PRIMARY YEARS - The reporting season
2nd July 2009
Dear parents,
School reports are a valuable tool for informing you about your child’s educational progress. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify for you some of the wording which the NSW Government uses as indicators in reporting to you and let you know of a couple of minor wording adjustments we have made so that the information is more accessible for you.
Firstly, there are two components to each report; the listed outcomes and the matching achievement for each. The outcomes are gathered from the NSW Board of Studies (BoS) syllabus documents (cf. http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/files/parents/parents-guide.pdf). These outcomes are the criteria which students need to achieve for each stage. Our reports provide a paraphrase of these outcomes.
Secondly, the level of achievement is then measured using a 1 to 5 scale as required by the BoS. The scale is detailed in the following way:
Criteria Scale
|
Grade
|
Learning Achievement
|
Descriptors
|
|
5
|
Extensive
|
· Extensive knowledge and understanding of content.
· Can readily apply knowledge of content.
· Demonstrates a very high level of competence in processes and skills.
· Can readily apply processes and skills in new situations.
|
|
4
|
High
|
· Thorough knowledge and understanding of content.
· Demonstrates a high level of competence in processes and skills.
· Can apply processes and skills in most situations.
|
|
3
|
Achieving at Grade level
|
· Grade target attained in knowledge and understanding of content.
· Demonstrates an appropriate level of competence in processes and skills.
|
|
2
|
Limited
|
· Basic knowledge and understanding of content.
· Demonstrates a limited level of competence in processes and skills
|
|
1
|
Very Limited
|
· Elementary knowledge and understanding in some areas of the content.
· Demonstrates very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.
|
(Please note the clear and deliberate change to level ‘3’. It is an important adjustment and should be considered vital in accurate interpretation of the information within each report.)
The scale provides a continuum where your child can move along as they develop. The grade ‘3’ level of achievement tells both you, as parents, and us, as teachers, that the student is working at the correct grade level. It means that your child is meeting all the prescribed criteria for that given assessment period of their current grade. Achievement below this level, indicated as a ‘1’ or a ‘2’, informs us that your child still needs to develop their understanding and application of that particular skill. Achievement at a ‘4’ or a ‘5’ level, equates to your child working above or significantly beyond the expected grade level.
It is important to remember that if your child receives a ‘3’ in all outcomes, they are right on target. You and your child should be proud of their successes as they have met the requirement for each outcome.
On the actual reports the grade ‘3’ level of achievement will now be shaded, giving you a clear visual of the expected benchmark. As you look down the page you will be able to gather a quick overview of where your child is in relation to the target (‘3’). You will also be able to see where they are going from strength to strength (‘4’ – ‘5’) and where further support is needed (‘1’ – ‘2’).
It is a significant change in mindset of us as primary caregivers. In our educational experience, for us to get ‘3’ on our reports meant more work was usually expected/needed. But I want to encourage you to see this change as a positive as it enables you to see a broader picture of your child’s achievement and provides a goal to work towards.
As always, you are more than welcome to meet with your child’s teacher regularly to find out how you can support their learning and goal setting.
Finally, a reminder that Semester 1 reports will be sent home during week 2 of Term 3.
