At Queen of Apostles, assessment and reporting about student progress and achievement occurs regularly throughout the school year. Assessment and reporting processes play a strategic role in moving student learning forward.
Assessing Learning
Why do we assess learning?
Assessing student learning is an integral part of the school classroom. It improves learning and informs teaching. It is the process through which teachers identify, gather and interpret information about student achievement and learning to improve, enhance and plan for further learning.
What learning do we assess?
The Australian Curriculum defines the knowledge, understanding and skills that students are entitled to learn each academic year in the achievement standard for each learning area. The achievement standard determines the learning intentions and the success criteria that teachers plan for their students. Teachers monitor student progress for both formative and summative assessment purposes and look for opportunities to provide and receive feedback to move learning forward.
Formative assessment (Assessment for learning)
Formative assessment allows students and teachers regular opportunities to monitor learning. Students engage in a variety of embedded formative assessment tasks so teachers can 'check in' on student progress regularly throughout a lesson or series of lessons. Teachers use formative assessment information to provide clear and specific feedback to each student to assist them in understanding what they need to do to move their learning forward.
Summative assessment (Assessment of learning)
Teachers must also make judgements about student learning against the achievement standard for summative reporting purposes. The purpose of summative assessment, or assessment of learning, is to judge the extent and quality of student learning at a point in time. Teachers use a range of assessment tools to make summative judgements about student learning including student/teacher consultation, focused analysis of work samples and teacher observation.
Reporting
Twice-Yearly Reporting – The Learning Dashboard
Reporting involves a professional judgement made on a body of evidence about a student's progress and achievement against the curriculum. These judgements are made against the achievement standards of the Australian Curriculum when reporting on those learning areas that have been published.
This report uses a Commonwealth government-mandated A-E reporting framework. Student achievement at Queen of Apostles is described using this 5-point scale:
- A - Well above the expected level
- B – Above the expected level
- C – At the expected level
- D – Below the expected level
- E – Well below the expected level
Consistency of Teacher Judgement in Reporting
The use of Australian Curriculum achievement standards as a common reference point for reporting to parents should contribute to national consistency in reporting. To support consistency of teacher judgement, teachers engage in moderation discussions with colleagues at Queen of Apostles and from other BCE schools over the year to confirm their judgements about students' achievements against the achievement standard.
Reporting Student Progress Throughout the Year
Reporting is a process, not simply a report card. At Queen of Apostles, we believe the most effective reporting occurs when various approaches are used throughout the year. Parents/ carers are also encouraged to contact their child's teacher at any time throughout the year to discuss their child's learning at a time convenient to teachers and parents.
The following is an overview of the reporting process that is currently used at Queen of Apostles
Semester 1
- Years Prep - 6 Information Night (early in Term 1)
- Curriculum Letters sent home early in each term
- Work Samples – These may be sent home throughout the semester.
- Parent/Teacher interviews – offered via Parent Teacher Online at the end of Term 1
- Open Classroom in Week 10 each term and offered after Class Prayer Liturgies
- Years P - 6 formal written report – End of semester
Semester 2
- Curriculum Letters sent home early in each term
- Work Samples – These may be sent home throughout the semester.
- Parent/Teacher interviews – offered as required in Term 3
- Open Classroom in Week 10 of Term 3 and offered after Class Prayer Liturgies
- Years P - 6 formal written report – End of semester