Assessments, Reports and Curriculum

Assessment

Assessment is the broad name for the collection and evaluation of evidence of a student's learning. It is integral to teaching and learning and has multiple purposes.

Assessment:

Provides opportunities for teachers to gather evidence about student achievement in relation to syllabus outcomes
Enables students to demonstrate what they know and can do
Clarifies student understanding of concepts and promotes deeper understanding
Provides evidence that current understanding and skills are a suitable basis for future learning.

In the Primary School at WCCS, staff are continually engaged in finding out what students in their class already know and what students don’t yet understand in order to plan learning activities. Teachers also spend time with students during lessons giving feedback on completed tasks. Students also use resources such as Bump it up Walls, Writing Karate Belts, feedback from computer programs such as TTR Rockstars, Numbots, Essential Assessment and Mathletics to understand their own progress and set personal learning goals.

Reporting

Reporting is communication by teachers to parents and carers regarding a student’s progress in learning.

In the Primary School at WCCS, reporting to parents and carers takes a variety of formats:

Parent Teacher Interviews. Parents and Carers meet with their child’s teacher to discuss progress and current learning goals. Some students with additional needs may have a meeting regarding an Individual Learning Plan.
Student Semester 1 and Semester 2 Written School Report. Students are assessed across each semester on how they are demonstrating understanding of the curriculum in each Key Learning Area (eg. English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, HSIE, Creative Arts and PDHPE). This is reported using the NESA Common Grade Scale, where the grade C represents a sound understanding of the curriculum content covered. (These reports are made available on Edumate Term 2 Week 10 and Term 4 Week 8).
Progressive Reports. Teachers also send home a number of assessments throughout each term. This allows parents and carers to receive regular updates regarding how their child is faring with the learning activities completed in class. A notification will come through on the WCCS app when a progressive assessment has been sent home.
Informal updates. Online activities shared using Seesaw (K-4) and other learning platforms such as Google Classroom, give parents and carers a glimpse into activities completed by their child at school.

Assessments and reporting perform a vital function, allowing students, teachers and families to jointly understand what has been learnt and where to next in a student’s learning journey.

Curriculum

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is responsible for developing syllabuses to be taught in New South Wales schools from Kindergarten through to Year 12.

English:

Mathematics: