Creating Strong Report Card Comments

A Handbook for Jr / Sr High Teachers

April 2011

Creating Strong Report Card Comments

Try Not to List what was taught Include comments about attendance, homework, behaviour, attitude (this information can and should be included in the Learner Profile section of the report card) Use teacher jargon Over-emphasize the negative (challenges) Mix speaking to parents and students interchangeably by inserting comments such as Good Job, Jason!, or Bravo! etc. (These comments should be reserved for the additional space at the end of the report card.) State what will be the focus for the whole class instruction during the next term. Throughout the report card, for each comment that is written, maintain a student-centred focus. Keep these questions in mind: Will a parent reading these comments understand clearly how his/her child is doing in your class/subject? understand that his/her child has areas of strength? know what is being done to address any areas of weakness? (This might also include ways the child can take some responsibility for his/her improvement and/or ways the family can support.) be aware of your interest in his/her child as an individual learner? The report card comments should reflect the childs achievement relative to the outcomes. Teachers should avoid a reiteration of the outcomes taught during the reporting period, but rather focus on the childs experience with them.

Try to Maintain a focus on the child Relate comments to the outcomes Focus on what was learned/achieved Use parent friendly language and maintain a focus on that audience remind yourself of what you would like to read about your own child. Give examples to help clarify the broad statements Identify strengths, challenges Connect next step(s) to the challenge(s) identified

Creating Strong Report Card Comments Grades 7-12 Grades 7&8: Target and A
1. First, think about the learning targets for that 2. Next, write a generic comment for the student term. What should the student know and be able who is meeting expectations (A). to do? e.g., from Grade 8 ELA, Speaking and Listening Student regularly contributes to small and large group discussions and seeks to involve others. contributes to a group discussion (S)he listens attentively and is able to pick out the invites others into a discussion main ideas and key points from a discussion. listens attentively and can identify main idea and (S)he does more than listen quietly. (S)he helps to key points extend conversations and asks for clarification actively listens (rephrases, clarifies, extends the when needed. Showing respect for others ideas discussion) and thoughts is also a strength. (378) is respectful of other ideas and contributions NOTE: Once this generic or starter comment is made, it can be tailored to specific students.

From A to B
3. Think about those students who are meeting most of the expectations (B). From the list of targets, which ones are students most likely to struggle with (in italics below)? contributes to a group discussion invites others into a discussion listens attentively and can identify main idea and key points actively listens (rephrases, clarifies, extends the discussion) is respectful of other ideas and contributions 4. Adjust the generic A comment to reflect challenges in these areas. This is your generic B comment (changes in bold below).

Student regularly contributes to small and large group discussions but needs to involve others more in the conversation. (S)he listens attentively and can pick out the main ideas and key points of a discussion. Showing respect for other ideas and thoughts is also a strength. (S)he is a quiet listener but does not consistently extend the conversation or ask questions of others for clarification. (398) NOTE: Once this generic or starter comment is made, it can be tailored to specific students.

From B to C
5. Think about those students who are meeting 6. Adjust the generic B comment to reflect some of the outcomes (C). What is the next layer challenges in these areas. This is your generic C of targets most likely to pose a challenge for these comment (changes in bold below). students (in italics and underlined below)? Adjust the comment to reflect these challenges. This is now your generic C comment.

Student regularly contributes to small and large group discussions but needs to involve others more in the conversation. (S)he listens attentively quietly but is often not able to pick out the main ideas and key points from a discussion and (s)he rarely extends the conversation or asks questions of others for clarification. Showing respect for others ideas and thoughts is also a strength. (394) NOTE: Once this generic or starter comment is made, it can be tailored to specific students. contributes to a group discussion invites others into a discussion listens attentively and can identify main idea and key points actively listens (rephrases, clarifies, extends the discussion) is respectful of other ideas and contributions

Grades 9-12
When assigning percentage grades for grades 9-12, rather than the letter grades applicable to grades 1-8, teachers could employ a similar process to the one outlined above. Thinking of students in ranges of achievement related to outcomes could result in generic or starter comments being formulated and then edited as necessary for specific student needs. Given the six levels shown on the grades 9-12 report cards (i.e., Excellent or outstanding, very good, good, satisfactory, minimally acceptable, and has not met minimum requirements), teachers may want to create starter comments for those six ranges rather than just four.

Another Approach
Identify the targets for the term. For each, write strength statements and challenge statements. Choose the strengths and challenges that best represent the students level of achievement. regularly contributes to small and large group requires prompting and reminders to participate discussions in small and large group discussions seeks to involve others. rarely involves others in discussion listens attentively and is able to pick out the main is a quiet listener but often struggles to ideas and key points from a discussion. understand the key points of what others are saying does more than listen quietly; helps to extend conversations and asks for clarification when just becoming a more active listener and building needed on what others say shows respect for others ideas and thoughts only occasionally questions others for clarification at times needs to be reminded to be respectful of others opinions

Creating Strong Report Card Comments Sample Two

Structure of a Comment * State the level *Opening / of overall anchor achievement sentence related to the subject area. What the evidence shows State the the student strengths achieved/ learned. What the evidence shows Identify the student has challenges not yet achieved/ learned. Example Jane is meeting some of the expectations in math. Using manipulatives she is able to add and subtract integers (positive and negative numbers) and is just beginning to understand how to multiply and divide integers. This is a concept Jane will continue to work on next term in class. Solving problems related to integers using symbols/numbers is something else that Jane struggles with. In algebra, Jane can identify the rules for the order of operations; however she has some difficulty applying this when solving linear equations. Next term, Jane will work in a small group to practice working on linear equations. (616)

Plans to address the students challenges *optional: If space is a problem, it is not necessary to include an opening anchor sentence as it is described by the assigned grade Next steps

Useful Words and Phrases to Consider when Writing Report Card Comments

Strengths
- Able to construct, Able to determine, Able to extend, Able to research, Able to respond, Able to support - Can accurately ., Can adapt, Can consistently ., Can easily , Can effectively , Can explain, Can identify, Can solve, Can successfully . - Consistently makes - Continues to - Demonstrates a clear understanding - Demonstrates effective - Displays strong, Displays exceptional - Has achieved - Has a good grasp of - Has successfully - Has learned - Has very good insight - Improved tremendously - Is able to - Is capable of - Is developing - Is consistently able to - Recognizes the importance - Shows commitment - Is competent in - Is proficient at - Is skillful at - Is very good at - Often uses - Recognizes that - Successfully interprets - Skillfully uses - Understands how, Understands that - Uses a variety of Some Action Verbs to Consider Using: - Applies - Builds - Compares - Completes - Constructs - Creates - Describes - Evaluates - Experiments - Explains - Expresses - Extends - Illustrates - Interprets - Knows - Organizes - Operates - Participates - Performs - Produces - Shows - Solves

Needs
- Attempts to, Makes attempts - Continues to need help with - Could profit by - Demonstrates a limited ability to - Does not always - Does not demonstrate - Encouragement with - Experiences difficulty with, Has difficulty with - Finds it difficult at times to , Has difficulty - Has not yet demonstrated the ability - Has not yet demonstrated understanding - Has trouble with - Is seldom able to - Is encouraged to - Is benefiting from practice with - Is learning to/that - Is receiving additional help with - Is working at - It is important that - Lacks a clear understanding - Needs more opportunities to - Needs ongoing help with, Needs ongoing assistance with - Needs support - Needs to clarify - Needs to develop - Often lacks - Rarely uses, Rarely able to - Requires adult support for - Requires more time - Seems to use few - Tries to, Makes attempts to - Struggles to, Struggles with - Unable to explain

Suggestions
- Can practice/apply at home by - Greater focus on - Is encouraged to - Is encouraged to be more - Is encouraged to seek - Is encouraged to strive to - Is not always willing to - It is recommended that - It is suggested that - Needs more time to develop - Needs to ask - Needs to be more open - Needs to consider - Needs to continue to - Needs to develop - Needs to expand on - Needs to improve, Needs improvement in - Needs to refer to - Needs to review - Needs reinforcement in - Needs to spend more time on, Should spend more time on - Needs time to - Needs to work on - Requires additional effort - Requires additional practice - Requires further understanding - Requires guided instruction - Should continue to - Should do further practice - Should take the time to - Should utilize options for - Should work towards - Would benefit from - Will have opportunities to

Language Suggestions for Descriptors in Report Card Comments

A* The student demonstrates achievement of the expected learning outcomes addressed during the current reporting period. consistently to a high degree without prompting is skilled at has fully demonstrated clear(ly) confident(ly) independent(ly) is proficient comprehensive easily excellent comprehensive understanding sometimes exceeds is able to is very good at skilfully uses understands how/that B* The student demonstrates achievement of most of the expected learning outcomes addressed during the current reporting period. most of the time is able to for the most part often can usually demonstrates demonstrates some understanding of understands most of competent capable general(ly) common(ly) C* The student demonstrates achievement of some of the expected learning outcomes addressed during the current reporting period. sometimes with support with prompting occasionally is beginning to has some difficulty with is developing is aware of but is not applying independently is approaching strives to has a basic understanding of understands some of D* The student demonstrates achievement of few of the expected learning outcomes addressed during the current reporting period. is not able to does not yet is unable to needs a great deal of assistance seldom has not yet demonstrated with repeated assistance rarely has difficulty with struggles to has a limited understanding of

Strengths and Needs: Give specific examples (e.g. for example, for instance, such as)

Suggestions: needs to continue to would benefit from will have opportunities to can practice/apply at home by

* Note that teachers of grades 9-12 may want to think of percent marks in these four ranges also, so this language would apply

A Selection of Sample Comments for Grades 7-12

ELA 7 Student has demonstrated achievement of some of the learning outcomes for this term. Student usually uses few strategies to develop effective writing and is just beginning to integrate interesting effects in written work. For example, student understood and followed only some of the writing process to produce a friendly letter. With support, he can read and understand a range of literature, information, and visual texts. Student is approaching independence in selecting appropriate texts. Student should practice listening attentively to grasp the main ideas and details of a message at home, e.g. by summarizing the evening news on radio or television. Student would benefit from inviting others into discussions and thinking about what others have said. (759 characters with spaces) Math 8 Student has achieved most of the learning outcomes this term. Student is able to represent numbers written in scientific notation in standard form, and vice versa with some assistance. She sometimes struggles to explain and demonstrate the meaning of negative exponents for base ten. Student consistently demonstrates the ability to recognize perfect squares between 1 and 144 and is usually able to apply patterns related to them. She can often distinguish between an exact square root of a number and its decimal approximation and sometimes selects appropriate methods to find the square root of a number. Student is beginning to develop an understanding of the Pythagorean relationship when using models but sometimes needs support to apply the relationship in problem situations. (783 characters with spaces) Science 9 Student demonstrated excellent performance this term. Student consistently performs experiments using WHMIS standards that demonstrate knowledge of material properties. He shows a good understanding of atomic theory and the periodic table. He clearly describes and illustrates cellular processes such as mitosis and asexual reproduction. He communicates well in words, drawings, tables, and graphs. (399 characters with spaces) Math Foundations 10 Student achieved most of the expected learning outcomes in Data Management, and Numbers and Operations. For example, she can create various graphs following models but has some difficulty interpreting graphs. She struggles with the outcomes in Geometry, such as the relationship of surface area to volume. She is encouraged to refer to whole-class sample problems when working independently. (391 characters with spaces) BIO 11 Student has a basic understanding of most BIO 11 outcomes such as the development of cell theory and basic cellular structures and functions. Student is developing an understanding of homeostasis and organ systems, namely circulatory and digestive systems. He is developing the skills necessary to use a microscope to study living organisms. Regular review of the text and notes would be beneficial. (400 characters with spaces) 8

HGS 12 Student demonstrated very good achievement this term. He effectively used the skills and methods in the discipline of history to describe the beginning of the Cold War and how tensions between East and West influenced the present. He also demonstrated an understanding of forces that contribute to economic disparity between North and South. He is encouraged to continue to strive for excellence. (396 characters with spaces)

Character Counts
Grade Level ELA FLA Math Other Subjects

7-9 10-12

800 400

800 400

800 400

400 400

Using Smart Pronouns

Smart pronouns can be used to ease the process of creating comments for students. For example, below is a comment that a grade 10 English teacher wishes to use for several students. John can use a variety of materials and representations (e.g., graphs, tables) to get his message across. Rather than editing the underlined words for each individual student, smart pronouns can be used to automatically populate the comment with the appropriate name or pronoun. When using smart pronouns, the comment would be written as follows: <first_name> can use a variety of materials and representations (e.g., graphs, tables) to get <his/her> message across. Examples of Smart Pronouns Grades 7-12 <He/She> <he/she> <His/Her> <his/her> <him/her> <son/daughter> <first_name> <last_name> <lastfirst> <grade_level> <home_room>