At St Helena, our approach to assessment and reporting aims to support student learning and development through consistent, informed, and reflective practices. We focus on facilitating progress by providing timely feedback, setting meaningful goals, and celebrating each student’s learning journey. Our process ensures we meet both the unique needs of our learners and mandated reporting requirements.
What Does Assessment and Reporting Involve?
- Gathering and analysing evidence to make informed judgements that improve student learning and teaching practices.
- Monitoring student progress regularly to provide timely support and extension opportunities.
- Encouraging self-reflection, goal setting, and celebrating learning achievements.
- Satisfying mandated reporting requirements through comprehensive and clear communication with families.
Teachers Provide
- Information about student knowledge, skills, and behaviour to guide the next stage of learning.
- Ongoing, constructive, and timely feedback to promote continuous improvement.
- Opportunities for reflection and self-assessment to develop independent learning habits.
- Clear communication of student progress and achievement in relation to the curriculum standards.
Reports
Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences are conducted in Terms 1 and 3. These conferences are held after the release of reports, allowing for meaningful discussions on student performance and goal setting for future learning.
Years 7-10 Reports Include
- Information about student knowledge, skills, and behaviour to guide learning progression.
- Timely feedback to support students in reflecting on their work and setting improvement goals.
- Assessment against the Victorian Curriculum, which outlines the specific knowledge, understanding, and skills required at each year level.
- Written reports issued at the end of each term that position students on the Victorian Curriculum continuum. While students develop at different rates, most progress through a curriculum level each year.
- Work Habits – Approaches to Learning, which are recorded on a continuum from Not Satisfactory to Excellent. Students assess themselves against criteria such as Effort, Organisation, Class Behaviour, Work Submission, and Learning Progress, helping them recognise strengths and identify areas for improvement.
Types of Assessment
Assessment Tasks
Major summative tasks, such as end-of-unit tests or project work, assess a student’s achievement against Victorian Curriculum standards. These tasks are accompanied by detailed rubrics and feedback outlining the student’s performance and providing guidance on the next steps in their learning.
Progress Tasks
These are smaller, formative tasks within a unit of work that offer snapshots of student performance. Achievement is recorded using the following scale: Very Low, Low, Moderate, Good, Very Good, Excellent.
Overall Unit Level
This is the final level of achievement for a unit, incorporating performance across assessment tasks, progress tasks, and classwork.
VCE, VET, and VCAL Reporting
VCE Reports Include
- School-Assessed Coursework (SACs): Each VCE unit contains SACs that contribute to the final score, reported as a percentage.
- S/N Grades: At the end of each semester, students receive a grade of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (N), reflecting their demonstration of required outcomes for the unit.
VET and VM Reports Include
- Units of Competency: Progress is reported as Competent, Not Yet Competent, or Not Assessed, reflecting mastery of VET or VM unit outcomes.