At St Teresa’s, we follow the Australian Curriculum in all subject areas. For each year level and subject, we set an Achievement standard as a goal for every student. Our teachers design summative Assessment tasks to assess students against these Achievement standards, clearly measuring their progress.
Formative Assessment Report
During the initial seven weeks of Term 1 and Term 3, our dedicated teaching staff will utilise Formative Assessment evidence to provide a guide on Student Academic Progress Reporting. This is a crucial step in our assessment process, designed to show where your student is currently working. No summative assessment tasks have been used to formulate this interim report's grade, ensuring the process is unbiased and reflective of your student's true progress.
Formative assessment, a key part of our process, is not just about teachers evaluating students. It's a collaborative journey where students play a crucial role. It captures levels of knowledge and skill along the student’s learning journey, empowering them to make decisions that support their well-being and learning goal achievement.
As a consequence of the information conveyed to students and parents in this Formative Assessment Report, we invite parents to be an integral part of the process. Parent-teacher-student interviews will be offered in Weeks 9 and 10 of Terms 1 and 3 for more thorough discussions about student progress. These meetings also allow parents to contribute to the design of a plan to move forward, making them feel included and valued in their child's education.
We understand the importance of your time and have provided a convenient way for you to schedule an interview. The PTO online link is a flexible tool that empowers you to choose your preferred time slot, putting you in control of the scheduling process.
What is formative assessment?
According to the Australian National Curriculum, formative assessment refers to a range of formal and informal assessment procedures employed by teachers during the learning process. These assessments aim to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment. The key characteristics of formative assessment include:
- Ongoing Process: Formative assessment is continuous and takes place during the learning process, rather than at the end.
- Feedback: It provides immediate feedback to students and teachers, helping them understand the current level of learning and identify areas that need improvement.
- Informing Instruction: The information gathered from formative assessments is used to inform and adapt teaching strategies to meet the needs of students.
- Student Involvement: Students are often involved in the assessment process, encouraging them to reflect on their own learning and understand their strengths and weaknesses.
- Goal-Oriented: Formative assessment is aligned with learning goals and outcomes, ensuring that assessments are relevant and targeted towards achieving specific educational objectives.
Overall, the primary purpose of formative assessment within the Australian National Curriculum is to enhance learning and teaching by providing real-time insights and fostering a responsive educational environment.
Summative Assessment Report
St Teresa’s will provide a comprehensive Summative Assessment Report at the end of Semesters 1 and 2. These reports will offer a more accurate assessment of your child's academic achievements, giving students and parents a clear understanding of student progress.
While no formal parent-teacher-student interview process follows the Semester 1 Summative Assessment Report, students and parents are encouraged to meet with teachers early in Term 3 to seek more clarification and participate in designing a plan to move forward.
What is summative assessment?
According to the Australian National Curriculum, summative assessment refers to the evaluation of student learning, knowledge, proficiency, or success at the conclusion of an instructional period. This type of assessment is typically used to determine the extent to which students have achieved the intended learning outcomes. The key characteristics of summative assessment include:
- Culmination of Learning: Summative assessments are conducted at the end of a unit, term, semester, or course.
- Evaluation of Achievement: These assessments aim to measure student achievement against predefined standards or benchmarks.
- Formal and Structured: Summative assessments are often formal and structured, such as exams, final projects, standardized tests, or end-of-term assignments.
- Reporting Performance: The results of summative assessments are used to report on student performance, often contributing to grades or certification of competence.
- Accountability: Summative assessments provide accountability for students, teachers, and schools, ensuring that educational standards are being met.
Overall, summative assessment within the Australian National Curriculum serves to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs and the extent of student learning at specific points in time, providing a comprehensive overview of student achievement.
Other information about Reporting in Schools.
Answers to frequently asked questions.
Queensland Education
(General Provisions) Regulation 2017
Current as of 1 September 2017 Education
(General Provisions) Act 2006
Subdivision G—Reports to persons responsible for students at a school
59 Student reports
(1) For paragraph 77(2)(f) of the Act, an approved authority for a school must provide a report to each person responsible for each student at the school in accordance with this section.
(2) A report must be readily understandable to a person responsible for a student at the school.
(3) A report must be given to each person responsible for the student at least twice a year.
(4) For a student who is in any of years 1 to 10, the report must:
(a) give an accurate and objective assessment of the student’s progress and achievement, including an
assessment of the student’s achievement:
(i) against any available national standards; and
(ii) relative to the performance of the student’s peer group; and
(iii) reported as A, B, C, D or E (or on an equivalent 5 point scale) for each subject studied, clearly
defined against specific learning standards; or
(b) contain the information that the Minister determines is equivalent to the information in paragraph (a).
Note: An approved authority for a school may have obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 in providing
information.
(5) For paragraph (4)(b), the Minister may, in writing, determine information that the Minister considers is
equivalent to the information in paragraph (4)(a).
Determination not legislative instrument
(6) A determination under subsection (5) is not a legislative instrument.
Q&A Legislative Reporting – Principal’s Conference
August 2023
Does the platform rely on parent access to technology?
The Learning Dashboard has been built to have parents connect with their child’s legislative report through technology. This reduces pressure on schools to print report cards. However, there is still capability to print out reports for parents who do not have access to technology.
Removing comments from subject areas provides less information for parents regarding their child’s achievement?
Removing comments from all subject areas means that parents share in their child’s learning in other ways. This includes parent teacher interviews and the sharing of ongoing assessment results. Twice yearly semester reports are shared after the learning has taken place which means that comments provided are not timely.
Does progressive reporting replace the twice-yearly legislative reporting?
Progressive reporting will never take the place of the twice-yearly semester reports. This is because they are legislated across Australia and summarise a student’s progress and achievement against their peers. Regardless of whether CEDC decides to invest in progressive reporting, legislative reporting will remain twice per year at the end of each semester.
If legislative reporting says the report must be understandable against the achievement standard, do we need to include some kind of learning statement saying what that is? (Learning Statements are used by some schools, please note they are not a Catholic Education in the Diocese of Cairns (CEDC) requirement)
A few schools started including learning statements in their report cards to break down the curriculum. Learning statements are not legislated and not required for semester reports. To share curriculum expectations with parents, schools could consider how they share the curriculum focus areas at the start of each term. If this is completed at the start of the learning, parents are able to share in the learning and understand content and areas being studied. An example could be an A3 term summary covering key areas from the AC curriculum covered for each subject area.