Student Report Cards – what’s the rush?

Today, the dispute between the State Government and the Teachers Federation over student report cards was before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.

Maree O'Halloran, Federation President said:

"The State Government today asked the Industrial Relations Commission to recommend that the Federation withdraw its advice to schools. That advice was for schools to continue to use their current reporting systems. The Federation also advised that it would continue negotiations with the State Government to achieve an acceptable reporting framework.

"The Industrial Relations Commission declined to make the recommendation sought by the Government. Instead the parties will have further discussions.

"Federation's advice is based on educational concerns about the Federal and State Governments' new proposals, as well as logistical concerns about the timeline and support for implementation.

"NSW teachers have called for and support clear and concise reporting frameworks. Reports should state achievement and progress; clearly state where a child needs to improve; clearly state how a child can improve and how the school and the home can work together to achieve that improvement.

"NSW syllabuses require assessment and reporting "relative to standards", that is, the child's achievement is measured against a set of standards.

"Teachers oppose governments mandating the use of A to E terminology where, for example,

• the school community wishes to use other terminology
• it is not suitable because of the age of the children
• it does not match syllabus requirements
• students have special needs, such as students newly arrived in Australia, ESL students and students with intellectual disabilities.

The Federation will continue negotiations with the Department of Education and Training to achieve the best possible outcome for all students.

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Last Modified: 28 Feb 2006