NSW public schools foster student voice and agency for all learners, enhancing their belonging, wellbeing and engagement. Facilitating meaningful student voice for students with disability starts with meeting them where they are at. MSMW facilitates effective practice in student voice and agency by supporting students with disability to:
Have a say with an array of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) options and technologies.
Be heard and understood by educators who are able to read non-verbal communication styles and limited language skills.
Participate in decision-making in meaningful ways appropriate to their level of understanding and development.
There are 3 tools available in the MSMW digital application.
The Student Accessible Survey (SAS) contains a list of yes or no statements within the app and includes a range of in-built accessibility features that can be personalised to meet the needs of each student. These features include:
The Guided Discussion Methods (GDM) is for students who are not yet able to complete SAS due to their communication and/or learning needs.
It provides an opportunity for students to have their voice heard on each of the domains by responding to an open-ended question. Teachers prepare additional resources such as objects, symbols, pictures or photographs to support the student.
It provides different methods that teachers can elicit a response from a student using:
The teacher then records the results into the app after they have completed the activity with the student.
The Parent Insight Tool is a digital survey for schools to gather parent/carer perceptions on their child’s educational experience and wellbeing at school.
The MSMW student voice measurement framework is organised into 2 pillars:
Wellbeing at school – the range of within-school factors that contribute to a student’s perception that they are known, valued and cared for at school.
Educational experience – the range of within-school factors that make up a student’s day-to-day interactions and activities throughout their schooling journey.
Each pillar has associated domains and measures, as shown below.
Sense of belonging
Learning engagement
Teaching practices
Learning environment
This is an optional domain for students in Year 11 and 12 only. This domain focuses on work activities and the planning process that students are involved in to help provide them with overall confidence and positivity about their life after school.
