Deputy News: Semester One Reports
As we approach the middle of Term Two, our staff are well into their dedicated assessment period for Semester One. During this time a range of whole class and one-on-one formal, standardised assessments are conducted with all students from Prep through to Year Six. For some of our staff, this can mean they are out of the classroom for the day conducting assessments that allow accurate and concise data to be collected in order to best support the future learning of each student. We thank all families for their understanding with this process.
At St Joseph’s, we are committed to providing clear, transparent, and meaningful communication about your child’s learning. Student reports offer a snapshot of progress at a point in time, measured against the achievement standards within the Victorian Curriculum. Teachers make informed and consistent judgments using a range of assessments and observations to determine where each child sits on a learning continuum.
From Semester One, 2025, there will be a change to how we report achievement in English and Mathematics.Please see two examples of what these will look like below. These subjects will shift from written comments to a tick-box format using a five-point scale to indicate student progress against key learning outcomes:
Emerging – working below the expected level
Consolidating – working towards the expected level
Established – working at the expected level
Beyond – working above the expected level
Outstanding – working well above the expected level
This change provides more clarity to families about how their child is progressing in Mathematics and English, as well as their next steps for learning.
Reports in other subject areas - including Religious Education, The Arts, Physical Education, Italian, and our Topic units - will continue to include written overviews and grades as in previous years.
Each report includes:
Curriculum area overviews
Achievement grades in all subjects
Work habit indicators for all subjects
A general comment from your child’s classroom teacher
A self-reflection comment written by your child
From 2025, there will also be a change in how student progress in Mathematics is reported. Previously, student achievement was assessed and reported across three separate strands: Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability, each with its own achievement plot.
Under new guidelines from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, schools are now mandated to provide a single, consolidated achievement plot for Mathematics.
This new plot will appear in the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 section of the student report. Please note that it will not include a progress point from 2024, due to the change in reporting format.
We hope this updated reporting format gives you a clear understanding of the curriculum covered and your child’s achievements so far. All families are invited to discuss the report further during Parent/Teacher Interviews in Week 11. Please also see your class bulletins for more information on how to access your children's reports when they come out at the end of Term Two.
We extend our sincere thanks to our teachers for their considerable investment of time and effort in preparing detailed, clear, and informative student reports that thoughtfully reflect each child’s growth and achievement throughout Semester One.
Tom Hartney
Deputy Principal and Teaching and Learning Leader