INTRODUCTION. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 3 W:\Admin\GN\Website\Publications\Student Report Card Document.doc Current May 2006.

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1 Student Report Cards Meeting the Australian Government Requirements

2 INTRODUCTION The Australian Government has included as one of the mandatory arrangements for any non-systemic school or school system receiving Australian Government funds specific requirements relating to student report cards. At this stage the requirements apply to Year levels 1 10 or their equivalent. The AISSA has prepared this document to assist member schools to meet their student report card requirements. It outlines the key features of the requirements, some of the implications for schools and provides a range of exemplars of those sections of a report card that include the compliance requirements. The AISSA report card exemplars provide extracts from report cards to illustrate how they can be adapted to meet the new requirements. AISSA has also included some examples of how other school authorities plan to meet the requirements. It is likely that the majority of schools will need to modify their student report cards for the Year levels 1 10 in some way. In many cases the reports will require only minor modification. Specific details about the reporting (and other accountability) requirements are contained in the Schools Assistance (Learning Together-Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004 and the accompanying Schools Assistance (Learning Together-Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Regulations Copies of the relevant sections are provided in Appendix 1. The Federal Minister has also approved a number of alternative arrangements for the South Australian Independent school sector which enable compliance with the Regulations. The selection of the appropriate report format and options will still require the professional judgement of staff. The AISSA considers it important that member schools undertake professional development for staff to ensure that they are aware of the reporting requirements. Please contact Garry Le Duff, Executive Director, AISSA, or Bronwyn Donaghey, Project Officer (Policy Support), AISSA, if you have any questions regarding the content of this document. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 3

3 Further Information For further information about the requirements schools should consult: Schools Assistance (Learning Together-Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act Available at: BD3CCA Schools Assistance (Learning Together-Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Regulations Available at: h/ff52272a784f38baca f03fb. Quadrennial Administrative Guidelines, Available at: lines/quadguide/schools_quadrennial_administrative_guidelines_2005_to_2008.htm. School/School System Funding Agreements. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 4

4 KEY FEATURES OF THE NEW MANDATED SCHOOL REPORT CARD REQUIREMENTS General Arrangements The following points outline the key reporting requirements for student report cards as they appear in the Act and Regulations. Approved modifications or alternative arrangements are discussed in the next section. a. Reports are to be in plain English. b. Reports are to be timely and provided to parents at least twice per academic year. c. Reports are to specify a framework for relative and comparative reporting of a child s progress and achievement against the performance of the child s peer group. d. Reports are to be confidential and deal with the child s academic and non-academic learning. e. Reports are to be folowed by an opportunity for the child and the parents, guardians or other persons to meet with the child s teachers to discuss al aspects of the report. f. For children undertaking standard assessments in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy at Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 one of the student reports is to include the result of that assessment against appropriate national benchmarks and against achievement levels and bands. It must also include the average achievement of the child s peer group at the school against achievement levels or bands. g. Reports must include for subjects studied an assessment against achievement levels or bands defined by the school or school authority that must be labelled as A E (or equivalent) and be clearly defined against specific learning standards. h. Reports must include, for al subjects studied, the child s achievement relative to the achievement of the child s peer group at the school by at least quartile bands. (This requirement has been modified via arrangements approved by the Federal Minister.) i. Comparative information must be presented in a way that does not interfere with the privacy of an individual. j. The peer group is defined as al children at the school who are undertaking the same year level as the child in a year. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 5

5 Additional approved arrangements deemed to comply with the regulations Section 3.5 of the Regulations enables Student Report Cards to comply with the requirements if they are prepared in compliance with any arangements approvedby the Minister. The folowing outlines the arangements that have been approved for the South Australian Independent school sector. Reception years The Federal Minister has indicated that curent arangements for assessment and reporting in the first year of schooling (Reception) wil be acceptable at this stage. Consequently for 2006 the new report card requirements apply from Year 1. Comparative reporting against the peer group The Regulations, at 3.3 (2) (e), specify that student reports must include: for subjects studied, the child s achievement relative to the achievement of the child s peer group at the school by at least quartile bands (emphasis added). Three alternative ways of complying with this requirement have been approved by the Minister: 1. Provide written information on the student reports that shows the numbers of students achieving grades A-E or equivalent. An example of how this data might be presented for a peer group of 40 students is as follows: Learning Area MATHEMATICS Achievement C Actual number of students achieving each Achievement Level A-E in the student s peer group A B C D E Provide the child s achievement relative to the achievement of the child s peer group at the school by at least quartile bands on request If schools choose this option the report card must include the following clear statement: The Association of Independent Schools of SA 6

6 You can ask the school to provide you with written information that clearly shows your child s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child s peer group at the school. This information will show you in which 25% of his/her peer group your child is performing. 3. Provide the numbers of students achieving grades A-E or equivalent on request. If schools choose this option the report card must include the following clear statement: You can ask the school to provide you with written information that clearly shows your child s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child s peer group at the school. This information will show you the number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E. Note: DEST has advised that the achievement levels A-E in the comparative reporting statement refer also to or equivalent. In summary then schools have at least the following options 1. Report on quartiles and publish the data on the report. 2. Report on quartiles but provide the data to parents on request. Schools will have to include the statement advising parents of their right to request comparative data. 3. Report the number of students achieving A E (or equivalent) and publish this data on the report. 4. Report the number of students achieving A E (or equivalent) but provide the comparative data to parents on request. Schools will have to include the statement advising parents of their right to request comparative data. Students with disabilities It is expected that parents wil continue to receive a report of their child s progress against their individual learning programme (or equivalent). Parents with philosophical objections Individual parents may wish to withdraw their child from comparative reporting or assessment conditions they consider are inappropriate for their child. This is a matter for consideration by individual parents. Should parents wish to withdraw their child from reporting arrangements they will need to advise the school in writing. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 7

7 Privacy and small classes With regard to the issue of privacy, the Minister advised that It is expected a sensible approach would be taken in terms of teachers and schools giving an explanation of such circumstances on the report. State/Territory jurisdiction requirements The Minister advised that should Independent schools wish to adopt the same student reporting arrangements as approved for government schools in that State or Territory, these reporting arrangements will be taken as complying with regulations for student report cards. The South Australian Government system (Department of Education and Children s Services) has prepared a series of guidelines for its schools. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 8

8 IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOLS A number of implications arise out of the report card requirements. These are outlined below. Report card format All school authorities and non-systemic schools are obliged to comply with the Regulations; however, the format of the reports is a matter for the jurisdictions and non-systemic schools. AISSA s understanding is that the report card requirements apply to Years Hence, it is likely that some changes will need to be made to report cards for these year levels. Report at least twice per year The legislation requires student report cards to fulfil the Australian Government reporting requirements twice per year. This would normally be in the middle of the academic year and at the end of the academic year, however, the timing is not specified in the Regulations. Use plain English The intention is to ensure that parents can understand what is meant by the report and that jargon is eliminated as far as possible. Hence, schools may need to review the terminology used in their current report cards to describe student progress and development. A-E (or equivalent) Reports are to include assessment against a five point scale (A-E or equivalent), defined against specific learning standards. For example: A B C D E Consistently high achievement of subject outcomes High achievement of subject outcomes Competent achievement of subject outcomes Partial achievement of subject outcomes Minimal achievement of subject outcomes Or: (Primary) Outstanding Highly Competent Competent Consistently and successfully achieves or exceeds this outcome Usually achieves this outcome independently Usually achieves this outcome with minimal support The Association of Independent Schools of SA 9

9 Developing Not yet Evident Some support and guidance is still needed to achieve this outcome Significant support and guidance is still needed to achieve this outcome 1 The decision about whether to use A-E or an equivalent scale is up to individual schools. Schools are not mandated to use the A-E scale; however, they must have an equivalent five point scale. Student achievement will need to be assessed against the curriculum approved for the school by the Non-Government Schools Registration Board and in particular the eight areas of learning which have been agreed nationally. Comparative reporting: quartile bands or numbers of A-E (or equivalent) The Regulations specify that the student report should include the child s achievement relative to the achievement of the child s peer group at the school by at least quartile bands. Alternatively, to fulfil their comparative reporting requirements schools can: 1. Provide writen information on the student reports that shows the numbers of students achieving grades A-E or equivalent. 2. Provide the child s achievement relative to the achievement of the child s peer group at the school by at least quartile bands on request. 3. Provide the numbers of students achieving grades A-E or equivalent on request. Schools will need to determine how they will meet the comparative reporting requirement. For instance, whether to use quartile bands or numbers of A-E (or equivalent) and whether this information will be provided on request or printed on the student report card. Schools providing comparative reporting of student achievement to parents only on request must include on the report cards one of the approved statements (outlined above) advising parents that the information is available. Schools providing the data on request will need to have the information readily available to cover requests from parents. Defining the peer group The Regulations define the child s peer group as al children at the school who are undertaking the same Year level as the child in a year. This means that where schools have more than one class at the same Year level completing the same subjects those classes are amalgamated for the comparative reporting purposes. In the case of composite classes the peer groups are separated by Year level. For example, for a Year 4/5 class in general the Year 4 learners should be compared with all the Year 4 1 Equivalent scale adapted from St Peter s Woodlands Grammar School. AISSA thanks St Peter s for their permission to use the scale. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 10

10 children in the school and the Year 5 learners should be compared with all the Year 5 children in the school. In regard to multi campus schools, it is suggested that schools continue their current practice. For example, if each campus essentially operates as a separate school then the peer group is all children at the campus that are undertaking the same Year level as the child in a year. Reporting benchmark assessment For students undertaking a standard assessment in reading, writing, speling and numeracy at Year 3, 5, 7 or 9, one of the student reports for the program year must include : 1. the result of that assessment against appropriate national benchmarks 2. the result of that assessment against achievement levels or bands 3. the average achievement of thechild s peer group at the school against achievement levels or bands. Schools undertaking either the Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (WALNA) or the State Literacy and Numeracy Test (State LaN) will be able to fulfil the first two parts of this requirement through sending out the Student Report. Information about the average achievement of the child s peer group at the school against achievement levels or bands is not printed on the Student Report. Schools will need to access the school report to identify the class average achievement (this may be described as the class mean) and determine the appropriate level or band that this represents. The class score in this instance refers to the average achievement of the child s peer group. It is recommended that this additional information be attached to the WALNA or State LaN Student Report that is provided to parents. An example of how this information could be presented is provided below: (WALNA example) BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT RESULTS Average achievement of your child s peer group at the school against achievement levels or bands YEAR 3 Average achievement of peer group Reading Level 2 Writing Level 3 Numeracy Level 2 The Association of Independent Schools of SA 11

11 (State LaN example) BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT RESULTS Average achievement of your child s peer group at the school against achievement levels or bands YEAR 3 Average achievement of peer group Reading Band 2 Writing Band 2 Numeracy Band 3 Privacy AISSA has received legal advice indicating that in determining whether providing the comparative data breaches privacy regulations, the primary consideration should be whether or not the data could be used to identify individual students in the cohort. Privacy legislation does not refer to a minimum number of students. In cases where privacy issues prevent the reporting of comparative data, schools will still need to fulfil the other reporting requirements. Students with disabilities In determining which students receive a report against an individual learning programme schools should be aware of the requirements for meeting Australian Government funding conditions and their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and the accompanying Disability Standards for Education Students with significant learning difficulties, for example, fall under the DDA but are not eligible for Australian Government education targeted funding. The best interests of the individual student should be the primary consideration. The AISSA advises that schools consult with the parents/guardians of students with disabilities. Where learners are unable to participate and achieve in the regular school curriculum, it is advised that they work towards individually negotiated goals or standards, against which they are assessed. Individual learning programmes should be developed in consultation with the parents/guardians and, where appropriate, the student. A proforma for an individualised student support plan outlining the modifications and adaptations required for a student with a disability is available in the Students with Disabilities Enrolment Guidelines for Independent Schools, developed by the SA Independent Schools Targeted Programs Authority inc. Schools can develop an individual learning plan based on the individualised student support plan. The The Association of Independent Schools of SA 12

12 Targeted Programs Special Education team (AISSA) are available to provide assistance to schools in this area. Parents with philosophical objections Individual parents are able to withdraw their child from comparative reporting or assessment conditions they consider are inappropriate for their child. Parents are required to advise the school in writing. It is advisable that parents are specific about the reporting or assessment conditions that they are withdrawing their child/children from. Continueto provide a professional judgement of a learner s progress and achievement Teacher professional judgement will continue to underpin the determination of student achievement. It is advised that teachers continue to: 1. Have documented evidence of learner achievement on which to base their judgment. 2. Regularly record evidence of learner achievement and progress using a range of data collection tools. 3. Ensure a repertoire of data is readily available and in forms which will facilitate the general collection of school data. 4. Communicate the assessment to the student and the student s parents in plain language. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 13

13 WHAT SHOULD SCHOOLS DO? Examine what you are currently doing All schools currently report regularly to parents in one form or another. The first step is to examine current school reports and determine what elements of existing reporting arrangements comply with the requirements under the Act and the Regulations. It is likely that most member schools will not need to make significant modifications to their school report cards. Most schools, for example, report each term or at least twice per year, so this should not be a major change. Schools also report against an assessment framework. Identify which elements of your assessment and reporting do not comply with the regulations. For schools not currently assessing against a five point scale, it is likely that the current assessment conditions can be readily adapted to meet the A-E (or equivalent) requirement. Schools will need to determine which approved alternatives they will consider incorporating into their reporting arrangements. Providing comparative data to parents may be new for many, but can be managed if schools have a good data recording system. Some modifications to computer software may be necessary to accommodate the reporting requirement. Some schools may see this as an opportunity to consider the implications for the structure and organisation of the school curriculum and the underpinning philosophy of their education programs. Contact AISSA The AISSA Office can provide further assistance to schools regarding the reporting requirements. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 14

14 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Can we use the conditions negotiated by the Catholic Education Office? No. The Federal Minister only approved the use of the conditions negotiated by the State Government school sector and the AISSA. However, they may be a useful guide in developing a report. Do we have to use the SACSA Frameworks as our reporting mechanism? Schools should report against the curriculum approved by the Non Government Schools Registration Board. The Registration Board assesses whether the curriculum meets the National Goals for Schooling and covers the eight key learning areas. National Statements of Learning will need to be incorporated into this curriculum as they become available. Is Reception included? No, at this stage current reporting requirements for Reception are suitable. AISSA tried to negotiate an exemption for Years 1 and 2 but at this time, no exemption has been given for these years. One of the Minister s statements referred to the compulsory years. Does that not mean that Year 11 should be included? The Minister was referring to New South Wales where schooling is compulsory up to Year 10. (Hansard, August 17, 2005) That has been understood as meaning Year 10 across Australia. This may change in the future. Will there be more changes and negotiations as we go along? It is possible that there will be further modifications. However, for the moment it is unlikely that there will be any more significant changes which will apply for Refinements may occur once the present arrangements have been tested. Nonetheless, there is a strong Australian Government commitment to the current direction. Do we have to report in quartiles? No. But if you do not use quartiles to provide comparative data, you should provide the numbers of students achieving against an A E (or equivalent) scale using the identified options. Should we offer parents the choice of Quartiles or A E grades? Schools will fulfil the comparative reporting requirements through undertaking one of the four identified options. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 15

15 How do we define a student with disabilities? Schools should be aware of the requirements for meeting Commonwealth funding conditions and their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the accompanying Disability Standards for Education Schools are advised to consult with parents in the development of individual learning plans and in any decision as to whether a child receives a report against their negotiated learning plan. Who will check on what we do? Each school or system authority will be required to sign a declaration that they have complied with the Australian Government requirements. How this will be verified is not clear. A standard proforma is being prepared by DEST. Is it clear that we do not have to report in this way for classes of less than 10? No. The State Government sector has determined this figure for government schools. Independent schools are covered under Commonwealth privacy legislation. Advice received by AISSA suggests that the figure could be somewhere between 3 and 5 pupils in the class. However, there is no figure identified in the legislation. The key issue will be whether or not the data could be used to identify individual students in the cohort. Please contact AISSA if you require advice on this matter. What is the definition of a peer group? The peer group is defined as al children at the school who are undertaking the same year level as the child in a year. What about the case of a school which has different levels or streams in the same subject at the same year level? It is unlikely that this would be identified as the same subject. For example, if your school offers Advanced, Standard and Modified maths classes at Year 9, then it would be misleading to parents to equate an A grading in an advanced class with an A grading in a modified class. Where timetabling and reporting were done with computer assistance, such classes would almost certainly have different codes and be considered as different subjects. What about composite classes? There are different forms of composite classes. Where a school has two or more classes of Year 3 and 4, all Year 3 students should be treated as one cohort, and the Year 4 students should be treated as another cohort. Where a school has students from different Year levels undertaking the same subject, it is advisable that the report include a descriptor of the subject (including some statement about the level or standard expected) and then all students studying that subject should be treated as one cohort. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 16

16 Should all reports have a section for each subject explaining what the subject is about? This is not normally necessary, but would be useful when more than one class is studying a subject of the same name at the same year level. Examples would be: where classes might not be studying the same content at the same time because of resource or facilities issues; or where classes might be streamed and be working at different levels e.g. Advanced, Standard or Modified maths classes. Are Years 11 and 12 affected at all? At this stage the understanding is that Years 11 and 12 Report Cards are exempt from the reporting requirements. How do we report on Gifted and Accelerated students? Schools are advised to decide on the definition of Gifted and Accelerated students. In reporting on a student s progress, the key wil be to provide descriptions of the courses or subjects so that parents will understand if their child is working in advance of their cohort. For example if a Year 8 student is studying a subject at a Year 10 level provided that is made clear then the student should be graded against the cohort studying that particular subject. Thus a Year 8 student studying Year 10 drama and achieving a B grading would receive a report which showed a B grade for drama, bu the description of the subject would make it clear that the student was studying at an advanced level. How will we know that the standard is the same from school to school? There is no sector wide moderation process at this stage. It is a question of teachers professional judgment. The standards associated with the curriculum approved by the Non- Government Schools Registration Board apply; however, the National Statements of Learning need to be incorporated, into this curriculum, as they are developed and approved by MCEETYA. The SACSA Framework and IB curriculum may be of assistance in identifying appropriate standards. How will we manage the data? This is a school decision. It is advised that schools ensure a repertoire of data is readily available and in forms which will facilitate general collection. Schools intending to utilise computer software to assist with record keeping and reporting will need to investigate whether the software will meet the components of the reporting requirements. The AISSA ICT Adviser Rod Wearn (P: ) is available to provide assistance to member schools. Do we have to report in this way on all activities a student undertakes at school? No. There are many aspects of school life that a student undertakes where comparative reporting would be inappropriate. Most school reports include reference to programs such as community service activities and sporting activities. Other schools also report on attendance, behaviour and social development. Each school will need to make a judgment about how this information is recognised and reported to parents. The basis upon which schools need report is the curriculum approved for that school by the Non-Government Schools Registration Board. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 17

17 What is the best advice you can give a school in regard to this requirement? We suggest that you: 1. Examine your current reporting practices and identify where you will need to make modifications in order to meet the requirements consider this as an opportunity to review and revise your reporting practices and the presentation of your reports consider how the reporting requirements can be adopted without impacting on your educational philosophy. 2. Make a decision about which form of comparative reporting you wish to adopt (Quartiles or numbers of A E or equivalent). 3. Make a decision about whether you will include the comparisons on the standard school report or provide the information on request from parents. 4. Look at how you currently manage your data and decide if it is appropriate or if you need to implement a different process. 5. Establish why the Australian Government is requiring these changes and how students/parents/staff can benefit from these requirements. 6. Try to keep your responses simple and manageable. 7. Decide if you want to make this an opportunity for a major revision or if you want a simple response which will comply with the regulations. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 18

18 APPENDIX 1: Legislation Schools Assistance (Learning Together- Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004 (Section 32) 32 Further commitment student reports For the purposes of paragraph 31(1)(p), a section 30 agreement must include a commitment by the relevant authority for a non-government school, or approved school system, to ensure that the school, or each school in the approved school system, gives the parents, guardians or other persons who have care and control of each child attending the school student reports, relating to the child, that: (a) use plain language and are able to be readily understood by the parents, guardians or other persons who have care and control of the child; and (b) are timely and given at least twice in any program year; and (c) give an accurate and objective assessment of the child s progress and achievement, including an assessment of the child s achievement: (i) against national standards, if such standards are available; and (ii) relative to the performance of the child s peer group at the school; and (d) are confidential and deal with the child s academic and non-academic learning; and (e) are followed by an opportunity for the child and the parents, guardians or other persons who have care and control of the child to meet with the child s teachers to discuss al aspects of the report and for the school to give constructive advice about supporting the child s further progress at school; and (f) meet any other requirements specified in the regulations. Schools Assistance (Learning Together- Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Regulations 2005 Regulation Student reports (1) For paragraph 32 (f) of the Act, student reports must specify, for each program year, a required framework for relative and comparative reporting of a child s progress and achievement against the performance of the child s peer group at the school. (2) For subregulation (1): (a) (b) if the child undertakes a standard assessment in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy at Year 3, 5, 7 or 9, one of the student reports for the program year must include the result of that assessment against appropriate national benchmarks; and if the child undertakes a standard assessment in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy at Year 3, 5, 7, or 9, one of the student reports for the program year must include the result of that assessment against achievement levels or bands; and The Association of Independent Schools of SA 19

19 (c) (d) (e) if the child undertakes a standard assessment in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy at Year 3, 5, 7, or 9, one of the student reports for the program year must include the average achievement of the child s peergroup at the school against achievement levels or bands; and the student report must include, for subjects studied, an assessment against achievement levels or bands defined by the education authority or school, being levels or bands that: (i) (ii) must be labelled as A, B, C, D, E (or an equivalent); and should be clearly defined against specific learning standards; and the student report must also include, for subjects studied, the child s achievement relative to the achievement of the child s peer group at the school by at least quartile bands. (3) The information mentioned in paragraph (2) (e) must be presented in a way that does not interfere with the privacy of an individual. Note The Privacy Act 1988 and the related Information Privacy Principles should be consulted to ensure that information does not interfere with an individual s privacy. (4) A student report is taken to comply with subregulation (1) if it is prepared in compliance with any arrangements approved by the Minister for this subregulation. (5) In this regulation: (a) (b) the peer group of a child in a school is all children at the school who are undertaking the same year level as the child in a year; and a standard assessment is a standardised assessment program which can be included in an agreed national process to enable nationally comparable reporting of literacy and numeracy achievement against the national literacy and numeracy benchmarks. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 20

20 STUDENT REPORT CARDS EXEMPLARS Primary Report Exemplar 1 23 Comparative information provided on request (number of students in each of the achievement levels) 23 Primary Report Exemplar 2 26 Comparative information provided on the School Report (quartile position) 26 Primary Report Exemplar 3 29 Comparative information provided on request (quartile position) 29 Primary Report Exemplar 4 32 Comparative information provided on the School Report (number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E) 32 Secondary School Report Exemplar 1 35 Comparative information provided on request (number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E) 36 Secondary School Report Exemplar 2 38 Comparative information provided on the School Report (number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E) 38 Secondary School Report Exemplar 3 40 Comparative information provided on the School Report (quartile position) 40 Secondary School Report Exemplar 4 42 Comparative information provided on request (quartile position) 42 The Association of Independent Schools of SA 21

21 EXEMPLARS In this document the AISSA provides a number of exemplars (primary and secondary) outlining how Independent schools can meet the new accountability requirements as they relate to student report cards. The exemplars in this document are extracts from report cards. One standard proforma for a whole report card has not been included. The AISSA advises member schools to examine their current student report cards and identify how they can be modified to meet the requirements. The key elements for the Report Cards are: a. Reports are to be in plain English. b. Reports are to be timely and provided to parents at least twice per academic year. c. Reports are to specify a framework for relative and comparative reporting of a child s progress and achievement against the performance of the child s peer group. d. Reports are to be confidential and deal with the child s academic and non-academic learning. e. Reports are to be folowed by an opportunity for the child and the parents, guardians or other persons to meet with the child s teachers to discuss al aspects of the report. g. Reports must include for subjects studied an assessment against achievement levels or bands defined by the school or school authority that must be labelled as A E (or equivalent) and be clearly defined against specific learning standards. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 22

22 Primary Report Exemplar 1 Achievement Scale Equivalent to A E Comparative information provided on request (number of students in each of the achievement levels) SCHOOL LOGO Student Name Year level Date This report is one method that (school) uses to inform parents of student progress. It is a reflection of a student s achievement to date. (School) completes formal reports on student achievement in Term 2 and Term 4. Interviews are available upon request at any time during the year. You can ask the school to provide you with written information that clearly shows your child s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child s peer group at the school. This information wil show you the number of students in each of the achievement levels. Comparative Reporting Statement Achievement levels Outstanding Highly Competent Competent Developing Experiencing Difficulties Consistently and successfully achieves or exceeds this outcome Usually achieves this outcome independently Usually achieves this outcome with minimal support Some support and guidance is still needed to achieve this outcome Significant support and guidance is still needed to achieve this outcome 2 Achievement levels defined against specific learning standards 2 AISSA thanks St Peter s Woodlands Grammar School for the use of their Achievement Scale from which this exemplar has been adapted. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 23

23 English aims to develop the ability within children to speak, listen, read and write with purpose, effect and confidence. It aims to provide children with the skills and knowledge to identify and use language in different contexts and for different purposes. It also aims to provide a sound grasp of punctuation and grammar appropriate to the students levels of development. Children are exposed to a broad range of literature. Speaking and Listening Reading and Viewing Writing Spelling Overall Achievement in English Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Requires Support Developing Overall achievement in subject Competent Highly Competent Outstanding Mathematics aims to develop competence, confidence and interest in mathematics so that children are able to recognise and utilise different numeracy skills in a variety of everyday situations. Pattern and Algebraic Reasoning Number Measurement Spatial Sense and Geometric Reasoning Exploring, Analysing and Modelling Data Overall Achievement in Mathematics Requires Support Developing Competent Highly Competent Outstanding Thinking and working mathematically Comment to be inserted here Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here The Association of Independent Schools of SA 24

24 Science Life and Living - Plants Earth and Beyond Space Overall Achievement in Science Requires Support Developing Competent Highly Competent Outstanding Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Attitudes and Work Practices Organisation Confidence Persistence Social Skills Developing Competent Excellent Days Absent: Student Comment Teacher Comment Signature Class Teacher Signature Principal The Association of Independent Schools of SA 25

25 Primary Report Exemplar 2 Achievement Scale Equivalent to A E Comparative information provided on the School Report (quartile position) SCHOOL LOGO Student Name Year level Date This report is one method that our school uses to inform parents of student progress. It is a reflection of a student s achievement to date. Our school completes formal reports on student achievement in Term 2 and Term 4. Interviews are available upon request at any time during the year. This report provides you with information which shows your child s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child s peer group at the school. This information shows you in which 25% of his/her peer group your child is performing. Achievement levels Outstanding Highly Competent Competent Developing Not Yet Evident Consistently and successfully achieves or exceeds this outcome Usually achieves this outcome independently Usually achieves this outcome with minimal support Some support and guidance is still needed to achieve this outcome Significant support and guidance is still needed to achieve this outcome The Association of Independent Schools of SA 26

26 English aims to develop the ability within children to speak, listen, read and write with purpose, effect and confidence. It aims to provide children with the skills and knowledge to identify and use language in different contexts and for different purposes. It also aims to provide a sound grasp of punctuation and grammar appropriate to the students levels of development. Children are exposed to a broad range of literature. Speaking and Listening Reading and Viewing Writing Spelling Overall Achievement in English Receiving Support Developing Competent Highly Competent Outstanding Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Top 25% 2 nd 25 % 3 rd 25% 4 th 25% Student position by quartile Mathematics aims to develop competence, confidence and interest in mathematics so that children are able to recognise and utilise different numeracy skills in a variety of everyday situations. Pattern and Algebraic Reasoning Number Measurement Spatial Sense and Geometric Reasoning Exploring, Analysing and Modelling Data Overall Achievement in Mathematics Receiving Support Developing Competent Highly Competent Outstanding Thinking and working mathematically Comment to be inserted here Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Top 25% 2 nd 25 % 3 rd 25% 4 th 25% Student position by quartile The Association of Independent Schools of SA 27

27 Science Life and Living - Plants Earth and Beyond - Space Overall Achievement in Science Receiving Support Developing Competent Highly Competent Outstanding Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Student position by quartile Top 25% 2 nd 25 % 3 rd 25% 4 th 25% Attitudes and Work Practices Organisation Confidence Persistence Social Skills Developing Competent Excellent Days Absent: Student Comment Teacher Comment Signature Class Teacher Signature Principal The Association of Independent Schools of SA 28

28 Primary Report Exemplar 3 Achievement Scale A E Comparative information provided on request (quartile position) SCHOOL LOGO Student Name Year level Date This report is one method that our school uses to inform parents of student progress. It is a reflection of a student s achievement to date. Our school completes formal reports on student achievement in Term 2 and Term 4. Interviews are available upon request at any time during the year. You can ask the school to provide you with writen information that clearly shows your child s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child s peer group at the school. This information will show you in which 25% of his/her peer group your child is performing. Achievement levels A B C D E Outstanding achievement of what is expected at this year level High level achievement of what is expected at this year level Competent achievement of what is expected at this year level Partial achievement of what is expected at this year level Experiencing significant difficulties. Significant support and guidance is needed to reach year level expectations The Association of Independent Schools of SA 29

29 English aims to develop the ability within children to speak, listen, read and write with purpose, effect and confidence. It aims to provide children with the skills and knowledge to identify and use language in different contexts and for different purposes. It also aims to provide a sound grasp of punctuation and grammar appropriate to the students levels of development. Children are exposed to a broad range of literature. Speaking and Listening Reading and Viewing Writing Spelling Overall Achievement in English Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here E D C B A Mathematics aims to develop competence, confidence and interest in mathematics so that children are able to recognise and utilise different numeracy skills in a variety of everyday situations. Pattern and Algebraic Reasoning Number Measurement Spatial Sense and Geometric Reasoning Exploring, Analysing and Modelling Data Overall Achievement in Mathematics Thinking and working mathematically E D C B A Comment to be inserted here Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here The Association of Independent Schools of SA 30

30 Science E D C B A Life and Living - Plants Earth and Beyond - Space Overall Achievement in Science Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Attitudes and Work Practices Organisation Confidence Persistence Social Skills Developing Competent Excellent Days Absent: Student Comment Teacher Comment Signature Class Teacher Signature Principal The Association of Independent Schools of SA 31

31 Primary Report Exemplar 4 Achievement Scale A E Comparative information provided on the School Report (number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E) SCHOOL LOGO Student Name Year level Date This report is one method that our school uses to inform parents of student progress. It is a reflection of a student s achievement to date. Our school completes formal reports on student achievement in Term 2 and Term 4. Interviews are available upon request at any time during the year. This report shows your child s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child s peer group at the school. The information shows you the number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E. Achievement levels A B C D E Outstanding achievement of what is expected at this year level High level achievement of what is expected at this year level Competent achievement of what is expected at this year level Partial achievement of what is expected at this year level Significant support and guidance is needed to reach year level expectations The Association of Independent Schools of SA 32

32 English aims to develop the ability within children to speak, listen, read and write with purpose, effect and confidence. It aims to provide children with the skills and knowledge to identify and use language in different contexts and for different purposes. It also aims to provide a sound grasp of punctuation and grammar appropriate to the students levels of development. Children are exposed to a broad range of literature. Speaking and Listening Reading and Viewing Writing Spelling Overall Achievement in English Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here E D C B A E D C B A Number of students in A-E Achievement Levels Mathematics aims to develop competence, confidence and interest in mathematics so that children are able to recognise and utilise different numeracy skills in a variety of everyday situations. Pattern and Algebraic Reasoning Number Measurement Spatial Sense and Geometric Reasoning Exploring, Analysing and Modelling Data Overall Achievement in Mathematics Thinking and working mathematically E D C B A Comment to be inserted here Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here E D C B A Number of Students in A-E Achievement Levels The Association of Independent Schools of SA 33

33 Science E D C B A Life and Living - Plants Earth and Beyond - Space Overall Achievement in Science Teacher Comment Comment to be inserted here Number of Students in A-E Achievement Levels Attitudes and Work Practices Organisation Confidence Persistence Social Skills E D C B A Developing Competent Excellent Days Absent: Student Comment Teacher Comment Signature Class Teacher Signature Principal The Association of Independent Schools of SA 34

34 Achievement Levels for Primary Years Further examples of achievement levels or bands to indicate student achievement that could be used at the primary level include: A Victorian Government education sector: A B C D E Well above the standard expected at this time of year Above the standard expected at this time of year At the standard expected at this time of year Below the standard expected at this time of year Well below the standard expected at this time of year B Western Australian Government education sector: Your child s achievement for each part of the eight learning areas is reported on a four-point scale: Excellent Achievement Good Achievement Some Achievement Limited Achievement Your child has achieved beyond what is expected Your child has achieved what is expected Your child has not yet achieved what is expected Your child has made limited achievement and this has been cause for concern. Overall Grade Your child s overal achievement for each learning area is reported by grades ranging from A to E. A B C D E Excellent Good Satisfactory Less than satisfactory Poor C Queensland Government education sector: A The student consistently demonstrates a very high level of knowledge, skills and understandings and is able to apply them independently in a wide range of contexts. B The student demonstrates a high level of knowledge, skills and understandings and is able to apply them independently in most contexts. C D The student demonstrates a sound level of knowledge, skills and understandings and is able to apply them, with guidance, in some contexts. The student demonstrates limited knowledge, skills and understandings and is able to apply them, with support, in some contexts. E The student demonstrates very limited knowledge, skills and understandings. N Insufficient evidence to make a judgement. The AISSA advises the selection of achievement levels will be influenced by the educational philosophy of your school. The Association of Independent Schools of SA 35