Curriculum Trends across Australia in 2000

Curriculum Trends across Australia in 2000 - State by State

ACACA Compulsory Years of Schooling Group

Published by the Board of Studies NSW for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)

New South Wales

4. Reporting at the End of the Compulsory Years

4.2 What is the purpose of external (i.e. by systems/Board/Council) reporting in the compulsory years in your state/territory? (if any)

The Board of Studies reports student achievement in the School Certificate to students, parents and schools. Individual reports to students/parents showing satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion of mandatory studies, school grades and test results provide an overall picture of a student’s achievement throughout the School Certificate program. The test reports showing achievement within bands provide meaningful and detailed feedback with clear descriptions of levels of achievement in relation to expected standards. Principals receive a report showing similar information about each student at the school with the addition of school and statewide percentages for each band.

Students in government schools are assessed through the following statewide testing programs which are designed by the Department:

Basic Skills Tests in literacy and numeracy in Years 3 and 5
Writing Assessment Program in Years 3 and 5
English Language and Literacy Assessment in Years 7 and 8
Secondary Numeracy Assessment Program in Year 7 (may later be extended to Year 8 as well).

The results of these tests are reported to the students’ parents, the school and the system.

The reporting of the results assists:

teachers to identify and cater for the individual needs of students
schools to assess and adapt their programs to better meet the needs of the students
the system to track performance over time and better evaluate statewide programs and initiatives.