Assessment is an integral part of the learning process and includes:
Assessment for learning . . .
Assessment of learning . . .
Assessment as learning . . .
Assessment for learning is a regular part of learning and teaching and the information gained is used to shape the learning and teaching process.
Assessment of learning is assessment for accountability purposes, to determine a student’s level of performance on a specific task or at the conclusion of a unit of learning. The information gained from this kind of assessment is often used in reporting.
Assessment as learning enables students to learn more. Its main purpose is self-monitoring. When assessment as learning principles are employed, students come to understand what it means to be responsible for their own learning – the foundation of lifelong learning.
Reporting is the process by which assessment information is communicated in ways that assist students, parents, teachers in making decisions by providing information about what students know and can do, along with recommendations for their future learning.
Evidence should be gathered from assessment and involves teachers making professional judgements about the level of students’ achievements at key points in the learning cycle. To assist with this process the teachers use a standards-based performance scale. This is a generic scale that can be applied to all Learning Areas at all Year levels.
Written Reporting
To assist schools to comply with the requirements of the Australian Government, a diocesan format for student reporting is used by all primary schools. This common format is in the form of a web based package with a standard template for Years 1 – 3 and 4 – 7. Secondary Colleges use a reporting format best suited to the needs of older students but are required to use a five-point scale to indicate achievement against set standards.
Schools formally report student progress to parents / caregivers each semester using a five-point scale to indicate progress. Teachers report to parents through other methods prior to formal reporting to ensure that there are ‘no surprises’ about the achievement of their son/daughter when receiving the twice-yearly formal report.
QCE & OP scores
An indicator of senior student performance is the Overall Position (OP) results. Overall Positions (OPs) provide a State-wide rank order of students from 1 (highest) to 25 (lowest) based on students’ achievement in Authority subjects studied for the Queensland Senior Certificate. A student’s OP shows how well that student has performed in their senior studies when compared with the performances of all other OP-eligible students in Queensland.
OPs are used in the selection of students for tertiary education courses. They are used by tertiary institutions as one basis for selecting applicants for a course when there are more eligible applicants than quota places for that course. Students are eligible for an OP at the end of Year 12 provided they have completed a minimum of 20 semester units of Authority subjects, including at least three subjects for all four semesters, and sat for the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test in that year.
From 2008 students completing Year 12 have been eligible to receive a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Whilst the Senior Certificate is a statement of achievement and is provided to students independently of the level of their achievements, the QCE is a qualification which requires students to meet minimum standards of achievements across a specified number of subjects and fulfil literacy and numeracy requirements.
Overall QCE and OP results of the Diocese’s secondary colleges are reported in Catholic Education’s Annual Reports.
