Analysis Lens 2: Forms of reporting

Forms of reporting

Forms of reporting include:

Informal reporting

Informal reporting, which commonly refers to:

  • Emails exchanged between a student and teacher, or a teacher and a parent, about a learning progress
  • Impromptu conversations, face-to-face or via telephone, between a teacher and a parent about a child's learning progress.

Interim reporting

This describes a form of reporting that occurs prior to more structured or formal reporting to give an early 'heads up' to students and parents about learning progress

Formal report

This refers to a more 'traditional' form of reporting that has been in use for more than a century and which often takes the form of a printed document issued twice a year to parents

Continuous reporting

This refers to reporting that harnesses digital technologies to provide teacher, students and parents access to assessment information in 'real-time' and which can provide scope for teacher judgements to be made against the achievement standards at any time in a reporting period (so, not tied to an 'end-of-semester' formal report)

Structured learning conversations

This can take many forms, including:

  • Parent-Teacher Interviews, which are commonly led by the teacher
  • Student-Led Conferences, which are commonly led by the student, who shares all or part of a learning portfolio
  • Student Learning Conversations, which commonly take the form of a three-way dialogue (teacher, parent, student), where all take turns to lead part of the conversation, learning with and from each other

Learning portfolios

These usually describes a deliberately gathered set of learning artefacts (digital or other) and reflections that richly illuminate learning progress and growth over time. 

Suggested dialogue questions: 

    In light of our aspiration for student reporting, and the principles we identified as important to us – what combination of these forms of reporting are more likely to address what families want and need to know in relation to a young person’s progress and achievement in our school community?