Assessment
Teachers continually monitor student learning through three types of assessment: summative, formative and diagnostic/standardised.
Summative assessments – are opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do in relation to the year level achievement standard. They are generally completed at the end of a unit of work. Teachers use the quality assured Curriculum to Classroom summative assessments, developed by Education Queensland and aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
Student performance on summative assessments are used to determine the student's level of achievement. Teachers make judgements about student performance on individual assessments and folios of assessment. This in turn informs the student achievement, which is, reflected in Student Report cards.
Diagnostic/standardised/systemic assessments – are designed to identify areas of strength and weakness at individual, class and cohort level. Student performance in these assessments inform teaching and learning. At SSS, these include reading assessments (PM Benchmark and PROBE), Early Start assessments, PAT (Maths, Reading as required) and annual NAPLAN.
Formative assessments – are used by highly effective teachers to gather evidence to inform the next steps of teaching. They are used continuously throughout the year and occur minute by minute, day by day. Most commonly, teachers at Salisbury State School use pre-assessments (formative assessments implemented prior to units of work) to determine where student performance lies aligned to the upcoming summative assessment.
Reporting
Teachers complete written reports twice yearly, in Term 2 and Term 4. Written reports provide information to parents about a student's performance in each subject area studied that semester, including student effort and behaviour. Students are awarded an overall grade that uses a common five-point scale.
Prep students receive a written report card which uses the five point scale of Applying, Making Connections, Working with, Exploring and Becoming Aware to report student achievement in English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography. Prep teachers will use comments to report on student achievement in the early learning areas of Social and Personal Learning, Health and Physical Learning and Active Learning Processes.
Year 1 and 2 use the five point scale of Very High, High, Sound, Developing and Support Required to report on student achievement. Teachers report on effort and behaviour using the same 5 point scale.
Year 3 to 6 use the five point scale of A, B, C, D, E or N (insufficient evidence) to report on student achievement. Teachers report on effort and behaviour in these year levels using: Excellent, Very Good, Satisfactory, Needs attention and Unacceptable.
Additionally, parent-teacher interviews are offered twice yearly at the end of Term One and Three. These interviews are offered in the afternoon/evenings. An online booking system is used for bookings.