preparing your Showcase Awards submission

Preparing your
Showcase Awards
submission
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contacts
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Showcase Awards Project Manager
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Regional coordinators
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Key dates
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Participation milestones
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Getting started
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Submission requirements
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Submission title
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Submission overview
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Personnel involved in the project
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Appendix A
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Supporting documentation
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Feedback from the 2014 State Evaluation Team
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Contacts
Showcase Awards Project Manager
Erin Lynch | Senior Programs and Events Officer
Community Engagement and Partnerships
T: (07) 3328 6617 | E: erin.lynch@dete.qld.gov.au
Regional coordinators
Showcase Awards regional coordinators play a key role in supporting the participation of schools in the
Showcase Awards and in coordinating the Showcase Awards program at the regional level.
Schools are encouraged to contact their regional coordinators to assist with their submissions.
Central Queensland
Darling Downs South West
Far North Queensland
Metropolitan
North Coast
North Queensland
South East Queensland
Shelley
Julie
Leanne
Maree
Mark
Lorraine
Debbie
Clarke
Althaus
Plasto
Neilsen
Rewald
Keane
Stafford
shelley.clarke@dete.qld.gov.au
julie.althaus@dete.qld.gov.au
leanne.plasto@dete.qld.gov.au
maree.neilsen@dete.qld.gov.au
mark.rewald@dete.qld.gov.au
lorraine.keane@dete.qld.gov.au
debbie.stafford@dete.qld.gov.au
(07) 4986 7208
(07) 4616 3722
(07) 4037 3883
(07) 3028 8047
(07) 4155 7516
(07) 4758 3334
(07) 5656 6657
Key dates
5 June 2015
2015 Showcase Awards submissions close
22 – 25 June 2015
Regional judging by Regional Selection Teams
15 July 2015
Announcement of the 2015 Showcase Awards highly commended and
regional award winners
31 July 2015
Announcement of the 2015 Showcase Awards state finalists
August – September
Filming of the state finalists’ vignettes
October 2015
State awards judging
30 October 2015
Showcase Awards Gala Dinner
Participation milestones
Participating in the 2015 Showcase Awards involves the following steps:
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Nomination
Electronically enter a 2015 Showcase Awards submission, describing the school program’s
alignment to the category criteria and outcomes. Nominating requires only one submission,
which will be assessed regionally and, if selected as a regional award winner, will be
reassessed for state award judging.
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State awards judging
Shortlisting will occur in July 2015 and will identify three state finalists per category (18
programs in total) to participate in state awards judging. Judging will take place in Brisbane in
October 2015, with winners announced at the Showcase Awards Gala Dinner on Friday 30
October 2015.
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Getting started
Detailed information about submission requirements and templates can be obtained from the Showcase
Awards website — http://education.qld.gov.au/community/events/showcase/downloads.html
It is recommended that schools obtain the following documents from the Showcase Awards website to
familiarise themselves with the requirements and criteria for 2015.
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Showcase Awards guidelines
Appendix A – submission template
Showcase Awards electronic submissions portal account —
http://www.eawards.com.au/2015/showcase/newentry/
Submission requirements
For assistance with completing your submission, please contact your regional coordinator.
Log into the Showcase Awards submission portal and enter the following:
1. Submission title
Your submission title is a short, catchy name which encompasses the aim of your project.
Tips:
 Aim for a maximum of six words
 Keep in mind that your submission title will be used in press articles, certificates, vignettes,
websites and dinner programs.
Examples:
Learning our way to improvement — X State School
A, B, C, 1, 2, 3 — X State High School
2. Submission overview
Please use simple language suitable for public relations and media use (maximum of 200
words).
The submission overview should include:
 a sentence that explains what the program/initiative is or what the school did
 what the program/initiative achieves
 the measurable outcomes.
Example:
Engagement for Success focuses on a quality curriculum, student-focused support and diverse
extracurricular activities that have resulted in significantly improved academic outcomes and
increased retention rates. A wider choice of subjects and flexible timetables for students
undertaking vocational education and university subjects has proven successful. Last year, the
school’s Year 12 students became one of South East Brisbane district’s highest achievers, with
80 per cent of students receiving a Queensland Certificate of Education, which is above the
state average.
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3. Personnel involved in the project
List the personnel involved in the project (names and roles).
Example:
Jane Andrews
John Smith
Peter Clarke
Sally Hills
Jason Smart
Principal
Deputy Principal
Head of Curriculum
Pedagogical Coach
Community Officer
X State School
X State School
X State School
X State School
X State School
4. Appendix A – completed submissions
Submissions should be written in a minimum font size of 11 point, and MUST NOT exceed 15
A4 pages - a maximum of five pages detailing your program (using the submission template in
Appendix A) and up to 10 pages of appendices. It is compulsory to provide a signed statement
from the principal and either a P&C association, school board or school council. These
statements must be included in the 10 pages of appendices.
All submissions (including the Appendix A template and supporting documentation) must be
submitted as one complete file. Suitable formats include: .doc, .docx and pdf.
There are three key areas in Appendix A’s template:
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Description:
A detailed description of the submission including the program’s contribution to quality
outcomes and continuous improvement for students (see section 1.21, 1.22 and 3.1 of the
Showcase Awards guidelines).
The following questions may assist in starting the submission writing process:
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What is the program called, what is it about?
Who developed it, who delivers it and where is it delivered?
How long has it been operating? Who does it benefit and how?
What is new or different about this program?
How is it making a difference to student outcomes?
How is this program innovative?
Statement
A detailed description of the submission’s connection to State Schools Strategy 2014 –
2018 core learning priorities and strategies.
State Schools Strategy 2014 – 2018 core priorities are:
o Collaborative empowerment
o Successful learners
o Teaching quality
o Principal leadership and performance
o School performance
o Regional support
o Local decision making
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For further information, please visit:
https://oneportal.deta.qld.gov.au/EducationDelivery/Stateschooling/Documents/everystudent-succeeding-state-schools-strategy-2014-2108.pdf
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Outcomes and supporting evidence
Detailed descriptions of the quality and continuously improved outcomes that have been
achieved, including supporting evidence of claimed outcomes including any performance
measures used (see section 3.4 of the Showcase Awards guidelines)
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What are the outcomes for students/staff/parents?
How is the program making a difference?
How do you know the program is working?
What evidence do you have to support your outcomes?
Are all of the stated outcomes supported by accurate and current data?
Supporting documentation — maximum of 10 A4 pages
Provide any other documentation that describes the significance of the achieved outcomes.
These items should be presented as a PDF appendix.
Acceptable forms of qualitative and quantitative supporting evidence may include:
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systemic data (for example, NAPLAN results and My School data)
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documentation of achieved outcomes
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significant results in state, national and international competitions (for example,
English, maths, science, information technology, art)
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teachers’ anecdotal records
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graphs, which may be useful to provide quantitative evidence
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survey results
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retention data
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case study findings
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evidence presented in percentages, although sample sizes must be stated
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school opinion data, but it is recommended it is supported by other data to
supplement the results.
Tips:
o schools would benefit by clearly outlining what outcomes they are wishing to
measure before sourcing data.
o analysis of data should be validated
o when possible, data should be linked and compared to research from prior to the
program’s implementation.
Feedback from the 2014 State Evaluation Team
When writing your regional or state award submission, please ensure you have considered this
feedback:
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Data needs to be targeted.
Data presented must be targeted/relevant and presented in a tabulated or graphic format. If
using a graph, ensure the axes are clearly labelled.
When using percentages in data, a sample size should be stated so the information may be
properly evaluated. (Value of percentages can vary greatly if sample size is small).
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Font size of text, data, graphs and tables for all supporting documentation must be clear and
easy to read by education and non-education panel members alike.
Proof reading of submissions is essential. Improvements were noted from 2013.
Check for spelling (including multimedia).
Include testimonials from parents and students to add value to the submissions.
Schools should be mindful of student confidentiality and avoid using personal information (such
as full name, age or date of birth) which may identify students.
Ensure principal and P&C/school board letters are:
- original – the same letter should not be used from both parties
- current
- signed
- enhance the submission, and
- endorse the submission.
3 minute time limit to be respected for accompanying multimedia.
Multimedia should enhance the written submission. Content presented should be relevant,
current and reflect the submissions outcomes.
Multimedia must be submitted on time — files received after the deadline will not be considered.
Consider the readability of the submission and presentation to ensure that there are not five full
pages of text with little ‘white space’. Noted improvement from 2013.
Consider the authorship (1st person or multiple contributors) of the submission for consistency
in writing.
Roles and responsibilities of contributors should be clear.
Ensure the checklist in the Showcase Awards guidelines has been reviewed and adhered to.
Ensure the elements of the program refer back to the criteria for the category as well as
addressing the overarching criterion.
Ensure cohesion between the components of the submission (rationale, aims, strategies and
outcomes).
Interpretation of innovation needs to be reviewed.
Several submissions were in the early phases of development and required more time to align
the data with claims.
Consider reviewing all categories and their subsequent criteria to confirm the submission has
been entered in the most appropriate category.
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