Our Lady of the Sacred Heart hold the belief that every learner is a unique individual, created in the image of God, and deserving of support to reach their highest potential. We are committed to providing comprehensive support for student learning, ensuring that each child receives the necessary tools and resources to thrive academically and personally.
To strengthen the support we offer our students, we have implemented evidence-based and effective literacy interventions through Minilit and Macqulit programs.
High Potential Learners Program
Statement of Intent
At Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, we value all students and recognise their diverse abilities. Our High Potential Learners (HPL) program is guided by the Achievement Integrated Model (AIM), ensuring a consistent and inclusive approach to identifying and supporting students, including our First Nations learners.
The primary goal of our HPL program is to provide enriched learning opportunities for students with identified potential across various learning areas, general capabilities, and cross-curriculum priorities—opportunities that may not always be available in a typical classroom setting. To foster both collaboration and independent thinking, the program incorporates a variety of learning tasks that encourage teamwork as well as individual work, allowing students to develop essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership in diverse learning environments.
Our HPL program primarily supports students in Years 4 to 6, as this is a critical stage where fostering and encouraging learning is most relevant, particularly due to NAPLAN and PAT results. By targeting students in these years, we aim to provide tailored support that strengthens their academic growth and confidence, ensuring they are well-equipped to excel in their learning journey.
As a school located in an identified very remote community and classified as Majority Indigenous Status by the Australian Government Department of Education, we are deeply committed to the education and empowerment of our First Nations students. Given the chronic underrepresentation of First Nations students in HPL programs (Bousnakis et al., 2011), we actively seek to ensure their inclusion by considering a broad range of identification methods beyond traditional academic results.
Achievement Integration Model
Step One – Identification
Description: Students are identified using a combination of objective and subjective measures.
At Sacred Heart: Within the first four weeks of Term 1, classroom teachers and the Science/Technology teacher identify students demonstrating high potential in specific learning areas, general capabilities, or cross-curriculum priorities. Academic performance data, including NAPLAN and PAT results, are considered for students nominated for their strengths in specific learning areas. For those recognised for general capabilities or cross-curriculum priorities, factors such as motivation for learning and commitment to the program are taken into account.
Step Two – Profiling and Interventions
Description: Development of class and student profiles, followed by affective and curriculum-based interventions to address students’ needs throughout the learning process, from curriculum selection to assessment and evaluation.
At Sacred Heart: Once identified, students participate in the program with parental/guardian approval. The High Potential Learner (HPL) teacher collaborates with classroom teachers to create individualised student profiles, outlining their strengths, areas for growth, and personal interests. These profiles guide targeted interventions and learning opportunities.
Step Three – Curriculum Selection and Program Design
Description: Selection of syllabus outcomes aligned with the school’s scope and sequence. Program design incorporates enduring understandings, key knowledge, and pre-assessment results, following the Understanding by Design framework.
At Sacred Heart: Using student profiles and identified goals, the HPL teacher determines curriculum focus areas for each student group. Commonalities among students help shape the program’s direction. Pre-assessments are administered to gauge prior knowledge and guide curriculum planning.
Step Four – Program Model Selection
Description: Selection of a learning model to differentiate instructional strategies, utilising frameworks such as Bloom’s Taxonomy, SOLO Taxonomy, Universal Design for Learning, or Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity Model.
At Sacred Heart: The choice of learning model is based on the needs of participating students and the curriculum focus. Additionally, relevant competitions and project-based learning opportunities are selected to extend and enrich students’ experiences.
Step Five – Planning of Learning Activities
Description: Development of differentiated activities catering to diverse student needs, including learning support, core, gifted, and underachieving students.
At Sacred Heart: The HPL teacher designs a variety of engaging, high-impact learning experiences tailored to students’ identified strengths and growth areas. Activities incorporate both independent and collaborative learning, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and interpersonal skills.
Step Six – Implementation
Description: Implementation of strategies that enhance students’ academic self-efficacy, including skill gap remediation, mastery learning, vicarious experiences, performance feedback, verbalisation, and metacognitive skill development.
At Sacred Heart: The HPL teacher continuously monitors program implementation through formative assessment strategies, ensuring students are appropriately challenged. Adjustments are made as needed to optimise student engagement and achievement within the selected learning model.
Step Seven – Presentation of New Understandings
Description: Students showcase their learning to various audiences upon completion of curriculum units.
At Sacred Heart: Students present their work to families and the school community at a Celebration of Learning exhibition, providing an opportunity to share their insights, achievements, and personal growth.
Step Eight – Assessment and Evaluation
Description: Evaluation methods may include post-tests, completed projects, self-assessment rubrics, standardised achievement tests, learning journals, and reflective discussions.
At Sacred Heart: Students engage in self-evaluation, reflecting on their learning through journals and personal assessments after each HPL session. They summarise their learning, either in written or verbal form, to articulate their growth. A post-test is administered to measure progress against initial pre-assessment results.
