by Jacinta Browning, Assessment and Analytics Consultant at Essential Assessment.
As educators, we understand the immense value of parental involvement in a child’s education.
Studies have consistently shown that when parents are engaged and supportive of their child’s learning, it leads to improved academic outcomes, better social-emotional development, and stronger school-home connections.
There have been disruptions to this crucial partnership – we will never forget those challenging years – when many schools were forced to limit the interaction between student and teacher, and parents found themselves in unfamiliar roles. We are now in a time where we need to rebuild and reimagine how we can effectively engage parents as true partners in their child’s education, specifically with regard to the assessment process. This is not just about communicating test scores or progress reports – it’s about fostering a shared understanding of the purpose and value of assessment and empowering parents to support their child’s learning journey.
Should Parents Be Involved in Assessment?
As both an educator and a parent, I have a unique perspective on this topic. While I understand the importance of maintaining teachers’ professional expertise in the assessment process, I also firmly believe that parents have a vital role to play.
After all, parents are the first and primary educators of their children, and they possess invaluable insights into their children’s strengths, challenges, and learning styles. However, we also recognise that parents’ primary concern is not always academic performance but rather the overall well-being and safety of their child. By prioritising open communication and building strong relationships with families, schools can foster a sense of trust and collaboration that has positively impacted student outcomes.
When I discuss this topic with educators and educational leaders, there is also agreement with the above points, but before they can involve parents in the assessment process, there is some foundation work to be done.
For example, David Adams-Jones, the principal at St Columba’s Catholic Primary School in Yeoval, talks about first helping parents understand their role in terms of their relationship with the school. “When new families enter the school, we find that many of them aren’t sure of their role once their child starts school. We emphasise three things with them – to build a relationship with their child’s teacher, ensure their child comes to school every day and most importantly, to read all the communications from the school thoroughly and ask questions if something still isn’t clear.”
Gavin Rick, former principal at St Joseph’s Primary School in Cairns, holds a similar view. “We welcome new parents to the school and ask them to be partners in their child’s journey, but what does that actually mean? Every parent is coming from a different starting point in terms of experience and expectations. They also want to engage differently, so we realised that we had to be more specific by helping parents better understand the educational process and how they can build on what they have already started by asking them to be their child’s “readiness coach”.”
By being transparent about the role we want parents to play, we can build a solid foundation for their continuing involvement in all facets of school life, including the assessment process.
When I speak to other parents about assessment, I often hear a familiar refrain: “I just need to know where my child is at.” This desire to understand their child’s academic progress is understandable, but it can also be rooted in misconceptions about the purpose and nature of assessment. Many parents still equate assessment with traditional exams and standardised tests, unaware of the evolution in modern assessment practices that focus on personalised learning, formative feedback, and growth over time.
Strategies for Effective Parental Engagement
Proactive, frequent and transparent communication is a recurring theme whenever I discuss success factors in parental school engagement.
Establishing a regular communication schedule and using multiple communication channels, such as videos, podcasts, and apps, ensures that parents can engage in a way and a time that suits them.
However, when it comes to assessment, there is still a disconnect between the school’s assessment practices and parents’ expectations. As educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that parents are not only informed about the assessment process but also empowered to support their child’s learning at home.
With an established communication rhythm in place, it becomes easier to bring assessment into the conversation. This includes sharing assessment timelines, explaining the different types of assessments used, and outlining the specific skills and knowledge that will be evaluated.
By helping parents understand the purpose and value of assessment, and how it informs our instructional decisions and supports their child’s growth, it becomes easier to then regularly communicate assessment outcomes without causing anxiety or confusion in parents or students. These outcomes are not just about grades or results, but where their child is in their learning journey and the goals they are working towards.
Additionally, we can empower parents to support their child’s learning at home by offering resources and guidance. This could include short instructional videos demonstrating effective study strategies or learning activities, or even suggestions for how parents can reinforce the skills and concepts being covered in the classroom.
However, moving beyond one-way communication to engagement also requires a way for parents to communicate and discuss assessments with teachers, and this can present a significant challenge for schools due to an underlying fear of increased parental involvement.
Overcoming Challenges for Schools
Schools face very real challenges in engaging parents more deeply in the assessment process.
Cultural and generational differences, where some parents may focus more on academic results and not understand the evolution of modern assessment practices, and respecting family time and avoiding additional burdens that may be seen as an imposition on family life.
However, they are primarily concerned about “opening Pandora’s box” and having a flood of parents demanding more time and information about assessments from teachers already working under a heavy cognitive load.
These challenges can be mitigated through schools providing clear protocols and “scaffolding” to help teachers manage productive (and appropriate) parent-teacher interactions around assessment. This might include:
- Coaching teachers on how to respond to common parent questions or concerns
- Having dedicated staff members who can serve as the primary point of contact for parents in order to triage inquiries
- Using technology to automate more frequent, bite-sized updates on their child’s progress, while also providing some additional context to help minimise questions and misunderstandings
- In this scenario, it is important to understand that not all parents may have the same access or comfort level with technology-based communication so a variety of communication options may still be required.
- Implementing a system of regular check-ins, whether through short videos, personalised messages, or even a dedicated parent portal.
By empowering our teachers and providing them with the tools they need, we can create an environment where parents feel welcomed and supported as true partners in their child’s education.
Case Studies: Schools Leading the Way
Across the country, there are schools that are already pioneering innovative approaches to parental engagement in assessment.
ALPHINGTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL
After nearly 12 months of research, Luke Barnewall, Deputy Head of Primary at Alphington Grammar School decided to implement a progressive reporting system starting with their year 5 and 6 students. This involved frequently updating parents on their child’s progress, rather than just end-of-semester reports. Parents now receive 2-3 reports per term, with grade marks for the older students. These interactive parent reports (accessible via a simple QR code) provide detailed information, including the specific questions students answered correctly, their areas of strength and weakness, and suggestions for future growth.
According to Luke, progressive reporting has been a major success, revolutionising their teaching and learning, leading to stronger NAPLAN results. The frequent communication and transparency have also empowered parents and strengthened the school-parent relationship. The school has now expanded the program to all primary grades, with even the youngest students receiving regular progress updates.
ST JOSEPH’S PRIMARY SCHOOL, CAIRNS
Gavin Rick, the Principal at St Joseph’s, turned to technology-based solutions to significantly reduce the burden on teachers and establish a partnership in an ongoing assessment process. They can provide more nuanced information on where their children are at in their learning journey, plus the roadmap of where they’re heading with growth measured more regularly and communicated automatically along the way. They’ve also taken several steps to lessen any anxiety around using this technology with information sessions to show the student experience, what the teachers see, what parents will see, and how they can interact.
ST COLUMBA’S PRIMARY SCHOOL, YEOVAL
David Adams-Jones, Principal at St Columba’s, uses technology to help align regular assessment to the curriculum, and to where the children are at within their year level, with measurable data that can be shared. They have also taken steps to educate parents with masterclass workshops where parents can “play in the assessment sandpit” to give them a taste of the assessment process and help them feel connected and engaged.
Conclusion
As we look to the future of education, it is clear that the partnership between parents, their child(ren) and schools must be a central focus.
By engaging parents as true partners in the assessment process – and making their role clear – we can unlock the full potential of our students and create a more collaborative, supportive learning environment.
This is not about simply communicating test scores or progress reports – it’s about fostering a shared understanding of the purpose and value of assessment and empowering parents to actively support their child’s learning journey. With frequent updates, resources and guidance, we can bridge the gap between the school’s assessment practices and parents’ expectations.
Of course, we must also acknowledge the very real challenges that schools face in this endeavour. By providing teachers with the necessary support and scaffolding, however, we can create an environment where parents feel welcomed and empowered to engage, rather than overwhelmed or anxious.
Many schools are leading the way in this area and can serve as examples of what is possible when we prioritise parental engagement. By following their lead and embracing a collaborative, transparent approach to assessment, we can unlock the full potential of our students and build stronger, more resilient school communities.
The time is now to redefine the role of parents in the assessment process. By doing so, we can ensure that every child has the support and resources they need to thrive, both in the classroom and beyond.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can support improving parental engagement and assessment practices within your school, speak with us.
Jacinta Browning has taught in Catholic Primary Schools in the Cairns, Tasmanian, and Sale Dioceses for 25 years. She has a Master’s of Clinical Teaching from Melbourne University. She is a passionate and energetic leader who partners with teachers to ensure rigorous professional data-driven conversations and facilitates discussions to enhance collective teacher efficacy and student learning.
