Student/Parent Information

From the Leader of Pedagogy

As an educator, I don’t think there is anything as disheartening as watching a student’s reaction to a mark. Be it the joy tinged with slightly smug complacency of the 19/20 student, the involuntary groan of disappointment from the 12/20 student who had spent hours on that one assignment, to the detrimentally self fulfilling prophecy reigning supreme in the student who, yet again, received a 4/20.

In a secondary education system that culminates six years of academic flexibility, dynamism, experimentation, disappointment, challenge, resilience, success, delight and ambition… with a single mark, how can we ensure that our students are wholly prepared for a world after school that is characterised by rapid change, temporary social interactions, and technological innovation?  

While the answer is quite easy…we need to change how we see, measure, and value success, it is in the process where the challenge lies - that is; How do we do this while still negotiating a summative system?

As a school founded on faith and focused on learning, O’Connor Catholic College is ideally positioned to embrace such a challenge. Already, we meaningfully place learning at the very core of our practice. We are a learning community, collaboratively seeking to enhance the learning opportunities for all and we are supported by a systemic approach guided predominately by the work of Lyn Sharratt.

Traditionally, while not the intention, society has tended to see the purpose of assessment to simply measure a student’s achievement at the end of a learning sequence – but what do we mean by achievement? A summative task that relies on the memorisation of content as a measure of achievement, sets a student up for failure. Fast forward a year, does that student remember what they learned? What about the big multi-part assignment that became the basis of the learning sequence? Did the students see the transferability of what they were doing in the classroom to the world beyond?

Measures of success must focus on student demonstration of their achievement of the learning goals ; the curriculum expectations we know more commonly as Learning Outcomes. There is still a very real need for assessment at the end of a learning sequence as this provides data of  student learning. And we need to identify student knowledge and skills to inform our teaching and learning sequences – EVERY DAY and in EVERY CLASS. But it is in assessment as learning that we as educators can truly make an impact on student achievement, as this is where we enable students to take responsibility for their learning. No longer passive sponges in the classroom soaking in the knowledge imparted from the ‘sage on the stage’, our students become proactive learners, able to ask questions about their own learning, to create learning goals, to provide and receive feedback from peers, immediate feedback from their teachers, and identify ways in which to move their learning forward.

We see assessment at O’Connor as more than merely the collection and evaluation of evidence of student learning; it is used to enhance engagement and motivation and ultimately it is used to move our students’ learning forward. But in order to be successful in this endeavour, we need pedagogical strategies that empower student autonomy and guarantee a viable curriculum through ensuring consistent teacher expectations and meaningful judgment. To do this, ‘secret teacher business’ needs to be eroded. Learning Intentions and Success Criteria are our agents of change. By making the curriculum expectations clear through the deconstruction of ‘teacher jargon’ our students begin to understand the why of their learning. Measuring their achievement of these expectations with a clarified understanding of how they can demonstrate success is learning EMPOWERMENT and as such, our compass to navigate our  students' learning journey.  

Eli Simpson

Leader of Pedagogy

From the Leader of Learning

Welcome to an exciting year for many of our students with some big changes ahead. Students in Year 10, 11 and 12 by now should have their NESA number. They will use this number to log into Students Online and confirm contact and subject details. Once you have logged into Students Online:

Check your confirmation of entry to ensure your name, courses, address, email and phone number are correct. Inform the school of any name changes or course concerns. You can change your address, email and phone number in the personal details section. Students Online is your source for information about your study from Year 10 to the HSC. This process will be important for students wishing to receive a RoSA as well as receiving HSC results via text message.

Year 11 assessment information evening:

an assessment information evening for all students enrolled in Year 11 is to be held at the College on Monday 18th February, commencing at 6pm in AG4/5 (Examination Centre). The purpose of the evening is to present students, parents and carers with critical information concerning assessment in Stage 6 (Years 11 & 12). 

In addition to a general overview of assessment in Stage 6, the Year 11 assessment booklet will also be handed out at this time. Mr Mitchell Smidt will discuss a range of issues including NSW Education Standards Authority requirements and Ms Menz will also discuss the need for a balanced school/ part-time work to maximise learning outcomes. Leaders of Learning and Year 11 Pastoral teachers will be present and able to discuss issues or concerns that you or your child may have.

Mitchell Smidt

Leader of Learning Curriculum