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Updated: Mar 2000 | School Reporting Policy
School Reporting Policy
To review reporting practices, the following questions are a useful starting point. The questions are clustered according to the criteria for school reporting policy and procedures outlined in Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting: Policy and Guidelines.
 
The School Community's Rationale & Philosophy
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How is reporting to parents an integral part of teaching and learning? |
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Does a variety of opportunities exist for parents to informally receive information that acknowledges students' achievements? |
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How are the differing needs and backgrounds of parents respected in the reporting process? |
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What attempts have been made to report to parents using language and terminology that they understand? |
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Do methods of reporting include student participation? |
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What messages do we give to parents and teachers through the methods of reporting that we select? |
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Does the school community want comparative information? If this is required, how will it be reported? |
| Schools should regularly review their practices, taking into account changing priorities and needs of students and communities.
Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting: Policy and Guidelines, (1998), p.13
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The School Community's Beliefs about the Agreed Learning Outcomes, Good Teaching & Good Assessment & Reporting
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In what ways does reporting describe the students' achievements rather than providing grades or other forms of norm referencing? |
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Are the assessment criteria used for reporting student achievement? |
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How is reporting linked to outcomes that describe development of key understandings and skills within and across the eight learning areas? |
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How are agreed goals for students' progress negotiated? |
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Is a range of communication strategies used to report student achievement and progress to parents? |
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How are formative forms of reporting to parents (for example, parent-teacher days and portfolios) balanced with summative reporting (for example, interim reports and end-of-year reports)? |
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Does the range of formal and informal reporting methods provide a comprehensive profile of students' performance? |
The Framework for Making Judgements about Student Performances
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Are students' attitudes towards learning, organisation skills needed to learn, and social skills (such as the ability to work collaboratively) reported? |
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What outcomes do you need to report in context? |
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What is your cycle of reporting progress on learning area strands? |
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How will you report on Learning Area Outcomes that are not sequenced in the Student Outcome Statements? |
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Which strands will need to be reported on annually? Or each semester? |
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Are there any specific considerations for reporting related to the phases of schooling? |
The Stakeholders' Roles & Responsibilities
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What structures exist to ensure that parents are informed about students' learning problems as soon as they become apparent? |
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What opportunities are created for parents to give their response to the progress their children are making? |
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How are parents encouraged to contribute their knowledge about their children? |
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Do the students understand the reporting processes? |
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Are parents informed about how they can assist their children's learning? |
Reporting policies and procedures should be concise and easily understood by parents, students and teachers. They should include clear statements of purpose and operating guidelines. The procedures should take into account and reflect:
- the school community's rationale and philosophy.
- the school community's beliefs about the agreed learning outcomes, good teaching and good assessment and reporting.
- the framework for making judgements about student performance.
- the stakeholders' roles and responsibilities.
- the plans for implementation, review and maintenance.
Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting: Policy and Guidelines, (1998), p.13
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The Plans for Implementation, Review & Maintenance
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How do you know the information reported is reliable and valid within the school and across schools? |
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How regularly will you review the procedures by which information about student achievement is reported to parents? |
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How is reporting balanced in terms of time available for all of the functions the teacher must perform? |
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How will you manage the transition to the outcomes-focused approach to reporting? |
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Is there a planned approach for the ongoing need to educate parents with regard to outcomes education? |
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How is the connection between assessment and reporting made explicit to parents and students? |
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How are formal and informal occasions organised to ensure good communication channels exist between school and home? |
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Are parents consulted on what they consider to be effective reporting strategies? |
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