholen over dergelijke aspecten van hun functioneren te informeren. Het Schoolfeedbackproject is daar een voorbeeld van. Dit project wil scholen feedback geven over de prestaties van hun leerlingen op een aantal v(l)akken. De verwachting is dat scholen deze feedback aanwenden als een van de mogelijke startpunten voor zelfevaluatie en kwaliteitszorg binnen de school. In deze bijdrage rapporteren de onderzoekers van het Schoolfeedbackproject over hun ervaringen en hun ontwikkelwerk. Ze illustreren hun werkwijze om de output van scholen in kaart te brengen. Daarnaast beschrijven ze een mogelijk stappenplan om met feedback over dergelijke outputgegevens – of andere gegevens – aan de slag te gaan. Ook de concrete ervaringen van scholen die van de feedback binnen het Schoolfeedbackproject gebruikmaakten, komen aan bod. De ambitie van de onderzoekers bij het schrijven van deze bijdrage was om een houvast te bieden aan schoolteams die met (output)gegevens aan de slag wensen te gaan

Diversity in school performance feedback systems

As data-based decision making is receiving increased attention in education, more and more school performance feedback systems (SPFSs) are being developed and used worldwide. These systems provide schools with data on their functioning. However, little research is available on the characteristics of the different SPFSs. Therefore, this study reflects on the characteristics of SPFSs to provide feedback designers and users arguments for making sound choices in selecting SPFSs with particular characteristics. The results of our study show that the 5 SPFSs selected for the purpose of comparison differ with respect to features related to data gathering and data analysis processes, the content, and the numerical measures and representation modes used. A wide variety can be detected in terms of the complexity and accuracy of data modeling. Users need to be properly informed about the underlying rationale for the features of each SPFS, and on the limitations and strengths of the performance indicators use