The effective assessment of student ICT capability can improve the quality of the information provided to parents in reports.
Semester reports need to be written in a way that considers the needs of the parents.
There also must be a balance between being informative and being brief.
Report Writing for Teachers on ICT Learning
Here are my top tips when reporting to parents on their child's level of ICT capability.
What can the child do?
Set this in the context of the experiences that the student has had over a period of time.
For this question, it would be about you breaking down where you believe the child is at in terms of the functioning level in the ICT capability learning continuum.
Remember though, that parents do not understand this, so it would not be meaningful to simply report that a child was functioning at a particular level.
I would suggest that the same type of information which you gathered for other teachers would be of benefit, but phrased in a way that was most meaningful for the parents.
For example:
- What ICT techniques have they learned?
- What software have they used to gain these skills?
- For what purpose did they use these software and ICT techniques? etc.
Are there any special accomplishments and what difficulties have been encountered?
Again phrase this in a way for parents or carers to understand.
What is the level of attainment in terms of the National Curriculum?
It is a good idea to discuss the student’s level in relation to other students of the same age group throughout the country rather than their position within the class.
It is important that if this comparison is to be meaningful, you need to have background information about the overall ability of the class itself.
Identify ways of improvement
Identify how the student can improve making reference to future topics and activities as well as more specific advice on ways in which the child could be assisted to improve.
Avoid comments on software
Never place pressure on parents to spend money on software or a computer for example, in order for the student to improve their expertise.
Use a vocabulary parents can understand
Rephrase your information as you would with teachers for parents to understand. Keep information about the student’s ICT capability, in some sense related to the attainment level descriptions, if they do not actually a level to a student.
Review Task-based assessments
For each student, review your task-based assessments and refer to the complete folder of the student’s work.
Make a summary
Summarise the comments made about the student’s ICT capability during the term/semester/year.
Refer to the evidence gathered
Throughout the semester or year, you will have defined and gathered the evidence you needed to accurately report on a child's learning progress. Use these to demonstrate what they have achieved to date/
One last point to remember and that is the key to progression and continuity in student ICT capability is effective development. From this, you can proficiently write on their capabilities and this information is then great to use for future planning.
For more report writing tips for teachers, follow these links: