Assessment

Teachers at Patterson River Secondary College use a wide variety of assessments to monitor student learning, including ongoing learning data analysis to inform formative and summative assessment tasks. Assessment occurs along the learning continuum and supports each student to know where they are at and to understand the next steps to make progress in their learning.  

The majority of feedback is given directly to students in the classroom. Feedback may be formal or informal – from verbal feedback, annotations on essays and corrections on mathematical work, to rubrics and assessment against set criteria. Students at PRSC are also encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning by seeking feedback from their teachers both in and outside of class time. 

Feedback to parents is shared primarily through Compass. Feedback will be provided through the following avenues:

Compass Learning Tasks

In Years 7-10, each subject will assess a minimum of two Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) per semester on Compass. These CATs are aligned to the Victorian Curriculum and students are awarded a level for each task. Teachers may also add other learning tasks such as homework, quizzes and class work requirements.

In Years 11 and 12, teachers will use the Learning Tasks to inform parents/guardians of students’ achievement of VCE and VCAL Outcomes.

Reporting

Regularly reporting on student progress is an integral part of Patterson River Secondary College’s commitment to our parents, guardians and students. Each semester we provide two formal reports on student progress– an Interim Report and an end of semester report. All student reports are available to parents via Compass.

Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 also receive a Mid-term report each term which allows teachers to provide an overview of how they are going and alert parents and guardians to upcoming assessment tasks.

Parent Student Teacher Conferences

Parent Student Teacher conferences provide an opportunity for parents to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss their progress and any concerns. These are held at the start of Term 2 and the end of Term 3. Notification is sent to parents when bookings are open, and these bookings are made through the Compass portal.

Homework

The primary purpose of homework in secondary schooling is to reinforce the development of skills and knowledge across the curriculum and develop a range of organisational and time management skills that are key employability skills. At Patterson River Secondary College we recognise the importance of balancing school and other family and recreational commitments, however, engaging in homework regularly is part of improving student learning outcomes.

Homework tasks are included in the course outlines that are published for students and their families to view in the Resources section of each subject in Compass. In addition, homework is also outlined for students in Years 7-9 in the coloured outlines published each term in the Compass News Feed.

All students should spend time revising the content covered in classes to support their learning. Revision activities are supported through online portals such as Maths Space and Stile. We also expect students to continue the wide reading routine they have established in primary school as they transition to secondary schooling. Finally, work that is not completed in class should be completed for homework to ensure students don’t fall behind in their learning.