Head of Secondary School
Feedback, Assessment and Looking Beyond the Mark
As students complete assessment tasks this term, families will notice an important development in our Feedback and Assessment tool. Students can now see the same view that parents see, bringing their results, feedback and progress together in one place.
For each assessment, students will be able to see their raw mark as well as a box plot showing the distribution of marks across the cohort. Providing this information gives students a clearer picture of their achievement. However, we also want to encourage them to look beyond the number.
It is natural for students to want to know how they compare with others: What was the average? Am I above it or below it? Where do I sit? While this information provides some context, it should not become the measure of success. By its very nature, any distribution will include students above and below its centre. Where a student sits within that distribution does not define them as a learner. A result is simply one measure of performance on one task at one point in time.
The much more useful questions are: What did I do well? What have I learnt? Where is the gap in my understanding? What do I need to work on next?
Curiosity and the Knowledge Gap
This connects closely with the work we have recently launched with students in Years 7 to 11 around our four Approaches to Learning: Curiosity, Intellectual Courage, Connection and Responsibility.
There can sometimes be a misconception that curiosity simply means asking lots of questions. But the type of question matters.
Questions such as “What do I need to write to get the highest mark?” or “What is the minimum I need to do to get this finished?” may be questions, but they do not necessarily demonstrate curiosity about learning.
Psychologist George Loewenstein’s influential work describes curiosity as arising when we recognise a gap between what we know and what we want to know or understand. That awareness creates the desire to seek information and close the gap.
That is the kind of curiosity we want our students to develop. It is being able to say, “I don’t understand this yet, but I want to.” It is becoming comfortable with not immediately knowing the answer, and then having the strategies and motivation to investigate, explore, make connections, test ideas and find out more.
This is also where feedback becomes so valuable. Good feedback helps a student see the gap between where they are and where they could be. Curiosity creates the desire to explore that gap. Intellectual Courage helps them persist when the learning is difficult. Responsibility asks them to reflect honestly and take ownership of what they will do next. Connection reminds them that learning also happens through engaging with, supporting and learning from others.
Turning Feedback into Growth
When a result comes home, it can be tempting for the conversation to begin and end with the mark. Instead, we want students to spend time with the comments and feedback provided by their teachers.
What were the strengths in their work? What do they now understand that they did not understand before? Where are the opportunities for improvement? Most importantly, what are they going to do with the feedback?
A disappointing result can be uncomfortable in the moment, but learning how to respond constructively to that discomfort is an important part of becoming a learner. Equally, a strong result should prompt more than satisfaction with the number. It can start a conversation about why something went well, which strategies contributed to that success and how those approaches might be used again.
As assessment results and feedback come home, some useful questions for families might be:
- What are you most proud of in this task?
- What did your teacher say you did particularly well?
- What did the feedback help you realise you don’t understand yet?
- What are you curious to understand better now?
- What is one piece of feedback you can act on?
- What would you do differently if you completed the task again?
- What will you take from this task into your next assessment?
- Is there something in the feedback you would like to discuss further with your teacher?
- Which of the Approaches to Learning could help you take your next step?
Beyond the Assessment
It is also worth keeping assessment in perspective. Years from now, very few students or parents will remember the mark received on a particular Year 7 Mathematics task, or the Year 9 assessment that did not go quite as well as hoped.
What students will carry with them are the habits they developed along the way: how they respond when something is difficult, whether they can reflect honestly on feedback, whether they are curious enough to identify gaps in their understanding, whether they have the intellectual courage to try again, and whether they can take responsibility for what they do next.
That is where the real value of assessment lies.
This is why the combination of feedback, greater visibility of progress and our focus on the Approaches to Learning is so important. Together, they give students more than information about how they are performing. They help students understand themselves as learners and take increasing ownership of their growth.
Ultimately, our goal is not simply to develop students who know how to succeed in assessment at Redlands. It is to develop young people who know how to learn: who are curious when they do not know, courageous when learning is difficult, reflective when they receive feedback, and able to use that feedback to determine what they will do next.
Those are the behaviours and habits that will remain long after an individual assessment mark has been forgotten, and they are what will enable our students to continue learning well beyond their time at Redlands.
Beekeeping and Gardening Club
Only a few weeks into Term 4 and our Beekeeping and Gardening Club students have already been hard at work! Our beekeepers suited up and carried out a hive inspection after one of the Redlands hives swarmed over the school holidays. The students were excited to discover that a new queen had been successfully established and was laying plenty of eggs, a positive sign for the hive’s future (and for our honey supplies too!). They also made some beeswax wraps for someone special at Christmas time.
Meanwhile, our gardeners were able to enjoy the rewards of their patience and perseverance. After overcoming pests and a few unsuccessful crops, they returned to find their garden beds thriving with giant lettuces and snow peas. Students each took home some freshly harvested produce, and with plenty of tomatoes still ripening, there’s even more to look forward to at our next Gardening Club session.
BIOTech Futures Symposium: Redlands Students Shine at the University of Sydney
Last Friday, students from Years 9 to 11 represented Redlands at the University of Sydney’s BIOTech Futures Symposium, the culmination of a global innovation and mentorship program in which students develop science-based solutions to real-world challenges. Over a 10-week process during Term 3, each team was mentored by a PhD student from the University of Sydney, and the symposium was a well-earned reward for their ongoing effort and commitment throughout the term. We are delighted to congratulate every student who took part in this year’s Challenge.
Particular recognition goes to our Year 9 finalists, Mark, Kody, Miles, Amelia and Matt, who presented their project, ChromaCare, a bandage with an integrated pH reader, to an audience of researchers, university students and keynote speaker and Nobel Prize-winning scientist Professor Brian Schmidt. The team spoke with confidence and clarity about their design and the problem it addresses, and they represented the school with distinction.
The experience gave students a rare opportunity to learn from leading scientists, build connections with the University of Sydney community and experience the rigour and excitement of scientific research first-hand. We thank all students for their dedication, particularly given the timing of the event during the exam period.
Congratulations to all of our BIOTech Futures students on an outstanding achievement.
Redlands Community Golf Day | Friday 27 November | Long Reef Golf Club
Join us for the 2026 Redlands Community Golf Day at Long Reef Golf Club on Friday 27 November. Whether you’re a keen golfer or simply looking to enjoy a great day with the Redlands community, it’s a fantastic opportunity to connect, enjoy some friendly competition and support our school community.
Registrations are now open. Secure your place today and we’ll see you on the green!
Amber Ripley
Head of Secondary School
aripley@redlands.nsw.edu.au