Report Cards are Going Home This Week

“Report cards are going home this week!”

There aren’t many phrases that have struck more fear in the hearts of young children. However, with advent of electronic gradebooks and their accompanying email notices, grades are not usually a surprise at the end of the quarter. In fact, except for our 1^st graders, we do not even send home paper report cards at the end of the quarter. 

You may be wondering how to have the "report card conversation" with your child. Here are a few suggestions:

1.  Focus on the Growth--Instead of saying “Why didn’t you get an A in social studies” try saying, “What can you do next quarter to get an A in social studies?”
2. Look at the Approaches to Learning and Conduct Grades—We have all heard as children and have probably said as adults, “I don’t care about the grade. I just care that you gave your best.” However, we probably forget these words when our child brings home a “C.”   These two categories measure effort and behavior. Compare them in context to the academic grade. An Approaches to Learning grade of 2 (out of 4) and an academic score of a “C” means the grade could be improved with more effort, while an ATL grade of 4 and an academic score of a “C” means they put forth the effort and that was the result.
3. Grades are Destinations—Look at the journey and celebrate the successes that happened along the way. What behaviors led to success? What habits helped lead to the grade? What should be repeated and what should be revised?

Regardless of the grade your child brings home, I hope you can have a positive conversation and find success in the quarters to come:

                               

*Note: students in EC4 and Kindergarten receive their first report card at the end of the 1^st semester (December) and all students receive paper copies of the semester report cards (December and June).