Head of Teaching and Learning
Lauries Primary Curriculum Update
Understanding the Purpose of Reporting in Education
What is the Purpose of Reporting?
School-based reports play a vital role in detailing student learning progression. They highlight individual strengths while identifying areas for further development. In addition to academic achievements, reports also provide insights into students' social development, attitudes, and commitment to learning.
The Australian Curriculum and Reporting
The Australian Curriculum outlines the knowledge, understanding, and skills that students should acquire from Foundation (Prep) through Year 10. Each learning area is accompanied by an Achievement Standard, which defines the quality of learning—encompassing depth of understanding, breadth of knowledge, and sophistication of skills—that students are expected to demonstrate at different stages of their education. At the end of each reporting period, teachers utilise these Achievement Standards to assess what each student has learned in relation to the curriculum.
Reporting on a Five-Point Scale
In Australia, all states and territories are mandated to report student achievement using a five-point scale. At St. Laurence’s College, students in Years 5 and 6 are graded from A to E, with a ‘C’ indicating that a student is meeting the expected standards for their year group.
To support student learning, criteria sheets and marking guides are provided for various assessment tasks. These resources clearly outline the evidence required in students' work to achieve specific grades, ensuring consistency in teacher evaluations. Throughout the assessment process, teachers demonstrate the expectations for what students need to write, say, create, or do to succeed in each criteria.
Teachers employ a variety of quality assessment strategies and tools to gather evidence of student achievement in line with the Australian Curriculum and Achievement Standards. Based on this evidence, they make informed, balanced judgments to determine student grades.
Source: Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). F-10 curriculum. Visit the ACARA website for more information.