Report Cards
Posted by Amy on 22 Jan 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Management, Holiday and Seasonal
Well, the first semester is winding down and soon many of you will be heading into the 
second half of the year. That, of course, means it’s time for report cards!
When I was a student in grade school, all of my report cards were handwritten. Teachers had to average grades using a calculator and then write each letter grade on every report card. That is probably more than 200 grades recorded in perfect handwriting, with a personal note to boot. Today, many gradebooks and report cards are of the digital variety. When I was a teacher, a computer program would average all my grades for me. All I had to do was type the grades into each report card, click “print,” and then send them on their way.
It’s funny, though: even with all the technological advances I used, I was still racing the clock down to the last minute, trying to get report cards done. The ink was still wet on some of the cards I sent home with students. (Many of my own teachers would probably scoff in disbelief, given all the advantages I had.)
I know that different districts have different ways of handling report cards and grades. Therefore every teacher has a slightly different perspective on the issue. What does report card time look like for you? Are you combing through piles of graded papers? Are you busy using a computerized gradebook and report card system?
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We are required to add our own comments to the report cards. I keep a folder with a few pages for each students to write anecdotal comments of things the children say and do throughout the year. This is so that I have very specific details to let the parents know that I really know their children
We still spend an enormous amount of time writing personalized comments for each child- something that I believe is very appropriate at the elementary level. I am constantly racking my brain to find just the right words to convey information about each child. I have also searched online for help, but have wasted lots of time and never really found anything that helped. If any of you have some good sites to send me to,I would be grateful! We send report cards home three times a year and I will be gearing up soon for the March reports to go home. Thanks.
We have a list of about 20 positive and 20 negative comments from which to choose. It is not personal at all. It would be helpful to have a drop down menu like our middle and high school teachers have to use. We have to differentiate everything for our students, but the reports have to fit the district’s model.
It’s interesting that in the talk about grading, no one is talking about WHAT is being assessed for their students. I’d like to know if others feel their pre-kindergarten report cards (we call ours Progress Reports) are aligned with NAEYC’s best practices and/or their own state early childhood standards.
The ones I use have their good points and not-so-good points. The teachers meet yearly to tweak the assessment and the report form. Because of this, there is a real feeling of ownership. Each time we meet, we review what is being tested, why it’s important to include on the report and how we will use the grades for lesson planning through the end of the school year. That process helps us to keep the needs of the students above the simple (though time consuming) process of filling out report cards.
This is one of four points in the year that I just go bonkers. (The others are the other grading periods.) I could have been doing wonderful lessons, had my students engaged fully and responsively in their learning but, when report card time rolls around, I just lose it!
We have a system-wide, purchased, electronic grading program that is still having its kinks worked out. (I use Gradekeeper as my backup.) Another hiccup is the new system doesn’t allow for comments. I’m okay with the technology bit, it’s the notion of grades and grading that still troubles me and makes being ready when grade-time rolls around incredibly difficult.
Students do need feedback, crave it in fact, so I’d prefer, and actually do create, student portfolios that offer exemplars of learners’ work and progress…more valid, more authentic.
Check out Gradekeeper for a really inexpensive and easy, reliable grading program. It calculates grades and gives a large variety for customizing your information reporting to parents. My school has Schoolmaster for grades but it is so bad that we all use Gradekeeper.
I still write personal comments though because it adds some heart to the process.
Our district uses a web site to post grades. I do not feel that the report card has a personal touch for first graders but we give grades 3 times a year and the first two are in conjunction with parent teacher conferences. The last one is the end of the year and I send home their portfolios to show their growth over the year.
Although our school has a source for entering grades for the report cards (Excellent, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory, Needs Improvement), the Pre-K teacher and I (Kindergarten) feel like the parents need to know more about where their child stands academically rather than the standard “Plays well with others, Has self control, etc.” In addition to these report cards we also create one that goes along with the skills we have been teaching in our rooms and grade the students on the same scale as the computer report card. Although this does take time to test each child individually, I feel like it gives both the teacher and the parent a better idea of where their child needs to improve.
A while back I had purchased a program called “Grade Machine.” It was great! It was the easiest thing. However, our school district provides us with the program “Easy Grade Pro.” We do not have to do other than add comments and attendance. They thought that was too easy because now we have to search for the strand and classify each assigment and/or test. Entering these are not that easy any more. Sometimes it takes us an hour in a half to enter grades. There is so much information on these report cards that they are four pages long!
We are no longer allowed to write any comments of our own. I must choose from a list of 10 positive or 10 negative comments that don’t even begin to apply for 1st grade. There is no flexibility… no personalization…. and we hate doing this!
All you need is to create spreadsheets on excell and it will calculate the averages for you. Use the tutorials that come with it or tinker as I did. If you have a computer teacher, have her/him provide professional development on it. I am certain you computer teacher or IT department will have the knowledge of EXCEL. Happy tinkering!!
Hello,
I search online. There are great resources to help generate comments that fit for each student.
P.S. What program is there to download for digital grades that the computer can calculate the average?