Year-end report cards elicit emotions from parents and students alike, ranging from pride, to concern, to that pit-in-the-stomach feeling of failure. On-going dialogue between teacher and parent is important in order for parents to be not blind-sided come report card time. Quality reporting depends on good assessment throughout the year and thoughtfully detailed teacher comments and observations.
Teachers and parents to look at the broad educational experience the student has had during the school year, and not just the letter grades next to each subject area. Students, like all people, are complex with individual learning styles, learning strengths and challenges, as well as personal interests. Their report card may not always reflect these unique attributes. This is when open communication between parent and teacher is critical. Parents should be aware of how assessment and evaluation takes place in their child's classroom.
The Difference Between Assessment and Evaluation
Assessment marks the process of student learning. Teachers use various tools to assess what students know at the beginning of the year, or learning unit. Student assessment is also used during units to support student learning, and then again at the end of the unit. Through the use of quality assessment teachers will be able to determine what students have learned.
Evaluation assigns a value to completed work or a unit of study. This is often in the form of a letter and/ or percentage grade. Evaluation is part of assessment, but it does not replace assessment. If only grades were assigned to a student's work, then it would provide a narrow view of student effort, ability and achievement. Good report cards will have both clear evaluation and assessment. Some schools include the student's reflections of their own learning and achievement on the report cards along side their teacher's comments.
There are many ways to assess a students progress in learning including: teacher observations of individual and group-work, observations of student skill, as well as written assignments, presentations, quizzes and tests. Each form of assessment should reflect the content area being taught as music assessment differs from language arts assessment which. Assessment also will reflect the student's individual learning progress. This is where the student's ability at the beginning of the year is compared to his or her ability at the end of the year. Teacher comments like "student has shown progress in this subject" help to indicate learning. Hopefully, the teacher will offer more than such a basic comment to fill out the picture of the individual's learning.
Student Work Habits
Student work habits also fall into the category of assessment. Parents often overlook this category in favour of subject grades. However, student work habits are actually the most telling part of the report card. If the student is not working in class, or completing assignments, or is goofing around, then the teacher may give the student a "N" for needs improvement in work habits. The grade usually corresponds to work habits. However, it is not unheard of for a student to be distracting to other students, appear to to be not working in class, yet to still do well on quizzes and exams. This unhelpful classroom behaviour needs to be addressed even though their personal grades have not been seriously harmed, yet it is likely they are not working to their potential given their apparent lack of effort.
Some students have excellent work habits, are helpful in class, and they generally try very hard, yet their academic ability is not at an "A" or "B" level. This student should be praised for their "G" for good, work habits, even if the corresponding grade is not what the parents had hoped. Not every student produces "A" work, and every child learns at his or her own pace. Education is a journey, not a race.
The Whole Learner Recognition in Writing Report Cards
Report cards only mark the time and experiences that a student has during the hours that they are in school. A grade of a "C" in math, indicates their ability in math, not their personality, not their general intelligence, or their kindness. It does not make them a "C" child. Parents and teachers must keep this in mind as they look over the report card.
At first glance, the three academic terms may seem to summarize the entire year in a tidy package, but life happens outside of school as does learning. The experiences, successes, and special challenges students in their lives outside of school also comprise the year, whether they made team captain on their soccer team, learned a new instrument, or became a big sister or brother. Life experiences need to be factored into the interpretation of their report cards. Though teachers may find it onerous to write individual comments for each student in their class, rather than to simply tick off the boxes indicating stock comments along with grades, students and parents will appreciate their effort, and it will help them to understand the method of assessment and evaluations employed in their classroom.
References:
For parents and teachers in British Columbia, here are references for student evaluation and assessment available on the Ministry of Education and the Vancouver School Board web-sites.
Lorrie Miller - Lorrie grew up on the Canadian prairies, a proud flat-lander by heritage, though only a few generations. She now lives with her family in ...
