Principal Report

Dear families,

Today your child will return home with their portfolio. They have walked out of school very proud of their efforts. On Compass you will find the grade the teacher applied and rubric for their work. It is just one piece of work out of many they share through a semester. The grade can differ to what will be on the final summary report. At the end of the Semester (week 9) you will also get the traditional summary report. 

I thought in this week's newsletter I would share some background on where this change has come from, and where we are hopefully heading. As always we have your 

Student Reporting System 

At Rolling Hills Primary School we are continually striving to improve student learning and give our students every opportunity to thrive. 

One of the areas we have been working on to improve is student reporting.  We are moving to ‘Ongoing Reporting’ through our Compass app. 

Please find below a information for you to view regarding our new approach to reporting. 

What is Ongoing Reporting and Compass? (our School Communication App) 

Ongoing reporting is the process of reporting regularly throughout the year, rather than just at specified times of the year.  

As teachers, we assess our students throughout the semester using a wide range of tools to grade and help them set their goals.  

In the past, parents did not get a report on how their child was doing until the end of a semester, which was often a long time after the assessment had taken place. The report was a summary of their learning through that semester. The system of ongoing reporting will allow parents to get an up-to-date, timely snapshot of what their child is learning at regular intervals, and how they are progressing throughout the year. 

What are Assessment Rubrics 

An assessment rubric is how teachers assess a student’s learning against the curriculum and criteria.  

Foundation to Level 6 rubrics outline a continuum of development based on the expected level of achievement for each year of schooling. They are intended to be in the language that is provided through the Victorian Curriculum.  

What are Learning Tasks?

Learning tasks are pieces of work that students complete to demonstrate their learning over a unit or topic. They are often a snapshot in time. Sometimes students can achieve more or less on an individual learning task than what is shared on a summary report. The final grade for the semester is based on more than the learning task. Learning tasks are accompanied by assessment rubrics and are also visible on Compass.  

Portfolios 

Your child’s portfolio showcases their work in reading, writing, mathematics and inquiry. The portfolio has a physical work sample, while the learning task on Compass shows the Victorian Curriculum level the work was awarded. They are designed to be viewed together. 

The specialist teachers have been trialing a digital system to collate work samples through a semester. These are viewable through a QR code in your portfolio that be scanned on your phone or other device.  

What are Interim Reports 

An interim report is a short report indicating how your child is progressing in their learning (achievement), organisation, their behaviour, their work habits (effort) and their attendance.  

Interim reports are an effective way to monitor how your child is doing at school as they are available at the end of Term 1 and Term 3. They enable you to work with your child’s teachers to provide any necessary support. The first interim report will be available in Term 3 2023.  

What are Summary Reports 

Summary reports show the students' level of achievement over a whole semester and they are shared with you on Compass in the last week of each semester. 

Accessing rubrics and Student Reports on Compass 

This guide will show you how to access your child/s reports and assessment rubrics on Compass (our School Communication App). 

If you are unsure how to access our Compass App please call our office on 03 9726 4454 for your log in/password. 

If you would like to discuss this new system further, please do not hesitate to contact Damien Smith (Report Coordinator) or Paul Taylor (Technology Support) on 03 9726 4454. 

Why the change? 

Educational experts agree that timely, specific feedback is one of the most powerful ways to enhance achievement. In response to this research, and our school goal of improving parent- school communication, we have decided to revise the way we report on student progress. 

As a school we have been investigating this since June 2022 and we are now ready to move to a system of ‘ongoing reporting’ where students and parents are given regular feedback on student performance and achievement. 

Our previous reporting system consisted of two end-of-semester reports each year, supplemented by Parent-Teacher interviews in Term 1 and 3. 

The new system, ‘ongoing reporting’, will involve: 

• Parent, Student, Teacher goal setting interviews in Term 1, and by request in Term 3 
• Interim Reports at the end of Term 1 and Term 3 – to let you know how your child is progressing in their learning, organisation, behaviour, effort and attendance. 
• Feedback at the end of class units, with each core subject (reading/writing/mathematics/inquiry) being reported on twice during the semester.  

Summary reports at the end of each semester. Students in Prep to 6 will receive a Victorian Curriculum achievement level mark (the ‘dot point’ mark that was on previous reports).  

The school is very keen to move to this new system, as we believe it will enhance student achievement and improve communication between families and the school. 

We look forward to working with you to implement the new reporting system.

Finally, Emily Murcott will be taking leave for the next 3 weeks. We all wish her a great trip. We will be covering her role through the leadership team. If there any urgent issues please feel free to contact myself and I will be happy to help.

Kind Regards, 

Craig Bradley