NEIL MACKAY’S METHOD FOR AUDITING SCHOOLS

The following information details how Neil Mackay’s UK-based organisation, Action Dyslexia, measures dyslexia progress in UK schools. This measurement is part of the UK’s ‘Dyslexia Aware Quality Mark’ accreditation process which celebrates dyslexia-aware best practice in the classroom and throughout the school. Evidence of achievement indicating the positive impact of dyslexia-aware practice is the key to gaining accreditation. Evidence is sought through school monitoring and tracking, as well as through more formalised data collection.

These notes, excerpted from Neil Mackay’s Quality Mark materials, may be useful to your school when it comes to forming your own monitoring and evaluation systems.

The Audit

“Following completion of whole school training delivered by Action Dyslexia, schools will complete the Dyslexia Aware Audit.  The audit will focus particularly on evidence measuring the impact of school and classroom best practice on three “target learners” selected according to the criteria laid down in the Audit Form.

Guidance will be given during the training day to support colleagues to develop their “Dyslexia Aware antennae” and to establish in-house ways to measure the learning journeys of children who think faster than they read, write, spell and do number.

• Learner 2 who is known to have a “moderate dyslexic profile” and who is receiving “wave 2” support from within the school but beyond what the classroom teacher can provide. – in order to evaluate the impact on achievement of school funded interventions
• Learner 3 who is known to have a “severe dyslexic profile” and who is receiving “wave 3” support which most likely includes RTLB input and one on one intervention– in order to evaluate the impact on achievement of provision which is “over and above” that normally available in class

“Hand holding” support will be available on line and by phone to ensure that schools are “set up to succeed” during the audit and verification process.  This is not a “pass/fail” process – it is a journey that may require another visit before all required evidence is in place.

Quality Mark Evidence required: submission of completed audit form and supporting data to track the progress of the target students

Tracking progress

OBSERVATIONS:

STRENGTHS:

EVIDENCE:

AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT:

OBSERVATIONS:

STRENGTHS:

EVIDENCE:

AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT:

The Action Plan (So what now?)

The Action Plan is the instrument of change developed from the audit.  Schools will prioritise audit issues to develop a graduated response which feeds in to the School Development/Improvement Plan.

Quality Mark Evidence required: Action Plan feeding in to School Development/Improvement Plan highlighted to indicate Dyslexia Aware action

Compiling the Evidence

The penultimate step in the accreditation process is to repeat the audit in order to put together the Evidence File and submit it to Action Dyslexia for scrutiny.  This will comprise:

The Verification Visit

The final step is the verification visit which will include the following elements:

Interviews with:

Lesson Observations:

Following a successful verification visit, the school will receive the “Dyslexia Aware Schools Quality Mark “

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