A Framework and Principles for Written Reporting

administrator

A major role of schools is to develop constructive learning partnerships with the home, and in doing so, support parental involvement in a child’s learning. An aspect of this partnership is the reliance parents place on a common assessment practice – the written report. If the written report is successful in meeting the purposes of reporting, the learning partnership is likely to be strengthened.

This research set out to make explicit the expectations and preferences of each partner in the learning partnership, with regard to school reporting. It is school leaders’ and teachers’ beliefs which influence practice, but it is parents who are the intended audience of the report. In order to achieve a greater understanding of written reporting, the research has taken us back to the purposes and first principles of reporting. It appears likely that the development of a learning partnership has much to do with the nature of the information reported.

This research is an excerpt from the Journey's of Discovery publication of the Cognition Institute and can be downloaded here