Our teachers use a variety of strategies to assess student learning. These include observing work in class and looking closely at tasks throughout the year.
Twice a year, teachers formally assess a student’s achievement based on the outcomes described in the syllabus of each subject.
As a parent or carer of a primary-aged child, you’ll receive a written report using the common grade scale in the first half of the year, usually near the end of Term 2, and again in Term 4. It gives you a clear picture of your child’s achievements – what they know and can do.
In Years 7 to 10, we use the common grade scale in reporting. In Year 11, we use the Preliminary grade scale.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses are assessed on achievement of competencies.
Assessments
We provide detailed information to students about what we expect from them throughout the year and how their work will be assessed. Students have a number of formal assessments throughout their schooling.
- Best Start – a mandatory, one-to-one assessment that identifies a student’s literacy and numeracy skills at the beginning of Kindergarten.
- National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) – reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, punctuation and grammar) and numeracy tests for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) holds the tests in May each year. Results and student reports are released in August.
- Validation of Assessment for Learning and Individual Development (VALID) – online diagnostic science assessments for students in Year 8. Some schools also choose to sit the tests in Years 6 and 10.
- The Record of School Achievement (RoSA) is awarded to eligible students who leave school before completing their Higher School Certificate. The RoSA records a student’s grades between the end of Year 10 and when they leave school.
- The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is an internationally recognised qualification awarded to students who successfully complete Years 11 and 12 in NSW.
- Some students may apply for placement in a selective high school. For more information, visit selective high schools and opportunity classes.
PScale
Reporting Guidelines and Explanations
Explanation of Achievement
| Achievement | Achievement Description |
|---|---|
| Independent | The student completes tasks independently, without assistance. The student maintains the skills or knowledge over time. The student generalises the skills or knowledge to new settings, people or materials. |
| Frequent | The student relies on partial prompts to complete a task. The student can regularly perform the skill or demonstrate knowledge. The student uses the skills or knowledge in a variety of familiar settings and situations. |
| Occasional | The student understands information, concepts and/or can perform skill. The student often relies on physical or verbal assistance when participating in a task. The student has begun to demonstrate the skills in selected, familiar settings. |
| Beginning | The student has some existing prior knowledge and/or necessary pre-skills for the task. The student is beginning to participate in a task with maximum teacher assistance. The student uses skills and knowledge in a single setting. |