Reporting to parents and the community: current issues and initiatives

1. Reporting to parents and the community: current issues and initiatives Dr Graham Maxwell Deputy Director, Research & Policy Branch Queensland Studies Authority

2. Reporting to parents and the community Influences on reporting to parents and the community 1. Parent difficulty in understanding the meaning of (some) school reports 2. Teacher uncertainty about how to enact recent curriculum reforms effectively 3. Government interest in monitoring and improving the effectiveness of schools 1. Parent difficulty in understanding the meaning of (some) school reports

3. Reporting to parents and the community Indicators of Student Performance • Levels of Understanding/Quality Modest Beginning Intermediate Progressing Proficient Adequate Superior Exemplary Source: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2004

4. Reporting to parents and the community Indicators of Student Performance • Levels of Understanding/Quality continued … Novice Unsatisfactory Apprentice Needs Improvement Proficient Satisfactory Distinguished Outstanding Source: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2004

5. Reporting to parents and the community Indicators of Student Performance 2. Levels of Mastery/Proficiency Below Basic Below Standard Basic Approaching Standard Proficient Meets Standard Advanced Exceeds Standard Source: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2004

6. Reporting to parents and the community Indicators of Student Performance 2. Levels of Mastery/Proficiency continued … Pre-Emergent Incomplete Emerging Limited Acquiring Partial Extending Thorough Source: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2004

7. Reporting to parents and the community Indicators of Student Performance 3. Frequency of Display Rarely Never Occasionally Seldom Frequently Usually Consistently Always Source: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2004

8. Reporting to parents and the community Indicators of Student Performance 4. Degree of Effectiveness Ineffective Poor Moderately Effective Acceptable Highly Effective Excellent Source: Phi Delta Kappan, December 2004

9. Reporting to parents and the community Influences on reporting to parents and the community 1. Parent difficulty in understanding the meaning of (some) school reports 2. Teacher uncertainty about how to enact recent curriculum reforms effectively 3. Government interest in monitoring and improving the effectiveness of schools

10. Reporting to parents and the community • Focus on student learning • Progression/connection • Manageable steps/targets • ‘Personalised learning’ • Experiencing success Curriculum reform principles

11. Reporting to parents and the community Influences on reporting to parents and the community 1. Parent difficulty in understanding the meaning of (some) school reports 2. Teacher uncertainty about how to enact recent curriculum reforms effectively 3. Government interest in monitoring and improving the effectiveness of schools

12. Reporting to parents and the community QSA study: Parents • wanted to know how their child was going in general, with specific details of strengths and weaknesses • wanted a balance between too much detail and not enough • understood assessing and reporting information easiest when organised into KLAs/subjects

13. Reporting to parents and the community QSA study: Parents continued … • valued seeing student work • wanted comparability across schools • understood the developmental continuum of levels, but had difficulty with the outcome statements used to describe this.

14. Reporting to parents and the community Parents want some simple messages: • How is my child going(against standards and showing progress)? • How does this compare with others(preferably against the state cohort)? • What next?(how can I assist further learning and development)?

15. Reporting to parents and the community Issues • Parents are puzzled about assessment • Evidence base needs to be more transparent • Portfolios allow the evidence to be shared • Needs deliberate sharing of the frameworks by which the teacher plans, monitors and reports student learning • Assessment is an integral part of learning (built-in not bolt-on).

16. Reporting to parents and the community Recent developments Tasmania: Essential Learnings Victoria: Essential Learning Standards Western Australia: Progress Maps Queensland: Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework

17. Reporting to parents and the community The Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework will: • Define what is essential curriculum for all students in Years P-10 • Set standards of student achievement in the essential curriculum • Create a bank of assessment tools for teachers

18. Reporting to parents and the community The Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework will: continued … • Establish, at three key points in the P-10 years, rigorous comparable assessment against the defined standards • Specify a common framework for reporting student achievement against standards.

19. Reporting to parents and the community Other Queensland Government Reporting Initiatives [Overridden by Schools Assistance (Learning Together–Achievement through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004.] • All schools to publish information profile and outcomes ‘to support continuous improvement and enhanced accountability’.

20. Reporting to parents and the community Other Queensland Government Reporting Initiatives continued … • Annual publication of: (a) Year 12 school performance report (b) Year 12 student destination survey.

21. Reporting to parents and the community Year 12 School Performance Report Context

22. Reporting to parents and the community Year 12 School Performance Report Number of Senior Certificates Awarded

23. Reporting to parents and the community Year 12 School Performance Report VET in Schools

24. Reporting to parents and the community Year 12 School Performance Report Other