Oz parents raise concerns over ‘Robot’ school report cards

SYDNEY - A new software that enables primary school teachers in Australia to produce student report cards without writing a single word has become a matter of concern for parents.

Report Robot, a software program described on its website as a ‘revolutionary reporting tool’, is being marketed to teachers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

It allows teachers to produce ‘individualised comments at the click of a button’ and can be bought as a school or home edition.

Teachers can select a student’s marks and areas for improvement then customise the report by selecting how many times a student’s name is used and choosing whether or not to include words of encouragement.

“Comments are positively and professionally phrased so your comments will sound impressive,” according to the site.

Geoff Scott, president of New South Wales Primary Principals Association, bought a trial copy of the software.

“Anything that can help schools to produce reports that are still personalised from the school to the parents about the individual child, anything that can maintain that, and make the workload a bit easier is probably going to be welcomed in schools,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Scott as saying.

However, Teachers Federation research officer Mary Fogarty said teachers would not be able to achieve the “personal touch” required in a student report by using the software.

“Teachers would have concerns about generating comments in this fashion. It’s something that they take great pride in, completing reports. It’s the main contact we have with parents of students,” Fogarty said. (ANI)