1. Regional Briefing New Student Report Cards Term 3, 2006

2. OUR EDUCATIVE PURPOSE What is powerful to learn? Victorian Essential Learning Standards What is powerful learning and what promotes it? Principles of Learning and Teaching LEARNER How do we know it has been learnt? Assessment Advice Who do we report to? Students Teachers Parents Community System

3. ReportingReporting is the process by which assessment information is communicated in ways that assist students, parents, teachers and the system in making decisions by providing information about what students know and can do, along with recommendations for their future learning. Why do we report?

5. Key features of the new student report cards…. Reporting against statewide standards The report card will clearly indicate where each student is compared to the expected statewide standard. This means that no matter where a child attends school, he or she will be assessed against the same standard for the year level. A common reporting scale The report card’s A to E scale will indicate how a student is progressing against the expected standard for that stage of the year. A. Well above the expected standard at this time of year B. Above the standard expected at this time of year C. At the standard expected at this time of year D. Below the standard expected at this time of year E. Well below the standard expected at this time of year. Student progress over time The report card will chart a student’s progress from the previous year to the current year (across 12 months).

6. Features of the new Student Report Cards…. Clear information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses Clear written information will inform parents about what their child knows and can do. It will also identify those areas where the student needs to be further assisted or extended. When this is the case, the report card will clearly describe what the school will do to support the student. Improved partnerships between home and school The report card will make clear the role of parents, teachers and students in the development of each student’s learning. Student involvement in reporting In primary school, students include a written comment about their progress in class. In secondary school, students list personal learning goals for the year and review their achievement against these goals throughout the year.

7. Primary report card: mandatory components Part 1: Summary page Student name, year level and semester Graphic with: - relevant learning areas (domains) - A-E ratings, ‘dots’, year levels PrepPrep – Year 2 (3 year levels) Year 1 Prep – Year 3 (4 year levels) Year 2 Prep – Year 4 (5 year levels) Year 3 Year 1 – Year 5 (5 year levels) Year 4Year 2 – Year 6 (5 year levels) Year 5 Year 3 – Year 7 (5 year levels) Year 6Year 4 – Year 8 (5 year levels) Work habits bar chart, legend

9. Primary report card: mandatory components Part 2: Written comments Student name, year level and semester Text boxes for: What (student name) has achieved Areas for improvement/future learning The school will do following to support future learning What support can be provided at home

10. Primary report card: mandatory components Part 2: Written comments (continued) Student comment (can be deleted for years P-2) Attendance Name of teacher and date Parent comment and signature (on separate page)

11. Primary report card: options Add school logo, cover page Add teacher signature Add extra pages with text boxes Include sections what student has achieved, areas for improvement and attendance, but delete other written comment sections if they are formally reported on in portfolios

12. Primary report card: options (DE&T software) Include subject pages with a graphic Include a personal learning goals page as in the secondary template – one page for each student If a learning goals page is included, then the student comment section can be deleted from Part 2 of the primary template

13. Secondary report card: mandatory components Part 1: Subject Page Student name, year level and semester Domains to be reported on for that subject (school selects) Year levels, ratings, ‘dots’, work habits and legend Year 7: Year 5 – Year 9 (5 year levels) Year 8: Year 6 – Year 10 (5 year levels) Year 9: Year 7 – Beyond Year 10 (5 year levels) Year 10: Year 8 – Beyond Year 10 (4 year levels)

14. Secondary report card: mandatory components Part 1: Subject Page (cont.) Text boxes for: What (student name) has achieved Areas for improvement/future learning School will do following to support future learning (can be deleted if a summary page is used) What support can be provided at home (can be deleted if a summary page is used) Name of teacher and date

16. Secondary report card: mandatory components Part 2: Personal Learning Goals Page Student name, year level and semester Text boxes for: My Learning Goals Student comment Teacher comment My future learning goals Attendance Teacher name and date Parent comment and signature (on a separate page)

18. Secondary report card: options Add school logo, cover page Add teacher signature Add student signature (on personal learning goals page) Add extra pages with text boxes Include sections what student has achieved, areas for improvement and attendance, but delete other written comment sections if they are formally reported on in portfolios

19. Secondary report card: options Include a summary page with: Student name, year level and semester Graphic: Domains as selected by the school –Will be aggregated domain scores for those domains which have been assessed in more than one subject. –Text at base of graphic will note that more than one teacher may have contributed to these ratings. Text boxes for: School will do following to support future learning What support can be provided at home Ratings and legend

20. Secondary report card: options If there is a summary page: In set up, domains on subject pages can be marked as assessed only (will only appear on summary page of report) OR assessed & reported on subject pages (will appear on subject page and summary page of report) Subject pages do NOT need to include comments on what the school will do and what parents can do if these are included on a summary page.

21. A continuum of learning Each dimension is based on an underlying learning continuum. Expectations along that continuum: standards at six levels Expectations for student achievement have been identified at six levels over the 11 years of compulsory schooling. Level 1 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 2 The expectations are outlined in the standards which have been written for each dimension at each of the six levels.

22. Standards Standards define what students should know and be able to do at different levels of schooling. They are, in effect, outcomes against which student achievement will be assessed and reported on and provide valuable information about student progress which can form the basis of further teaching and intervention. (Victorian Essential Learning Standards Overview page 8)

23. Reading Level 6 At Level 6, students read, view, analyse, critique, reflect on and discuss contemporary and classical imaginative texts that explore personal, social, cultural and political issues of significance to their own lives. They also read, view, analyse and discuss a wide range of informative and persuasive texts and identify the multiple purposes for which texts are created. They explain how texts are shaped by the time, place and cultural setting in which they are created. They compare and contrast the typical features of particular texts and synthesise information from different texts to draw conclusions.

24. A Well above the expected standard at this time of year B Above the standard expected at this time of year C At the standard expected at this time of year D Below the standard expected at this time of year E Well below the standard expected at this time of year.

25. Progression points are descriptors that indicate what typical progress towards the standard may look like. 3.75 4.25 4.75 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 4 4.50

26. Progression points Progression points assist teachers to make on-balance judgements about progress towards the standards for the purposes of reporting to parents They range from 0.5 to 5.75 There is one progression point to indicate progress towards level one ( 0.5, 1.0). There are three progression points from level 1 onwards ( e.g.1.0, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25….)

27. Progression Points - timelines Available currently for English and Mathematics. Feedback sought during 2006. Revised versions published 17 December. Development in other domains in progress – will be published in October and November.

32. Assessment Maps Assessment maps illustrate typical progress towards and at the standards (from 0.5 to 6.75) through annotated samples of student work.

33. Assessment maps - the purpose To assist teachers in the assessment of student work against the standards To answer the questions - what does work at this standard look like? - what are the typical features of the work of students progressing towards a standard? To assist teachers to develop common understanding of the standards and monitor students’ progress against the standards Work samples are not intended to illustrate the full range of achievement.

34. Assessment maps - timelines Samples currently available in English (Reading and Writing) and Mathematics (Measurement, chance and data, Number and Space) Samples for Listening and speaking, Working mathematically and Structure to be added during progressively this year Assessment maps in other domains to be developed and published progressively from October to December (at the standards) and January to March (towards the standards)

37. Using standards, progression points and assessment maps To support common understanding and consistency to make judgements about student work as a basis for professional learning and moderation activities with teachers at your school and across schools as a reference for developing school’s own collection of student work samples to talk to students/parents about their progress and to assist them to monitor their own progress To inform learning To inform and plan learning

38. Standards Progression Points Progress towards meeting Illustration of typical features of achievement Assessment Maps

39. Making on-balance judgements to report to parents Throughout the semester, teachers assess student progress in tasks and activities focussing on relevant aspects of the Standards and progression points Towards the end of the semester teachers consider all the assessment evidence to make an on-balance judgement of progress against the Standards and progression points. The process is evidence based holistic on balance

40. Making on-balance judgements Judgements should rest on: a high level of familiarity with the standards, progression points and assessment maps high quality evidence gathered from well-designed assessment tasks

41. Entering scores for end of semester reporting Teachers make an on balance judgement using the Standards and progression points at the dimension level and enter the relevant score The key question is: Which standard or progression point descriptor does this evidence best match? NOT How much of the descriptor needs to be met? OR Where should the student be?

42. Entering scores for end of semester reporting The software will only accept valid scores

43. Entering scores for English and Mathematics A score for each dimension in English and Mathematics must be entered into the software at reporting time. If one or more Mathematics dimensions have not been formally taught and assessed during the semester, the score(s) from the last reporting period must be entered.

44. Scores and A-E ratings The software will add together and average dimension scores to provide an overall score for the domain. The software will round up – allow it to The software will then produce a solid ‘achievement point’, and an A-E rating based on the domain score, the year level and the semester of reporting.

45. A-E ratings reflect a ‘band’ of achievement, not a ‘point’ Any one rating will reflect a number of different patterns of achievement in different dimensions Written comments are vital in providing the detail on relative areas of strength and weakness

48. A-E ratings At present, schools report students' progress in a range of different ways. The new A-E ratings will have the same meaning from school to school, and they will be used to report student progress against the same standards.

49. Level 1 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 – end of Year 8 Level 6 Level 2 ABCDEABCDE How do we currently use A-E ratings? To differentiate within a level? How do we decide which grade to give? What does an ‘E’ tell a student? What specific information does the grade provide about where a student is up to on the learning continuum? E? E? E? E? E?

50. What are the advantages of assessing progress in terms of a learning continuum as opposed to comparing relative performance at a level? Level 1 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 2

51. How consistent is your current use of A-E? Within the school? As compared with other schools? How do your current A-E grades compare with your CSF ratings and your AIM data? Is it important to have consistent judgements?

52. Consistent judgements Consistent judgements rest on: a common interpretation of the standards and progression points a shared understanding of what learner achievement against the standards and progression points looks like

53. Making consistent judgements Scenario: Two teachers have both assessed this piece of student writing. One has given it a score of 3.75 and the other 4.0. Refer to the progression point and standard. Which do you think is more appropriate, 3.75 or 4.0, and why?

54. Student work shows evidence of ability to: use structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience and context: the style and tone of the writing is appropriate for a personal account (e.g. use of the ‘I’ voice, emotive language) and is maintained throughout use simple figurative language and visual images, and a range of vocabulary (e.g. agony, I felt like….squeezed my eyes..) use a variety of sentence structures e.g After experiencing…….As the plane started to move….I was nervous but….

55. Student work shows evidence of ability to: use appropriate prepositions and conjunctions e.g. so, soon punctuate accurately throughout

56. What about....? A-E ratings and S/N ratings that we already use in our school assessed tasks? Including subject descriptions and descriptions and results of assessment tasks?

57. What about....? students in Year 10 working beyond level 6? students on Individual Learning Plans? making judgments and reporting on achievement in KLA’s where we will still be using the CSF?

58. How can you use the new report cards to improve learning at your school? What will be the key challenges?

59. Support available for schools Student reports website: FAQs for schools and parents FAQ’s on software and link to DE&T software site Sample reports Articles, report inserts and slideshows for use with parents Advice (for teachers of Mathematics, on developing and reporting on learning goals, alternatives to A-E, writing comments) www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/studentreports/index.htm

60. Student Learning website: Progression points for English and Mathematics Workshops: using the standards and progression points to make judgments Assessment Professional Learning Modules www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/blueprint/fs1/assessment.as p

61. Workshops on using the standards and progression points Designed to be used flexibly by school staff – approximately one hour each Workshop 1: getting to know the standards and progression points Workshop 2: making judgments

62. Assessment Professional Learning Modules Module 1: Connecting assessment with learning – linking policy, principles and practices Module 2: Assessment FOR learning – strategies to build into your classroom Module 3: Assessment AS learning – involving students in assessment and setting learning goals Module 4: Assessment OF learning – developing good summative assessment, strategies for the classroom Module 5: Making consistent teacher judgements – effective moderation strategies

63. Assessment Professional Learning Modules Module 5: Making consistent teacher judgements concepts of validity and consistency overview of approaches to moderation one way of using the standards, progression points and assessment maps useful protocols and pro formas

64. Support being developed Further progression points and assessment maps (VCAA) English and Mathematics continua P-10 Further sample report and assessment materials from schools Workshop 3: recording judgements Extension of assessment professional learning modules

65. Monitoring and feedback Queries and feedback: assessment.reporting@edumail.vic.gov.au