Over the years, our Kāhui Ako has grown and evolved, shaped by the voices, ideas, and efforts of our community. One of the most impactful outcomes of this journey has been the development of our Learner Agency and Collective Teacher Efficacy rubrics. These rubrics are more than just tools—they reflect our shared vision, the power of collaboration, and our commitment to ensuring that all learners succeed and flourish.
The Beginning: A Shared Vision
Our journey began in 2016, when schools within Whiria te Tāngata Kāhui Ako came together to explore the potential of working as a unified Kāhui Ako. From the outset, our focus was on building relationships, understanding each school’s unique strengths, and identifying common goals. Across School Leaders (ASLs) and Within School Leaders (WSLs) played a pivotal role in facilitating this collaborative process, which was rooted in inquiry-based practices.
Key figures, such as Ann Milne and Jenni Donohoo, offered valuable guidance. Ann Milne’s work on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Donohoo’s research on Collective Teacher Efficacy helped shape our early thinking, and these ideas laid the groundwork for what would become our rubrics.
2017-2018: Laying the Foundations
As we moved forward, we recognised the need for practical tools to help track our progress and measure the impact of our collective efforts. This is when the concept of the rubrics started to emerge. With a clear focus on learner agency and collective teacher efficacy, we began developing frameworks that would allow us to reflect on and improve our practices across all schools.
Collaboration was key during this period. Principals, ASLs, and WSLs worked closely to ensure the rubrics were informed by research and local context. The spirals of inquiry model helped us focus on evidence-based decision-making, which played a crucial role in the rubric development process.
2019: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Birth of the Rubrics
A significant milestone came in 2019, when our Kāhui Ako gathered for a combined Teacher Only Day (TOD). This event marked a shift in focus towards Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP), with experts like Russell Bishop and Laurayne Tafa leading the way. The TOD inspired the first iterations of our rubrics, providing a clear framework for teachers and leaders to measure progress in both learner agency and teacher efficacy.
The concept of learner agency - where students take an active role in their own learning, supported by teachers and whānau - began to take clearer shape. These early rubrics offered a structured way to guide and measure progress, while also allowing for the unique needs of each school.
2020-2021: Refining Our Focus
As the rubrics were trialled and tested, we actively sought feedback from across our community. School leaders and teachers provided invaluable insights, helping to refine and improve the rubrics so that they more closely aligned with our collective goals. This iterative process allowed us to continuously adjust the rubrics to better support student outcomes.
In 2021, we undertook a major refresh of the rubrics, emphasising the importance of narrative-based reflection over pure data collection. This approach encouraged deeper engagement with the rubrics and enabled schools to use them as a reflective tool rather than just a checklist. Importantly, the rubrics have also given us a shared understanding and common language, which has strengthened collaboration and communication across our community.
2022 and Beyond: Deepening Learner Agency
By 2022, the focus on learner agency deepened, with professional development workshops led by Perry Rush helping to embed these practices further into our schools. As part of this, we introduced development stages into the rubrics, ranging from establishing to integrated practice, allowing us to track growth in a meaningful way.
The rubrics now stand as living documents for many of our schools - frameworks that continue to evolve as we gather data, reflect on our progress, and measure impact. They emphasise co-agency, where learners, teachers, and whānau work together to achieve shared goals. This approach reflects our commitment to fostering environments where all learners can flourish and where teachers actively challenge deficit thinking.
Different schools have adopted the rubrics in ways that best suit their unique contexts. Some schools have made them their own, tailoring the rubrics to fit their specific needs, while others use them to drive their team discussions and planning. For some, the rubrics serve as a valuable reference tool to guide reflection and support ongoing professional growth.
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