EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

Jenna Tonkes
17416213
Importance of using assessment data in reporting to students, parents and schools

Assessment and the reporting process are two elements that are critical to the education
system (Ferguson, Churchill & Godinho, 2012). It is vital that the assessment data is reported to not
only the students themselves but also the parents and guardians of those students as well as the school
itself. Students rely on their assessment results being translated to them for motivation, improvement
in future learning and recognition for their effort (Ferguson, Churchill & Godinho, 2012). Parents
depend on the assessment data of their child being reported to them as it allows them to see their
childs progress, know how their child compares to others students and also see what is being done to
help their child (Ridden & Heldsinger, 2014). It is also equally as important for a school to know
exactly what their students are achieving as it allows them to compare results with other schools in the
region, state or nationally, design whole school strategies and also develop staff planning or resource
allocation (Ridden & Heldsinger, 2014). Throughout my middle years placement at Bendigo South
East College I was fortunate to learn about their assessment and reporting procedures. I also learnt
more about the importance of assessment data and what they do as a school to benefit their students
learning. I will use this information as well as further research to provide detailed reasoning on the
importance of assessment data and the reporting process.

Students are arguably the most important group in the process of assessment and assessment
reporting (Ferguson, Churchill & Godinho, 2012). The key purpose for reporting assessment to
students is to provide feedback for their learning (Ridden & Heldsinger, 2014). This feedback offers
motivation, recognition and provides areas for improvement in future learning. When a student is
praised for their effort it greatly improves their self-esteem and therefore increase the amount of effort
or attention towards schooling tasks (Brookhart, 1999). The reporting process is an effective way of
translating a students assessment results to them and can also provide a platform for comments
relating to improving or praise.

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At Bendigo South East College (BSE), they had quite a unique but effective way of
transferring the assessment data to the students. Each semester the students are required to submit
three Learning Assessment tasks for each subject. These tasks are designed at the beginning of the
semester by subject area teachers and are regulated so that all of the students in the year level are
completing the same tasks for each subject. All due dates are put up on the schools virtual so that all
students, teachers and parents can view the upcoming assessments and also their due dates. Once a
student has completed an assessment task they are required to attach a Learning Assessment Cover
Sheet (Appendix 2B). On this cover sheet they are also required to self-assess their work. BSE has a
strong commitment to responsibility and accountability and this is a way that students show
accountability for their work. To submit their learning assessment, students are required to go to a
separate section of the school and scan in their work. The work is then checked over by the Learning
Assessment Officers to ensure all criteria have been met. If anything is incomplete, the Learning
Assessment Officer deals with that child correctly to ensure that all criteria is adequately met before
the work is assessed. Once complete, the Learning Assessment Officer then transfers the work back to
the classroom teacher for them to mark and report on. Although this can seem like a lengthy process,
in such a big school it is quite effective as the classroom teachers are not having to chase up
individual students and can focus on providing detailed comments and reports for each student.

To report the results to the students, BSE uses two different platforms to cater for all
individuals. First the teachers are required to provide written results on the Learning Assessment
cover sheet (Appendix 2B). The results are directly derived from the rubric which is supplied to the
students on the back of the cover sheet (Appendix 2A). The results are also required to be put on the
students BSE Virtual page so they also have an electronic copy. Teachers are also obligated to supply
comments on what the student did well and what they could work on to improve for next time. These
comments can be either written on the Learning Assessment cover sheet, or can be provided
electronically on the Virtual Page. The college leaves this up to the discretion of the teacher as some
see the handwritten comments as more personal.

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Parents are also an important audience when it comes to reporting assessment data. Parents
often put a lot of faith in their childs teachers to ensure they are getting a quality education and are
fulfilling potential (Brookhart, 1999). Part of this trust is built through the reporting process. Parents
want to know exactly what their child is achieving, whether this is being the top of the class or just
that they are improving from their previous results. A lot of parents are also interested in how their
child ranks amongst others their age. As society, we are very focused on standards and levels of
achievement (Ridden & Heldsinger, 2014), parents want to be assured that their child is on the right
path and is above or on par with were the should be at. Another important piece of information to be
communicated to parents is what is being done to help their child achieve and progress through their
schooling. This is not only important to the parents but also very important to the entire school
community. Schools rely on parents to spread positive praise throughout the community to increase or
maintain their reputation. This reputation then helps to increase numbers in the school and therefore
results in more funding from the government as well as increasing the quality of the teaching staff.
This flow on all results from the reporting process and maintaining strong positive relationships with
parents and it is consequently crucial that student assessment data is effectively relayed to parents.

Bendigo South East College prides itself on positive parent relationships and parent
involvement. In order to maintain these relationships, the school has an open door policy to parents.
At the start of each year the parents are all invited in to an assembly which is run by the principle. The
principle uses this assembly as a basis for the relationship and a platform to introduce himself to new
parents as well as outlining results from the previous year and the strategies for the upcoming year.
BSE does not hold traditional parent teacher interviews. Instead they run a more open style interview
where one teacher is responsible for around 80 students and the parent sees this teacher in relation to
all their childs subjects. If a parent would like to see a teacher specifically or vice versa, the meeting
can be set up at any stage throughout the year. All parents at BSE have access to their childs virtual
page. They can see not only assessment results and comments, but also their childs behaviour reviews
and attendance records. The college also has a program designed to help those students who may need
extra attention. The teachers design a Learning Support Plan for that individual student which

EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

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outlines what is and can be done to help that child both inside and outside the classroom. These plans
are placed on the virtual and can also be accessed by parents so that they can clearly see what is being
done to help their child.

Schools rely on assessment data to outline the overall performance of their school. This data
can be used to compare results with other schools in the region, state or nation and shows a very good
comparison throughout different areas of schooling (Ridden & Heldsinger, 2014). The school uses
assessment data to show the strong and weak areas of teaching and learning, these results can then be
used to help the principle, school council or leading teachers to design new strategies to improve weak
areas and enable them to have better results in the future (Ridden & Heldsinger, 2014). It is also
crucial for the school to gain assessment data as it plays a major role in determining what resources
are needed in different areas of the school. The reports on assessment data are also uses to outline the
need for staff in different areas and are therefore used in the recruiting process each year.

Bendigo South East College takes their assessment data very seriously. It is regularly brought up
and discussed in both whole staff and area staff meetings. The data is used in the meetings to provide
all teachers with actual results of their teaching. The data is also compared to other state schools and
similar schools within the area. This is done by the principle of the school and is then reported to staff
in whole staff meetings. Teachers are required to keep an up to date record of their students
assessment results on BSE Virtual and are these results are automatically generated to show student
achievement (Appendix 2C & 2D). This data can be accessed by anyone in the school at any stage.
The college also uses the data to enable them to see which students are excelling across all areas and
then leading teachers come together to determine extension activities for these students to ensure that
they are still progressing.

When provided with this information you can clearly see the importance of assessment and
reporting in the education system. Therefore, for this reason, it is crucial that all educators are taught
how to properly assess their students as well as the school having effective reporting processes put in

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place (Brookhart, 1999). Without assessment and without information being reported to critical
bodies, we would be left with an education system that did not fulfill what it claims to do; create
successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens (ACARA,
2016).

References
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2016).
Assessment and
Reporting: Improving student performance. Retrieved from:
http://www.acara.edu.au/_resources/Assessment__Reporting__Improving_S
tudent_Performance.pdf

EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

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Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2016).
General Capabilities.
Retrieved from: http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/general-capabilities
Brookhart, S. (1999). Teaching About Communicating Assessment Results and
Grading. Educational
Measurement: Issues and Practice. Retrieved from:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ez.library.latrobe.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.17453992.1999.tb00002.x/epdf
Ferguson, P., Churchill, & Godinho, S. (2012). Assessment, Feedback and
Reporting. Teaching.
Chapter 12, pp.412-455. Wiley. Retrieved from:
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ez.library.latrobe.edu.au/lib/latrobe/read
er.action?docID=3563933&ppg=432
Ridden, P. & Heldsinger, S. (2014). Effective Assessment facilitates informative
reporting: Reporting
to students and parents. What teachers need to know about assessment
and reporting. Chapter 11 pp.90-104. Retrieved from:
https://content.talisaspire.com/latrobe/bundles/5726e075e7ebb68222000
020?userId=lzd8f1v8FOImSUEeH%2Fb6JwIFdEk
%3D&key=e5d16c82e2f92057059590443900f3cd9402275b8a278215509f
8a1b6756733f
Victorian State Government Education and Training. (2016). Reporting Student
Progress and
Achievement. Retrieved from:
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/curriculum/Pages/r
eporting.aspx

Appendices

EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

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1. Interview Questions

EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

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2. De-identified copies of Assessment Documents
A. Example Rubric

B. Example Learning Assessment Cover Sheet

EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

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EDU5TEB Assessment 3 Reporting on Assessment Data

Jenna Tonkes
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B. Example Elements Grid Criteria & Class List