Ban on mandatory A–E reporting remains

By Wendy Currie

Federation would like to thank teachers in public schools for the hard work you have put into determining how best to approach the very contentious issue of student reports during the past 18 months.

The union has always said it would remain willing at any time to negotiate an appropriate outcome with the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the NSW Government. We have tried on many occasions and in many forums to do this, but the Government has flatly refused to negotiate.

An article in the Daily Telegraph on July 25 raised the issue again. Schools that are being told that 90 per cent of schools have complied with the Government's requirements should note that the President of the NSW Primary Principals Association, Geoff Scott, was reported as saying that individual schools were deciding the best way to report to parents. The same article quoted Public Schools Principals' Forum chair Cheryl McBride saying: "Many schools are not doing A to E but are using word descriptors...Some have made up their own [descriptors] or are using just four instead of five."

Federation's ban is on the mandatory implementation of A-E reporting. The ban provides you with the protection your school needs to make the sorts of decisions described above, that is, decisions that are educationally sound, in the best interests of the your students and are based on the professional judgement of teachers in the context of your school.

In making decisions about how to report, schools should be guided by these principles rather than the dictates of bureaucrats or politicians. In other words, you should ask yourselves whether you would have used a particular aspect on the reports, such as using the word "limited", or the statement that the terminology you've used is equivalent to A to E, if that were not part of the DET requirements. If the answer is no, then you should not use them.

Federation's comprehensive advice issued in March this year is still current as is the fax sent to schools in May. If you would like another copy of either of these please contact the Federation.

If decisions are being made about reports in your school without consultation with classroom teachers, please contact your Federation Organiser.

Wendy Currie is a Research Officer.

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August 2007 contents