Abstract:
The aim of the current study was to explore how National Standards information was reported in writing to parents. The research questions were investigated in the context of a single school from the perspectives of the Acting Principal, two Year 4 teachers and seven parents whose children were in Years 3-5 at the school. The study was grounded in the interpretive framework and was conducted as a qualitative case study. Data was gathered through a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews and the collection of artefacts and documents of relevance to the reporting process. The findings indicated that reporting students’ progress and achievement in relation to National Standards presented both teachers and parents with a number of challenges. It was also apparent that while the school had a policy statement and set of principles that highlighted the role of reporting in developing a learning partnership between the school and home, neither the teachers nor parents experienced reporting as the basis for a mutual exchange of information. Parents voiced a desire for a more learning-focused relationship with their child’s teacher where they could share and exchange ideas about how to help support and further their child’s learning at home.
