Reflection+Journal

= Journal Reflection 1: Report Cards =
 * Many discussions are going on today about report cards. Over the years, schools have changed report cards several times to try to accommodate recommendations made by the Department of Education. Schools have tried to come up with report cards which do reflect standards-based instruction. These report cards are filled with information about a student’s progress towards the standards. They take hours for teachers to do. The big question is, are they worth the effort? **
 * Several of these report cards require manuals for parents to be able to understand. Are parents that interested in all of this information? I believe that ****the most important questions that most parents have are “Is my child passing?” and “What can I do to help?” A parent conference is usually around 10 minutes which does not give a parent, teacher and student enough time to go over work, see progress, etc. Parents want to make sure that their child is doing well and show support if there are any problems. **
 * In Kelsey School Division, the early years have very indepth report cards. I have questioned some of the teachers and their feedback is somewhat troubling. Parents are not really interested in the report card itself. They want the teacher to tell them if their child is having difficulty, what they can do to help, and what they will be doing in the next term. Although there are no marks on these report cards, several parents try to align the report cards with marks... good must be a B (75%), very good, possibly an A (85%), excellent A+ (95%+) and needs improvement means failing. **
 * It is very time-consuming for teachers to complete anecdotal report cards. When a teacher is doing 25 report cards, he/she has to come up with some standard phrases which can be used for a number of children. The reports are usually very encouraging and positive but do not always reflect students’ real progress in meeting targets. **
 * In the middle school and high school, reports cards display marks with comments. The majority of parents and students prefer the marks format. Students like to see if they can improve their marks from the previous term, etc. Parents like this format as this was most likely one which they were familiar with when they were in school. **
 * I am not a big fan of anecdotal report cards. I did them for several years. I am also not in favour of having just a few reporting times during a school year. With email, it is now possible to make contact with the majority of parents numerous times during a school term. This is the way to keep parents informed about their child’s progress or any problems they are having. For the few parents who do not have emails, phone contact is made. Emails and a few phone calls do not take much time but are highly effective in keeping everyone informed. All of my students have email, therefore, any correspondence I make to their parents, I copy to them and vice versa. I also send out copies of their marks and assignments through markbook and they can also access their child’s marks and assignments through School Circuit. **
 * With the province suggesting a province-wide report card, it will be interesting as to what will be developed. Will this report card convey information about a child’s progress on a continuum (technology)or will there be letter or percentage grades? As suggested in the textbook, many grading systems used today still use the traditional letter/grading system which does not reflect standards-based instruction or a student’s progress towards meeting these standards. Everyone will have an opinion, but what will work best for the student, the community, and ultimately, the employers. Hopefully classroom teachers will have a say and not the administrators, school boards, or politicians. **