A Look At Report Cards
It’s that time of year again!
Report cards are coming out.
Growing up, this was an exciting time of year for me. I loved to make “good grades” and loved approval and praise. Not to mention, my small town had a rewards program where I could earn a free kids meal for my grades. (That was a HUGE deal for me!)
Do you remember report card time?
Did your teacher write small notes about your behavior or your efforts?
How did your parents react?
As you reflect on what report card time was like for you, ask yourself how it is different or the same for your child?
Now that the new year has begun, children are receiving report cards from the fall semester. Some will have letter grades. Others will have a number ranking for specific skills, rather than subject areas.
You should never be surprised by the report card.
Let me repeat that.
You should NEVER be surprised by the report card (or at least downright shocked—I guess a little surprise is ok).
Let me explain why:
Graded papers should give you an insight into what an estimated grade average is going to be.
You may be one of the lucky parents who gets graded papers sent home each week to sign. This is an amazing practice that “good” teachers do. It is a form of communication. Some parents use these graded papers to help their child understand what questions they missed and why. They will know where their child is struggling and in what skills and subjects the struggle exists.
You should make a way to know what your child is getting on graded assignments.
I am NOT saying this part is easy. Not all parents get graded papers sent home. Some parents don’t even know what assignments are being graded or not! This is the fault of the teacher. (We know they aren’t all of the same caliber.)
Nonetheless, you can ask, email, and call to open the line of communication with the teacher.
Perhaps you have more than one child or more than one teacher to keep up with. That’s a lot of emailing! What you might consider is keeping in close touch with the teacher who teaches the subject in which your child struggles the most. Make that a priority.
“THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE OIL.” Sometimes you have to ask and downright “HOUND” a teacher to get information you want.
Ask anyway. Involve a principal if needed.
If the grades aren’t being sent home, if your child is hiding the grades from you, or if the grades aren’t being posted online somewhere for you to view and keep up with, find out how your child is doing BEFORE report card time.
As I said before, this isn’t always easy. However, you CAN find your groove and streamline this process. You train people on how they interact with you. Show respect, but be clear in what you want. The teacher will learn how deeply you want to be involved.
Who knows? If it’s a new teacher who is unaware of some best practices, you might help her become a better communicator.
So what can you ask?
When will assignments be graded? (test, quiz dates, participation grades, etc.)
What grade did my child make on [said] test?
How are grades averaged and counted? (Do tests count 3x? Do quizzes count 2x? Is the lowest grade dropped?)
Are there remake opportunities? If so, how many?
Will there be a study guide?
What resources will best help my child study? (chapters, lessons, websites, etc.)
Remember that you MIGHT ask and the teacher may not seem prepared. Ask anyway. Your request may help motivate the teacher to have better planning and be ready for the next time you ask.
It is highly unlikely that every single parent is asking for what you are asking, so if a teacher goes out of the way for your requests, let her! It’s your child we’re talking about! You have a responsibility to see that your child succeeds.
Remember that striving for “good grades” involves a strategy. Knowing what the assessments will look like and what types of questions (multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, etc.) is key to doing well on an assessment. Asking and building a respectful relationship is one of the only ways you will find out more.
The ultimate goal should be to LEARN. I do recognize that learning matters more than grades. However, if your child is struggling with grades, it will affect how they view themselves and how they learn. So, if your child is enrolled in a school and needing to bring up grades, I hope you will consider having a plan for doing well for the upcoming grading period. Once a child has improved, the confidence is there and the feeling that the hard work did indeed pay off—and THAT is one of the most valuable lessons a child can learn!
Remember YOU are your child’s most influential teacher!