Reports – what have they come to?

At the end of a busy semester, parents have the opportunity to pour over their children’s reports.

Then what?

Now that we are halfway through term three, this is a great time to reflect on what has been and what is to come.

Parents may have used the report to have a discussion with their child about their progress, behaviour, and areas of improvement. The student who has done well would have enjoyed this conversation, and possibly, they got some reward they could enjoy during the school holidays. It might have been another matter for the student that didn’t do well. Two things could have happened:

· 1. Parents might have had a conversation with the child in which the child felt uncomfortable and wished they had done better, or

· 2. Parents believed their child should have been given higher marks and that the teacher had done their child a disservice.

On top of that, the emergence of computer-generated comments may raise questions about whether the teachers actually know the child or care.

Often these concerns last for a few days, and then the report is shelved, never to be referred to again.

Let’s take a look back at the progression of school reports and how they should be used to support, encourage, and challenge.

It wasn’t until the Education Act of 1872 that all children between the ages of 6 and 15 had to attend school unless they had a reasonable excuse. Teachers from then on have presented parents with a report on how the child is fairing at school.

Back in the early 1900s, report cards were written on cardboard, subjects were listed on the left side, and a percentage or letter grade was given for each subject - a number for how many days the student was present, absent, and tardy was also given. Depending on the school, some listed how many Bible verses a child had memorised. Interestingly, a rank of where the child was placed in the class compared to peers was also shown, a practice some schools maintain today.

As report cards evolved, check marks were added to mark whether the child was progressing satisfactorily in a particular subject. This was followed by the emergence of comments from the teacher regarding the child’s work ethic or lack thereof.

Today in Victoria, the guiding principles of reports really haven’t changed dramatically since informing parents about progression in learning was deemed essential. The basics of reporting requirements are laid out here: Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10: Policy | education.vic.gov.au

· A school must provide a report on a child at least twice a year for parents/guardians.

· The report must be written and easy for parents to understand.

· Schools must report where the child is in direct comparison to the Victorian achievement standards.

· Achievement and progress for each curriculum area taught should be evident. This is compiled from:

o Teacher judgement

o Progress made since the last report and is indicated by a five-point scale (age-related for English, Math, and Science)

Between these margins, schools can select the elements they value and how the report is formatted. Once the report is distributed, parents must also be given the opportunity to discuss the report with teachers, allowing a better quality and efficient discussion with the teacher to resolve any specific issues.

Unfortunately, at times reports can be misunderstood or, worse, get in the way of relationships between the child, parent, and teacher.

Reports are not off the mark if we understand the school’s system well.

Parents

Imagine opening your child's report and seeing they have progressed in some subjects but not all of them. Perhaps in one area, they have even gone backwards compared to last year. There are computer-generated comments which are the same in a couple of areas, there are many suggestions on how your child can improve, but some are hard to understand, and you worry you don’t know how to get your child to achieve this.

What do parents need to understand?

· Progress is not always achievable. Occasionally the school might have changed its teaching style and use a different grading system. This might mean your child's progress has been readjusted and shows up as a backwards step on the progress ladder.

Potentially, last year’s teacher might have just got it wrong. This is where parent-teacher conversations are worthwhile to give you the complete picture when progress halts.

· Computer-generated comments can be meaningful – Computer-generated comments are a tool, but the teacher must still make sure the comments apply to the student. Comments will often be from a comment bank the school has invested much time into, ensuring they cover a wide range of possibilities in a meaningful and helpful way.

· If the areas of improvement are unclear, this is a perfect time to book an appointment with your teacher. You can also address any other concerns within the reports during this time. Improvements in reporting processes continually happen behind the scenes, and your suggestions may be worthwhile.

· Most importantly, teaching students should be a partnership. Reports are one piece of the puzzle. There will be another report in 6 months where you can look and see if things have improved. Don’t put the report in a file somewhere for prosperity. Set goals and keep referring to them so it is at the front of your child’s mind where they can improve.

Teachers

Imagine you are staring down the barrel of writing many reports again over the next two weeks. Your self-talk says what is the point, many parents don’t read it anyway, and if you get it wrong, there will be difficult conversations ahead. You are not convinced by the progress of some children in a couple of areas and are worried about where one of the children was placed last year and the impact this will have.

What do teachers need to understand?

· Assessment isn’t an exact science, and mistakes happen. If a mistake occurs, own it, apologise to the parent (in advance if you can) and say you will be working with the head of the curriculum to rectify this and will ask for a meeting between them and the head of the curriculum so you can learn from this. Being humble often goes a long way.

· Know where to get support. If the parent is unhappy with your assessment and you believe it is correct, get evidence or coaching support. There is nothing wrong with having experience on your side to help you in the form of another staff member.

· If you aren’t convinced about a child’s progress, get a second opinion from a colleague. Collaborate and moderate together.

· Reports are an opportunity to show off your skills and the child’s hard work – be proud of and enjoy them. Comment banks have many benefits; for instance, you don’t have to handwrite and make things up on the spot, as was the case in times gone by.

· If there is a process you don’t understand, make sure you ask – it might be that the computer is creating a score you disagree with. Computers are not humans, and without your input, results are meaningless.

Above all, whether you are a teacher or a parent (or both), remember the purpose of reports is a chance to see how a child is doing and a chance for all to be held accountable and work in partnership for the benefit of the child’s progress – that’s it, it is as simple as that. Lets look forward together to the next round of reports.