The Teachers’ Corner:

If you recall from November 5th blog, we pointed out that assessment and reporting should involve four brief parts:

• an explanation of what a student was expected to learn
• a note on how the individual student did against the requirements
• a grade or mark that is aligned to the comments above
• a suggestion for improvement

Here’s a re-written comment, then, on Language Arts for the report card: Grade assigned – 2 (Approaches Expectations):

This term we focused our Language Arts program on three basic reading skills including vocabulary development, getting the main idea and separating the main idea from supporting detail. Jillian demonstrated a high level of skill in understanding the vocabulary, a skill evident in her oral language. She did, however, have difficulty in separating the main idea from its supporting detail, a key skill which provides a kind a framework for all other reading skills. Her next reading assignments will focus on this aspect. Having her read short passages at home orally with assistance by asking “What’s the main idea?” in what she has read would very much assist in the development of this most important of skills.

There is no question that this comment is more “technical” than the earlier example but it does focus on what Jillian learned, did not learn, what the school will do and what the parent could do. Thus, it has several advantages over the first iteration:

1. It concentrates on what the student has learned (not simply done) or needs to learn
2. It identifies what the teacher will be doing to address the deficit
3. It invites the parent to be part of the assistance provided
4. It sets out a roadmap for the future which will inform the discussion at the parent-teacher meeting (likely coming shortly after the issuing of reports) and addresses “now what” rather than “so what.”

That last point is a very important one. As a teacher, department head, principal and superintendent, this writer found that parents are prepared to accept less than positive information about their children or the school if they are given assurances that, with the issue “on the table,” there are also suggestions about moving on to address those issues. What they fear and dislike is language that covers a problem that leaves them with too many unanswered questions about where to go from here.

There is no question that reporting on progress by a teacher requires two qualities: courage and honesty. That is true in dealing with students and parents in person – but is also true of dealing with them through the medium of the traditional report card.

In many ways, the report card, especially at the elementary level, has become “politicized” and teachers are somewhat fearful of getting themselves backed into a corner with a statement that is, perhaps, too directive, or too blunt. Certainly, the language of reporting must be sensitive but it must first be meaningful – which means it can be used as a backdrop to the actual grade and as a productive interaction/intervention among the child, the teacher, and the parent. After all, the most important part of a report card is…… reporting, isn’t it?

See you next week.

Dr. Dan