The 'A to E' reporting system in schools

What does everyone think of this? It was the front page article on todays Daily Telegraph (Sydney) and I actually agree with Mr Iemma on this one LOL. After the debacle that was Lindsay's report this year with standardised comments and no real idea of how he was going based on thsoe comments, I think I would much prefer the 'old' system of using A to E grades and rankings to know how he is going and also how he compares to other children. Being told that he is achieving his outcomes in class isn't enough for me, I want to know how he compares to other children, not to say that 'oh my son is 2nd in his class' but so that I know, 'well there are x amount of kids doing better than he is' so we can improve on those areas kwim?

So what does everyone else think?

I have to say I am not happy either way.. My son gets a report card and basically says he can do it or can't do it or is trying... But I don't agree with the A to E marking, I believe children should be marked on their own efforts not as a comparison

Not sure what else they can do though

Unfortunately when I left on maternity leave last year the A-E reporting wasn not going to be what most people think it will be. Basically those kids who are doing things right and achieving the strands outcomes will get a C, which in my opinion will annoy a lot of people as a "C" is seen as "only a pass". My school was not encouraging marking on a bell curve or anything like that. It seems it is simply changing the name of the already set criteria.

DD brought home A-E reports this year and it's the first year she's been worried about her performance...about getting a "bad" report. Too much of a coincidence really, the old system highlighted strengths and areas for development whereas ground into our national psyche with A-E are the concepts of "passing" or "failing". Not sure how helpful that actually is?

I am really disappointed with the reports that my kids have been bringing home this year. I want to know how they are performing on a class level and what I can do to encourage them with other stuff.

I dont know how to fix it but i would like to take it back to the old system..

I'll be happy for DD to be graded against the rest of her class when she's at school. I think it makes more sense to see where someone is in the spectrum than within themselves in an academic thing. Individual merits and improvements are for hobbies.

When a child enters the job market (which school is supposed to prepare them for) they need to realise they're up against everyone else, competing for jobs. Employers aren't going to say "well, you're not qualified but you're improving so i'll hire you"!

Bx

My daughter just started school this year, so this is the only reporting I have known, since I went to school.

Caits report had a section on what the school/teacher will do for her and a section for what we can do at home. I am happy with the A-E, I understand that if you get all C's you're doing really well. But if your child comes home with a D or E on something, it should not be a shock. I mean, if there are learning issues, they should be bought to your attention before report time and thats if you didn't already know they existed. Also, the reports at Caits school are only part of their reporting system - they also do portfolios with assessments and pieces of work and there is an interview.

In Caits case, because she is a fair bit ahead in some areas, I talk to her teacher at least monthly about her progress.

I think you have to ask to see how your child is performing against the rest of the grade, it's not something that is given out with the reports. But I don;t think many people know that information exists.

It is a lot more work for the teachers, but in the long run it will help them track a childs progress over the years.

It probably needs refining, but I like the system.

Barb.

As a teacher, and not yet a parent, I have a different opinion on the whole report card things. As Sarem mentioned, with the proposed A-E system, a child who is achieiving at their year level, will get a C, ahild who is 6mths ahead a B, and a child 6 mths behind a D, and so on. My problem with this as a middle school teacher (a year8/9 class) is that I have a huge and i mean huge range of abilities - i have studnets who are achieving a good four years behind what they should be due to literacy and learning difficulties. Now, these students still put huge amounts of efforts into their work, yet if they were to get a grade reflecting how they stood in the year level, it would be an E or F or U. Not much for the whole encouragement! Yes, I think it is important to get relevant comments from the teacher, that shows what they have achieved, but also points out future areas for improvement. I personally think that these comments are more important than a grade. However, the comments are limited to space, so if you've got queries or concern, I know I would be happy to talk to a parent at any time, and not necessailry leaving it to the end of term and parent evening. How relevant is it to know how your child is doing, compared to other students? I don't think this would really affect your child's own learning and its much more important to know what your own child is doing and what things can be worked on in the future. I really don't think this is important in early years of schooling, maybe later on and definately in the senior years.
Not sure how the A-E system will reflect progress from year to year, they will just either get a C each year if they are achieving each outcome to that year's standarr or grades either way. A better way to see improvement is with student portfolio's that they build up every year - you can see how their writing has developed each year and if it has changed in sophistication, etc.
I think there are better ways, and I think one of them, is ongoing communication with parents, initiated by both the teachers and the parents.

I really don't like these A-E reporting. In the ACT, we weren't on these until last term. Until then, my daughter was above age level in reading and now she's a D. Apparently she can't cope with the pressure of 'speed testing' reading and comprehension. I can't say that I'm surprised as she's just turned 8! I just don't think that this system fosters a desire to learn for learnings sake.

Im also a teacher and this system has just been introduced into the WA school system with a great amount of trepidation from teachers and parents. I agree that it is hard for parents who are used to seeing their children come home with brilliant reports starting to get reports with C's on them. The problem with the reports is that the grade only reflects the child'ss progress against the outcomes, with no room for reflection on improvements etc.
I personally dont like to rank or compare children in classes because I feel that it is detrimental to learning and just worries and concerns parents uneccisarily.
I agree that a better reflection of childrens learning and progress over a year can be seen in their portfolios of work etc.

Just imagine how it feels for those students who go their whole school life with D's or E's. Would want to keep learning and coming to school?