Have your say on outcomes assessment and reporting

By Wendy Currie

Federation encourages teachers to respond to both the DET and Board of Studies documents about outcomes assessment and reporting.

The Department of Education and Training's (DET's) own consultation about revised guidelines for K-6 assessment and reporting will be distributed early in term 4 and the Board of Studies is conducting consultation on mandatory outcomes that arose from Ken Eltis's report, Time to Teach, Time to Learn (Education, September 13).

DET's consultation document contains draft "statements of expectations" that are intended to clarify what the DET's expectations are of schools and teachers in relation to curriculum planning and programming, assessment and reporting. It will also provide draft support material.

The purpose of the document is to provide guidance about meeting the expectations in a manageable way. It is not meant to limit what schools do or can do in the future. To this end it also contains a number of draft sample reporting formats.

Federation understands that one of these may include reporting against "levels of achievement" within the stages. Complicating reporting on staged outcomes for primary and infants students by overlaying a series of "levels of achievement" for each stage was rejected by Federation's Annual Conference in 2003. Federation's position is supported by the Primary Principals Association and the P & C and was strongly advocated by all three organisations at meetings of the Reference Group.

While Federation is represented on the Reference Group, it should be noted that the role of this group is limited to providing advice about levels of consultation and communication, time-frames, the nature of support and support structures needed to implement the recommendations from the Eltis report.

The document about to be circulated for consultation is not an "agreed" document, although Federation has been involved in consultation throughout its development.

Hard copies will be distributed to schools and it will also be available on DET's website. Up to 20 regional meetings are also being held as part of the consultation.

Based on members concerns about what was occurring in schools, Federation initiated the review of K-6 outcomes based assessment and reporting that led to the Eltis report. It is now important for teachers' views about implementing the Eltis Report's recommendations to be heard.

Wendy Currie is a Research Officer.

For further information

October 2004 contents