From the Teaching and Learning Deputy

Reporting and Seesaw Updates

As we come to the end of Term 2, you will have noticed some changes with how your child’s teacher is using Seesaw and you will notice some changes to our mid year progress reports. 

With the change to Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, we have needed to make some changes to how our reports look for 2024. The formal written reports will now include one overall A-E grade for each learning area and information about children’s achievement in using their learning assets. As mentioned in INSPIRE earlier in the year, instead of a written comment in these reports, we have added an extra round of Parent Teacher Learning Conferences in Term 3 so that your child’s teacher has another opportunity to talk you through their progress and successes face to face.

Teachers are also spreading their reporting throughout the year by sharing work samples with you through Seesaw. You have probably noticed that some of these posts look a little different to what has been shared on Seesaw in the past. It has been great to hear parents reaching out to teachers after seeing these posts to find out more about how their child is going and to understand the grading process better.

To answer some of the questions that have arisen, I’ve included some information below.

What do the grades mean?

In our mid year progress report, a C means that children are achieving at the expected standard  and are on track to meet the year level standard for that subject. This is positive and is an achievement to celebrate! While some children may achieve an A or B grade, a C grade shows your child is achieving what is expected and this is a positive outcome for any child. 

Is the grade on Seesaw my child’s grade for the semester report?

Not necessarily. On Seesaw, teachers are sharing grades around one outcome, or a small part, of the subject standard. For example, a teacher may share a work sample about adding two digit numbers together. A child may receive a C (or be shown as achieving at year level standard) for this task which shows that they are on track in this specific skill to meet the year level standard. The whole year level standard though is made up of lots of different skills and outcomes and so sometimes the overall report grade may end up being different to the grade shared on Seesaw.

What does it mean if my child is ‘working towards’ the year level standard?

If a child is working towards the year level standard, it means that they have not yet demonstrated the skill or knowledge outcome to the required standard. They may have shown some parts of the skill, they may be able to demonstrate the skill with support but not independently, or they may be able to demonstrate the skill sometimes but not consistently. Yet! There are lots of opportunities to learn, practice and demonstrate skills and understanding throughout the year which may result in a change of grade.

What am I meant to do with the Seesaw assessment posts?

We hope these are a chance for you to find out how your child is achieving in class. Firstly, we encourage you to talk with your child about their work. Ask them how they found the tasks, what they would do differently next time and what their goals are in their learning. If your child sees you valuing their work and their achievements, they will often look for opportunities to do their best and to share this with you. If some of the information comes as a surprise, we encourage you to speak with your child’s teacher. We are hoping that through this process, the grades in the mid year progress report will be less likely to be a surprise and that conversations will already be happening around your child’s learning. You may wish to ask them what a grade means, what your child could have done differently in a task, or what they need to focus on next so that you can offer more encouragement at home.

I hope this provides some clarity and that you find this extra way of sharing assessment information helpful as you work alongside us to support your child on their learning journey. If you have any questions about reporting, assessment or Seesaw assessment pieces, please contact me at gbuxton@stpaulba.sa.edu.au.