Review for annual school reports

By Sally Edsall

Following the re-election of the Carr Government, the Department of Education and Training (DET) has moved to review the format of annual school reports.

This is in part connected to the Government's election promise to make all such reports available on the internet. This would replace the present requirement to provide a copy of the report to every family, and principals exercising discretion about posting the report on the internet. Federation has advised schools not to start work on annual school reports until negotiations are finalised and information is communicated to schools by Federation.

It is the view of Federation that the due date for the 2003 annual school reports should be no earlier that the end of term 1, 2004.

The current format was included in the former Teachers award at the previous insistence of the Government. Now the Government wants to make changes, the agreement of both parties to the award is necessary.

Of greatest concern to Federation is the capacity that other parties would have to construct league tables of school performance by accessing information from the internet. This could be made possible if schools report data derived from mass, statewide testing against state averages. A regulation attached to the Education Act, and protocols agreed between Federation and DET in 1997, prevent the publication of league tables, and proscribe the capacity of any party to enable such publication.

Federation adopted a comprehensive policy on assessment and reporting at its Annual Conference in July 2003.

Conference reiterated Federation's opposition to annual school reports which:

i) compare school results with state averages and results
ii) refer to the percentages and/or numbers of students operating in particular bands
iii) allege a "value added" effect of programs through comparison of results at different grade levels.

On the mass testing agenda, the policy says:

"As the professional and industrial voice of public school and TAFE teachers in this state, the NSW Teachers Federation, along with the Australian Education Union and interstate teacher unions, reaffirms its longstanding opposition to mass, statewide testing schemes such as the Basic Skills Tests. This opposition is based on the premise that mass, statewide testing is a shallow, simplistic educational practice that is a waste of public funds."

The policy asserts that education is impoverished through the mass testing agenda and the industry which it has spawned.

"The Federation's objections to mass statewide testing regimes are based on the following:

"*A mass, statewide test is not an accurate measure of the total of students' understandings, skills and general abilities.

"*Measurable outcomes may be the least significant results of learning. It's easier to quantify how many semicolons are used correctly in an essay than how many wonderful ideas it contains. Those who have an obsession with 'specific, measurable standards' end up dumbing down the process of learning. Educators aim to nurture intrinsic motivation and a desire for intellectual exploration.

"*Mass, statewide testing advocates see testing essentially as an enforcement mechanism. This is an insulting view of educators, and is based on an assumption that teachers cannot be trusted.

"*Mass, statewide tests necessarily create failure. Despite the rhetoric of its advocates, this form of testing is not about helping all children to become better learners. It is, in fact, a device for artificially categorising, ranking and labelling students, school communities and schooling systems.

"*The inevitable pressure to raise scores means that there is less time to actively engage students' minds through in-depth study of issues, hands-on experiences and inquiry which promote a genuine passion for learning.

"*Mass, statewide tests tend to measure the temporary acquisition of facts and skills. This promotes a reliance on direct-instruction techniques and endless practice tests, including the skill of test taking itself, rather than genuine understanding. Skills-based instruction tends to foster low-level uniformity and subvert academic potential. The quality of learning declines most for those who have least motivation.

"*Annual Reports do not allow a balance of reporting of all aspects of student learning and reflect a bias towards the reporting of mass, statewide test results.

"*Mass, statewide tests inevitably reflect social and cultural biases. The questions require a set of knowledge, skills and understandings more likely to be possessed by children from certain cultural backgrounds and therefore alienate a significant proportion of our students.

"*The inequities of such tests are exacerbated by socio-economic factors. Affluent families have more access to a better-resourced environment, for example, often purchasing commercially produced materials and hiring tutors."

Policy

Sally Edsall is a Research Officer.

For further information

September 2003 contents