Pupil report cards are often copied from anonymous templates and contain no meaningful personal information for parents, MSPs have been told.

Iain Ellis, chairman of the National Parent Forum for Scotland, also criticised schools for failing to share sufficient information on children's progress.

The attack came during an evidence session of the Scottish Parliament's education committee, which is taking evidence on the Scottish Government's National Improvement Framework (NIF).

The NIF is an attempt to bring together information on pupil progress from a wider range of sources than is current the case, but has become embroiled in controversy because it also includes plans for standardised national tests, scrapped in Scotland in 2003 amidst claims they damaged teaching.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a return to standardised national testing after concerns over falling literacy levels and a fear there was a lack of data at national level to inform policy.

Mr Ellis told the committee: "The problem is most parents don't see the data, so we don't know how good it is. To me that is the good thing about the new framework.

"It is proven..... that if parents are involved in their children's education it can lead to better things, but we get parents' nights once a year, we get a report card which, you may agree or disagree, is cut and pasted and you cannot actually tell if it is your child it is aimed at or someone else's child.

"We need to start sharing this data properly and having meaningful discussions with parents to tell them where their child is now and where they expect them to be in sixth months time and how we can help our children, but it doesn't happen enough."

Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, also told the committee parents should be receiving better information from schools.

However, her evidence on national testing provoked widespread concern from opposition politicians after she appeared to suggest the new tests would not be legally enforceable.

She said: "We have no plans just now to specifically legislate for the specific assessment model. We will work collegiately and very hard with our partners so we have a shared agreement in and around the specification of the standardised assessment so it removes the need for there to be duplication."

She also said further details on the NIF would not be available until January - after the committee is expected to discuss amendments to the current Education (Scotland) Bill.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour's education spokesman, said: "The Education Bill descended into chaos when Ms Constance had to admit to committee members that the NIF, which includes the Government’s policy on national testing, would not be published until January. This means she will ask the committee to consider amendments placing the NIF in law, without them knowing what it contains.

"The Cabinet Secretary was then unable to say whether the new national tests would in fact be obligatory for all local authorities and all schools. If it is not to be carried out in every school, then in what sense is it national?"

Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative young people spokeswoman, said MSPs were "none the wiser" about what provisions would be set out in the NIF.

"On the one hand, we were told by the Cabinet Secretary it would mean local authorities would change the way they work to assess attainment, but on the other hand she appeared to say the contents would be open to negotiation.

“This is simply not good enough nor is the complete absence of compelling evidence as to why legislation is necessary to make the qualitative changes required."

And Liam McArthur, education spokesman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, added: "The Education Secretary seems all at sea over these reforms.

"She expects MSPs to vote for major changes to our education system and for national testing without letting us see the detail of what the SNP proposes.

“She accepts current assessment and testing of pupils works well, yet still insists on using a one size fits all approach to get local councils to conform."

Earlier, teaching unions told the committee concerns about how data gathered using national testing in schools would be used was "causing angst" in the profession.

Susan Quinn, convener of the education committee of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), said: "We are clear that there are major issues around putting a test in place that will be for every single child. There are clear educational arguments as to why it isn't going to be helpful to the young people.

"There are clearly going to be young people who will be disadvantaged by a test of this nature and we would argue that it is counter-intuitive to teacher professional judgement to say you have to use a particular assessment tool to back up your assessment judgement."

Craig Munro, from the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, said the organisation was very supportive of NIF and said it was how the information was used which was causing angst.

He added: "I don't think the test is the issue, I think it's the use we make of the information. There is some information you are using for improvement purposes and there is other information you use for political accountability. It is in that tension that this has to walk."

There was also concern after it emerged ministers had appeared to introduce the policy of national testing with very little prior consultation. A freedom of information request to the Scottish Government on the issue produced just four emails.