It's that time of year again. One of the things I don't like about teaching is preparing report cards. Our district does not have digital report cards, so we have to use these 4-ply carbon papers. They are color-coded by quarter. I've used them before and they're not so bad.
BUT...
I have some major gripes about our report cards. Read on.
1. The report cards are outdated. The powers that be have not updated them to meet the current curriculum expectations or standards in something like 15 years! We've been told for at least the past four years that they will be changed, but we never get a definitive time period. We only use half of the report card because the rest of it doesn't apply. I fill in the part about attendance, conduct, and overall grades. I also fill in the part dealing with language arts skills. That's it.
2. Speaking of overall grades, the guidelines for our O (Outstanding), S (Satisfactory), and N (Not Satisfactory) designations don't make sense. An O is 90 or above, and an N is below 70. Which leaves 71-89 as an S. What kind of a crazy range is THAT?!? There are also different subcategories with proficiency ranges: - (below grade level), L (grade level), and + (above grade level). Those ranges are for the main subjects. There is a second set of ranges for the SUBSETS of each main subject. The subset ranges from 1-4, with 1 meaning the student needs major support to complete the tasks, and 4 meaning extremely proficient. CRYSTAL CLEAR, RIGHT? Sure, if you're looking through a cracked window in the fog at midnight. Moving on...
3. Adding to the confusion is that fact that in Kindergarten, there is a different report card than Grades 1 and 2. First grade only gives grades for the last three quarters of the year. Second grade gives grades for all four quarters. But when the students reach grades 3-5, there is a whole new report card, complete with the usual A-F range.
4. We cannot use the math section on the report card because it no longer matches the program we now use (which, by the way, has been changed or updated at least twice during the run of the current report card format). On the math section, we have to write "See attached," which directs the parents to an Everyday Math checklist regarding the skills taught that quarter. Students are marked Adequate (80% or above demonstration of the skill) or Not Adequate (below 80% demonstration of the skill). Also on the checklist is a space for comments regarding math capabilities. This one CAN be done on the computer. Pretty nice, actually.
5. Speaking of comments, the comment section for the report card is squeezed into the space equal to one-third the size of a regular 8-1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. That's right. That small space to cover academic and behavioral concerns for four quarters.
So, what do I do?
I actually have a third sheet that I created to use in order to add in my comments for the parents. I have a template for it; I'll add it to a post by the end of the week so you can use it if you want. In short, it's a sheet of paper with the child's name, all of the subjects covered that quarter (science and social studies grades are given twice a year), a behavior section, a homework section, and a general comment section. I also have three columns where I list the child's strengths, needs, and possible solutions for improvement for each subject. Sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it's the only way I could get everything onto one sheet and still have the parents understand their child's progress. Because, you know, the report card is SO user-friendly.
Report card conferences are next Thursday, November 11. This means from 8:15 (my first conference) until about 3:30 (my last conference), I am meeting parent after parent to discuss my concerns. Oh, and did I mention that we are only supposed to allot 10 minutes for each conference? (Mine go over sometimes. I try to spread them out, especially if I have serious concerns for a student--then I'll allot 20 minutes. But it happens. And sometimes if the parent has a sibling's conference right before yours, they don't always arrive on time. That said, how are you supposed to cover everything all in 10 minutes? Hint: Use the comment sheet I created!)
Oh yeah, here's the kicker for this year. The parents aren't given the report cards UNTIL THEY MEET YOU IN THE CONFERENCE! This was a scheduling issue from a who knows where; the report cards are usually given out a day or two beforehand. But no, I get the pleasure of handing the report card to the parents as they walk in to conference with me. Joy. Somebody bang my head against the wall now. Not that I have any real academic issues to address, but I don't like the idea of having to give the report card and cover everything else in those 10 minutes.
SO...over the next few days I will be completing my report cards bit by bit. There is no way I can get all of the report cards and their accompanying pieces gathered and put together in one day. I do a section at a time and it gets done.
I just hate doing them; it's such a process. Somebody has GOT to think of a better way to do these things. Or at least give us a report card that makes some sense!
Ah well. I'm off to look through the fog.
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