As we pass through our intense assessment period, in which we formally assess the progress of our learning for the end of our units in preparation for report cards, learning continues. New focus areas and units have commenced, and continuity of learning is important in this time.

My article today will focus on Curriculum. We are in our current reporting period for Semester 1 and how the Curriculum is structured impacts on the format and information portrayed in our Academic Reports. 

What is the ACARA Curriculum? 

We do not write the curriculum as teachers, it is provided to us, as it is to all other Australian Schools.  We use the ‘Australian Curriculum’ (ACARA). We are currently in a state of change as we transition from ACARA version 8.4 to Version 9.0.  Many of these changes students and families will not even notice as we move fully to version 9.0 by the end of 2027.  One place you may notice some differences is in our report card, the intent of these changes is to create clarity in our reporting for our families.

How is the curriculum structured?

Our curriculum is provided to us in two distinct ways P-10 and Senior Schooling 11-12.  The information included here encapsulates P-10 Curriculum.  Remember that learning is progressive over a year or two-year band depending on the curriculum area. Four subjects, Technology, The Arts, Health and Physical Education, and Languages are developed over two years of curriculum.

Arts and Technology are broken down further into subjects that are then mapped across each year of schooling.  In one semester your child may only do part of these areas but over the year they engage in learning in each of these subjects.  Be aware that in the reporting period the balance between each individual subjects may not be even, due to the learning that has taken place in this semester. An example of this might be in Technologies. A class might do a small amount of Design and Technologies this semester with the larger focus on Digital Technologies, therefore the Overall result given may be weighted more heavily on their Digital Technologies result.  At the beginning of each unit, teachers share course descriptions, these will give you information about the focus of each unit.

How do teachers utilise the Curriculum?

As teachers we utilise all elements of the Curriculum to inform our planning, teaching and the learning of your children.   

How do we report on your child’s learning?

We use the Australian Curriculum to guide our teaching and assessment and offer multiple opportunities for our students to express their learning and progress through both formative and summative assessment. At the conclusion of each semester our College provides a written report for all students based on the evidence collected during the reporting period. The Semester 1 report card shows the progress of your child. It provides an opportunity for parents/legal guardians to engage meaningfully in the learning journey of their child. Academic Achievement is reported in the report card using a 5-point scale from A-E.

Our report cards will also include one Application and Attitude result for each Key Learning Area.  This semester we will use a new single result for Application and Attitude using a 5-point scale. This change in scale aligns to the direction from Toowoomba Catholic Schools Teaching and Learning Framework.  As staff we are excited about the change to a 5-point scale for Application and Attitude to Learning. We are working together to ensure clarity and consistency of understanding and use of this new scale. Below is an image from our report cards with the scale descriptions for Achievement and Application & Attitude to Learning.

Mrs Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Mission and Identity