Reporting and Using Grades

Requirements for reporting to parents and carers on student progress and achievement are mandated by the Commonwealth Government and set out in regulation 59 of the Australian Education Regulations 2023 (Cth). Schools and sectors determine how these requirements are implemented in their contexts.

One of the Commonwealth Government requirements for reporting to parents and carers in Years 1 to 10 is to use grades A, B, C, D and E or an equivalent 5-point scale for each subject studied. The NSW Common Grade Scale can be used to meet this reporting requirement.

A to E grades are not required for reporting on student achievement in Early Stage 1. Reports may describe student progress and achievement through teacher comments. Teachers should refer to a variety of information about student progress and achievement in relation to the outcomes assessed and the content taught up to the relevant point in time. Sectors or schools may have specific reporting requirements for Early Stage 1 to be followed by teachers.  

A to E grades are not required for reporting on student achievement in relation to Life Skills outcomes.

NESA does not determine how schools report to parents and carers, however, there are specific requirements for reporting student achievement on NESA credentials for Years 10, 11 and 12. Stage 5 Course Performance Descriptors are to be used by teachers to determine grades at the end of Stage 5 courses. NESA provides a Common Grade Scale for Preliminary Courses that is used to report student achievement in Year 11 courses on NESA credentials. Requirements for reporting to NESA on HSC courses are provided with the relevant syllabuses.

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The common grade scales summarise the standard or quality of achievement associated with different  grades or levels. The scales describe the knowledge, understanding and skills that students working at each grade typically demonstrate. Teachers are not limited to set numbers of each grade within their class or school. Students with disability who receive adjustments to assessment activities should have access to the full range of grades.

NESA has developed a Common Grade Scale for Years 1 to 10 and a Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses that can be used to report student achievement using A to E grades.

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The Common Grade Scale shown below can be used to report student achievement in Years 1 to 10 in NSW schools.

The scale describes performance at each of the 5 grade levels.

A

The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.

B

The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.

C

The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.

D

The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills.

E

The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.

If teachers use the Common Grade Scale to report student achievement in Years 1-10:

• the full range of grades can be used at any point in time in relation to what has been taught
• the grade reported should reflect student achievement in relation to the syllabus outcomes for the relevant stage of learning
• students in the first year of a stage are not restricted to lower grades
• students do not need to be working beyond the syllabus for their stage to receive a grade A or B.

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A separate Common Grade Scale for Preliminary Courses is used to report student achievement in Year 11 courses on NESA credentials.

The scale describes performance at each of the 5 grade levels.

A

The student demonstrates extensive knowledge of content and understanding of course concepts, and applies highly developed skills and processes in a wide variety of contexts. In addition, the student demonstrates creative and critical thinking skills using perceptive analysis and evaluation. The student effectively communicates complex ideas and information.

B

The student demonstrates thorough knowledge of content and understanding of course concepts, and applies well-developed skills and processes in a variety of contexts. In addition, the student demonstrates creative and critical thinking skills using analysis and evaluation. The student clearly communicates complex ideas and information.

C

The student demonstrates sound knowledge of content and understanding of course concepts, and applies skills and processes in a range of familiar contexts. In addition, the student demonstrates skills in selecting and integrating information and communicates relevant ideas in an appropriate manner.

D

The student demonstrates a basic knowledge of content and understanding of course concepts, and applies skills and processes in some familiar contexts. In addition, the student demonstrates skills in selecting and using information and communicates ideas in a descriptive manner.

E

The student demonstrates an elementary knowledge of content and understanding of course concepts, and applies some skills and processes with guidance. In addition, the student demonstrates elementary skills in recounting information and communicating ideas.

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Holistic on-balance judgements are based on a range of assessment information and used to determine overall student achievement in relation to performance standards. To support holistic on-balance judgements, teachers should provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their achievement in relation to the syllabus outcomes in a variety of ways and in a range of situations.

When making a judgement about the grade that best matches each student’s overall achievement at a particular point in time, teachers should:

• review all relevant assessment information for the reporting period
• consider the nature and quality of the assessment information
• compare what the student has demonstrated with the descriptions for each grade
• base the judgement about the grade on the standard the student has demonstrated by the end of the reporting period.

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The Commonwealth Government requirement for reporting to parents can be met with an overall grade for each subject studied. It is not necessary to report on all syllabus Focus Areas or outcomes in every reporting period. Schools and teachers decide what to report on to determine a grade for each subject.

The full range of grades can be used to report student achievement at any point in a stage or course in relation to what has been taught up to that point in time. All students need to be presented with opportunities to demonstrate achievement across the full range of grades.

When reporting grades before the end of a stage, teachers consider what has been taught up to that point in time to determine the grade that best matches the standards demonstrated so far. For example, a student in Year 3 should not be limited to a C, D or E grade just because they are at the beginning of a stage. Similarly, students do not need to be working beyond the syllabus for their stage to receive a grade A or B.