Curriculum

Year 11 Final Preliminary Course Reports 

By the end of this week, the Final Report for students of Year 11 will be available on-line to parents/carers via the Sentral Parent Portal. 

The reports have been adjusted to accommodate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on schooling during the year, such as remote learning and changes to assessment. In particular, overall course achievement has been determined by teacher professional judgement in applying the Common Grade Scale to an on-balance global evaluation of the marks and grades attained in the gamut of formative, informal and formal assessments in the course. 

It is worth noting a few key features of the report include:  

• Co-curricular Involvement to date, as applicable. 
   
• Attendance at the College’s Founder’s Day celebration. 
   
• Attendance Record from Monday 10 May up to and including Thursday 16 September. 
   
• The Homeroom Teacher’s Pastoral Profile which describes the student’s general school and homeroom practices associated with grooming and uniform, co-operation, manner, punctuality, responsibility, and initiative. These profile elements are described as Always, Usually, Occasionally or Rarely. 
   
• A course report A, B, C, D or E Overall Achievement grade referenced to the Year 11 Common Grade Scale as defined by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) which represents the Class Teacher’s professional judgement in applying the scale to submitted tasks, both formal and informal, as well as observations made during lessons, such as classwork, class discussions, formative assessment, etc.

• a Grade Distribution in terms of the number of students awarded each A to E grade in a course. 
   
• Final Assessment Block Mark out of 100 and Final Assessment Block Rank in courses where an examination was held and Course Rank. 
   
• achievement in one or more Learning Areas or outcomes expressed by one of the following descriptors: Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Elementary or Limited. Each descriptor indicates level of performance complementary to the Common Grade Scale. 
   
• achievement in a number of Learning Practices, such as application, conduct and commitment to study indicated as either Always, Usually, Occasionally or Rarely.

It is important to note that the Overall Achievement grade and the Grade Distribution provide two kinds of information about the academic progress of students. The Overall Achievement grade gives an indication of academic performance relative to the achievement of course outcomes referenced to the Common Grade Scale. The Grade Distribution gives an indication of that performance compared with other students in the year undertaking the course. 

It is also important to note that the Final Assessment Block Rank, Course Rank and the Overall Achievement grade are not necessarily aligned given the final assessment was just one task carried out over the year, whereas overall achievement and overall rank consider a wider range of course outcomes than was measured by the final assessment. For example, a student may have attained a high rank in the final assessment but overall achieved a B grade. 

The issuing of the reports is an important time for parents/carers to constructively assess their son’s academic progress and make the necessary adjustments for the HSC year ahead, with the view of making realistic and progressive improvements over time.   

The Record of School Achievement (RoSA) Credentials 

Students in Years 10 and 11 who are leaving the College at the end of the year to enter full-time employment and/or a non-secondary school educational/training institution, are eligible for a RoSA from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Students for whom this applies must notify the College Enrolments Office by no later than Friday 19 November 2021. 

Further information regarding the RoSA can be found on the Authority’s website via the links below: 

• Record of School Achievement
• RoSA Credentials

Continuing students who complete the HSC will have their Year 10 and Year 11 grades as part of the HSC Record of Achievement. Students who remain at school to complete their HSC will not receive a RoSA. 

Information about the HSC credentials may also be found via this link. 

Michael Cutrupi  

Director of Curriculum 

NAPLAN Report to the Community

2021 National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Results

NAPLAN results provide the College with valuable information about each student's literacy and numeracy skills and about the Literacy and Numeracy profiles of our student cohorts. This is one of many data sources that help to inform our approaches to teaching and learning. Teachers of English, Mathematics and Diverse Learning will use the NAPLAN results to target and support teaching and learning needs and to monitor student development over time. 

The 2021 NAPLAN results reveal areas of strength across all aspects of Literacy and Numeracy achievement that indicate solid growth in skills for the large majority of students in Years 5, 7 and 9. We are well above state average in the percentage of students in the top two bands in all years in Reading, Writing and Numeracy. Notable strengths this year are in Year 7 and 9 Reading where we are 16% and 17% above state average in the top two bands, respectively, and Years 7 and 9 Numeracy where we are 29% and 19% above state average.

The percentage of students at or above expected growth is better than state average in virtually all areas. We have had very strong growth in Year 5 Reading and Year 7 Reading and Spelling, with solid growth also in Year 7 Numeracy and Writing. The percentage of Year 9 students at or above expected growth in Numeracy is below the state, however 70% of boys in this cohort were in the top two bands when they were in Year 7, and NESA acknowledges that it is more difficult to demonstrate growth when students are already in the top bands.

The following tables show the band distribution in each of the assessed aspects of Reading, Writing and overall Numeracy for this year’s NAPLAN. (The figures for the components may not add to 100 due to rounding.) A common 10 band scale is used to report literacy and numeracy achievement across Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Year 5 results are reported from Bands 3 to 8 with Band 4 representing the national minimum standard for this cohort. Year 7 results are reported from Bands 4 to 9 with Band 5 representing the minimum standard and Year 9 results are reported from Bands 5 to 10, with Band 6 representing the minimum standard.

While further analysis is needed, it appears that the College’s introduction of the MacLit program in Year 5 and Year 6 is supporting our less able students to achieve growth. In addition, it is also possible that periods of remote learning and lockdown have encouraged more students to be involved in reading as an enjoyable pastime. 

We still have room for further growth in Writing, and Grammar and Punctuation, but the gaps between St Patrick’s College and the state have widened yet again, which is a positive sign that perhaps some of our interventions and focus on writing are leading to better skills in our students.

I will complete a more detailed analysis of our NAPLAN results in the weeks to come and share this with Faculty Leaders and teachers who in turn will use these results in evaluating existing programs and planning for 2022.

We will continue to communicate with our parents/carers regarding further analysis of results and implications for teaching and learning. Should you have any queries or concerns about your son’s results, please don’t hesitate to contact me or a relevant subject teacher.

Denise Lombardo

Director of Learning and Innovation