Assessment, Reporting and end-of year classes
VCE examinations now have concluded, and our Years 9 to 11 students have commenced their examination period, from 21 to 24 November. We trust all students will do their best and take away as much learning as possible from the outcomes of this period.
Our ongoing portal-based Progressive Reporting system across the whole Secondary School has allowed parents of our Year 7-11 students to be able to access current data on the progress of their children in all of their academic studies at any time again this year. Through the School’s Portal interface our staff are able to provide gradings for tasks, and also include formative comments, giving feedback on the level of achievement, areas for improvement and strategies to achieve those improvements. These regular updates and more expansive feedback on individual assessments have kept parents of our Secondary School students better informed of their child’s progress throughout 2023 and provided occasions for more timely and useful reflections, regular conversations and opportunities for goal setting between parents, students and staff. The Secondary School end-of-semester reports will be a composite of these Progressive Reporting Assessment Tasks (PRATs), with the aforementioned gradings and comments, alongside gradings for behavioural indicators. These behavioural indicators often correlate with academic progress, such that a student who has high level behaviours often is achieving to the best of their ability in their various classes, whereas we find that students with weaker self-discipline, habits and behaviours do not always reach their full potential in class.
Monday 27 November is a non-school day for Year 7 to 11 students, allowing staff time to correct exams and tests and to write reports. Year 9 students and accompanying staff also head off on their Summer Expeditions on this day.
Tuesday 28 November is Exam Handback Day for Years 10 and 11, whilst Years 8 and 9 resume normal classes during that week. Wednesday 29 November to Friday 1 December, our current Year 10 and 11 students will be involved in their 2024 Conferences.
Monday 4 December is the commencement of our Transition period into the 2024 timetable for students currently in Years 7 to 11.
Some subjects (particularly VCE subjects) will commence a unit of 2024 work during the Transition period whilst others will consolidate units of work and prepare for next level studies. It is, therefore, imperative that students attend and continue to maintain their focus for this period immediately after the examination/testing sessions. All students in Years 7 to 11 will continue with their transition classes through to the last day of term, Monday 11 December.
I wish you all a happy and safe holiday break.
Alison Bezaire | Director of Studies
