ISJ November 2018: A rationale for the Cambridge Assessment International Education standards for school self-evaluation

Gerard Calnin and Lee Davis

Effective schools are those that successfully progress the learning and development of all of their students, regardless of background, beyond their normal expected rate of growth.

To support this progress, there is a growing trend for successful schools and school systems to develop strategies which incorporate ‘evidence-based practice’ as part of their school improvement efforts. This means that decisions about the areas of school performance, which are able to be ‘improved’, are informed by data and evidence from research.

Cambridge Assessment International Education has developed a range of surveys that form the basis of a school self-review and which seek feedback from the school’s key stakeholder groups: parents, students and teachers. Each of the surveys addresses the Cambridge Standards for School Self-Evaluation and they have been tailored specifically for Cambridge schools. There are five domains, each containing the indicators (standards) describing what effective schools look like.