Understanding your child’s report card

Dear Parents,

Our reporting process is driven largely by Federal and State Government requirements, which include the use of a five point scale for reporting children’s achievement. This scale is used to indicate how well a student is achieving in relation to the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards.

At Dayboro State School teachers report to parents about:

• the learning expectations for the student;
• the student’s achievement against expected standards;
• how well the student is engaging with the expected learning; and
• how the student may be able to improve.

The current 5-point scale for achievement is based on attainment standards called “benchmarks of achievement” or “criteria.” So what makes an “A”, “B”, “C” etc. is predetermined by a scale of achievement matched to the Year Level Achievement Standard in each Key Learning Area of the Australian Curriculum (English, Mathematics, Science, HASS, The Arts, HPE, Technologies and LOTE).

This is what you could consider what a “C” really means:

• A “C” no longer means that the student is simply in the middle of the class. It means that the student has met the criteria for a learner to be at the appropriate age level.
• A “C” means that the student is doing everything required at their year level at school.
• The best description is to say that a “C” means that the student’s academic development is exactly where it needs to be. That means attaining a “C” for Achievement means you are ON TARGET for your age level!

With all of this in mind, we must accept that it may be harder to get an “A” or “B” than it used to be. These grades are no longer awarded simply to the top students in the class. They are only given to students who show that they are independently capable of working at a higher level than expected for their year level.

So what does all the information above mean?

• Many parents are likely to see more “C” grades on their child’s report cards.
• An “A” for Effort and a “C” for Achievement indicates that your child is “On Target” for their age. (This grade should be celebrated with students because it means they have worked hard to be where they need to be.)
• The “Effort” grades are also really important because they are a reflection of how, in the teacher’s opinion, the student is working consistently in class in that learning area (English, Maths, Science etc).

If you have any further queries, please see Mrs Smith or your child’s teacher.

Regards, Linda Smith

(Head of Curriculum)