!
!
!!!!
Communicating Student Learning
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Creating Effective Report Card Comments
!
*This&document&is&meant&to&&
support&teachers&in&writing&&
effective&report&comments.&It&&
is&not&mea n t&to &prescriptive.&&
Big Ideas
!
Teachers write comments that:
ü focus on what students have learned
ü describe significant strengths
ü identify next steps for improvement
ü demonstrate knowledge of the child as an individual learner
!
ü Descriptive feedback helps students learn by providing them with precise information about
what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and what
specific steps they can take to improve.
ü Descriptive feedback enables the learner to adjust what he or she is doing to
improve.
ü Ongoing descriptive feedback linked specifically to the learning goals and success criteria is
a powerful tool for improving student learning and is fundamental to building
a culture of learning within the classroom.
ü Communication provides meaningful evidence about the student’s progress in
relation to the learning standards.
ü Learning standards include curricular competencies and content and describe what
students are expected to KNOW, DO and UNDERSTAND.
!
Comments:
•
describe in overall terms what students know, can do and understand
•
avoid language that simply repeats the wordings of the curriculum expectations or the
achievement chart
•
use language that parents/guardians will understand
•
provide parents/guardians with personalized, clear, precise, and meaningful feedback
•
help parents/guardians understand how they can support their children at home
!
!
!
!
Comments(are(created(with(strengths,(specific(examples,(and(next(steps(
personalized(to(the(student!
!
!
Do
…
Do Not
…
Maintain
a
focus on
the
c
h
il
d
Connect comments to learning standards
Focus on what was
l
e
a
r
n
e
d
/
ac
h
i
e
v
e
d
Use “parent friendly” language
and
maintain
a
focus
on that
audience
–
remind
yourself
of
what you would
li
k
e to
read
about your own
c
h
il
d
.
Provide examples
to
help clarify
the broad
statements
Identify strengths,
c
h
a
ll
e
n
g
e
s
C
o
nn
e
c
t
next step(s)
to the
challenge(s)
i
d
e
n
t
i
f
i
e
d
L
i
s
t
what was
taught
Use teacher
jargon
Over-emphasize
the
n
e
g
a
t
iv
e
(
c
h
a
ll
e
n
g
e
s)
Mix speaking
to
parents and
students
interchangeably by inserting
co
mm
e
n
t
s such
as
“Good
Job,
Jason!”,
or
“
Br
a
v
o
!
”
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
n
e
x
t term.
Throughout
the
report card,
for each
comment
that
is written, maintain
a
student-centered
focus.
(
K
ee
p
these
questions in m
i
n
d
:
!
!
Will
a
parent reading
these comments
understand clearly how
h
i
s
/
h
e
r
child is doing in your
c
l
a
ss
/
s
u
b
je
c
t
?
understand
that
h
i
s
/
h
e
r
child has areas
of strength?
know what is being done
to
address any areas
of
weakness? (This might also include ways
the
c
h
il
d
can take some responsibility for h
i
s
/
h
e
r
improvement
a
n
d
/
o
r
ways
the
family can
support.)
be
aware
of
your
i
n
te
r
e
s
t
in
h
i
s
/
h
e
r
child
as an
individual
l
e
a
r
n
e
r
?
!
!
!
!
FRAMEWORK!
!
Structure
of a
C
o
mm
e
n
t
E
x
a
m
p
l
es
!
!
*
O
p
e
n
i
n
g
/
a
n
c
h
o
r
s
e
n
te
n
c
e
Math Foundations
10
STUDENT achieved most
of the
expected learning standards in
Data Management, and Numbers
and
Operations. For example,
she
can
create
various graphs following models but has some
d
i
ff
i
c
u
l
t
y
interpreting graphs. She struggles with
the
standards in
Geometry, such
as the
relationship
of surface area to
volume.
She is encouraged
to
refer
to
whole-class sample problems when
working
i
n
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
n
t
ly
.
!
Grade 7
STUDENT had a very positive start to the school year. He
participates enthusiastically in class discussions and demonstrates
leadership in group activities, contributing his ideas and
respectfully acknowledging the ideas of his peers. He generally
uses class time effectively, focusing on the task at hand and asking
questions when necessary. Taking the time to use the set criteria to
review and improve assignments before submission should be a
focus for STUDENT in the next term. In our Integrated Studies
unit on the governments of ancient civilizations, his group of four
chose to study the governmental structures of ancient Greece and
ancient Rome. His work demonstrated exemplary use of research
processes to gather and interpret information from a variety of
sources. His contribution to the group’s final project, a scripted
panel discussion, was organized, accurate, and detailed. In
Math, STUDENT has demonstrated a solid grasp
of concepts covered and enjoys problem-solving challenges which
require application of these concepts. STUDENT must be
commended for his positive attitude and his willingness to take
risks in his learning.
!
!
!
State the
s
t
r
e
n
g
t
h
s
!
!
!
!
I
d
e
n
t
i
f
y
c
h
a
ll
e
n
g
e
s
!
!
!
Next
steps
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Qualifiers for Learning Skills and Work Habits
!
Excellent
adaptable, astutely, autonomous, can model, caring, clearly, committed,
completely, consistently, discerning, distinguished, divergent, easily, effectively,
extensively, exemplary, flawless, flexible, giving, impressive, innovative,
insightful, inspirational, kindly, masterfully, meticulously, positively, precisely,
proficiently, reflective, reverent, secure, seeks challenges, self-assured, servant
leadership, synthesizes, thoroughly, uniquely, virtuous
Good
accomplished, comfortably, competent, confidently, constructively, credible,
developed, frequently, generally, influences, knowledgeable, manages, more,
most, often, regularly, skilled, successfully, usually
Satisfactory
acceptable, adequate, approaching, at times, developing, fair, inconsistently,
learning to, limited, occasionally, sometimes, passable, periodically, some,
suitable
Needs
Improvement
avoids, clarification needed, disengaged, few, hardly, indifferent, infrequently,
illogical, literal, little, minimal, minor, naïve, numerous attempts, only, poor,
rarely, reflection needed, reluctantly, review needed, seldom, simplistic, when
required, with difficulty, unclear, unsure
!
!
!
!
Qualifiers for Curricular Areas
High Degree
accurately, consistently, almost always, clearly, precisely, confidently,
proficiently, very successfully, all or almost all concepts, complex, logical,
sophisticated, thorough understanding, wide range of context, consistently
accurate, with no minor errors or omissions, high level of proficiency,
extends, expands, self corrects
Considerable
usually, often, routinely, regularly, frequently, most concepts, fair range of
context, very good, good, firm understanding, strives, grasps, applies
Some
sometimes, adequately, some concepts, some specific purpose, simple
purposes, some appropriate strategies, some understanding, appropriate
but incomplete, attempts familiar, require review / practice, beginning to
demonstrate, developing, several minor omissions / sometimes major
errors
Limited
rarely, seldom, with monitoring, few purposes, few contexts, incomplete
unclear, imprecise, basic, limited understanding, limited range,
inconsistently, with difficulty, few conventions, major errors, simple ideas
!
Useful Words and Phrases
to
C
o
ns
i
d
e
r
when Writing Report Card
C
o
mm
e
n
t
s
!
Strengths
N
ee
d
s
Suggestions
!
-
Able
to
construct, Able
to
determine,
A
b
l
e
to
extend, Able
to
research, Able
to
respond,
Able
to support
-
Can accurately
…
.
,
Can adapt,
C
a
n
consistently
…
.
,
Can easily
…
,
C
a
n
effectively
…
,
Can explain, Can identify,
C
a
n
solve, Can successfully
…
.
-
Consistently m
a
k
e
s
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
e
s
to
-
Demonstrates
a
clear
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
-
Demonstrates
e
ff
e
c
t
iv
e
-
Displays strong, Displays
e
x
c
e
p
t
i
o
n
a
l
-
Has
ac
h
i
e
v
e
d
-
Has
a
good grasp
of
-
Has
s
u
cc
e
ssf
u
ll
y
-
Has
l
e
a
r
n
e
d
-
Has very good
i
ns
i
g
h
t
-
Improved
t
r
e
m
e
n
d
o
u
s
l
y
-
Is
ab
l
e to
-
Is capable
of
-
Is
d
e
v
e
l
o
p
i
n
g
-
Is consistently
ab
l
e to
-
Recognizes
the
i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
c
e
-
Shows
c
o
mm
i
t
m
e
n
t
-
Is
competent
i
n
-
Is proficient
at
-
Is skillful
at
-
Is very good
at
-
Often
uses
-
Recognizes
that
-
Successfully
i
n
te
rpr
et
s
-
Skillfully
uses
-
Understands how, Understands
that
-
Uses
a
variety
of
!
Some Action Verbs
to
Consider
U
s
i
n
g
:
!
-
Applies
-
E
x
te
n
d
s
-
Builds
-
I
ll
u
s
t
r
a
te
s
-
C
o
m
p
a
r
e
s
-
I
n
te
rpr
et
s
-
C
o
m
p
l
ete
s
-
K
n
o
w
s
-
C
o
ns
t
ru
c
t
s
-
O
rg
a
n
iz
e
s
-
C
r
e
a
te
s
-
O
p
e
r
a
te
s
-
Describes
-
P
a
r
t
i
c
i
p
a
te
s
-
Evaluates
- Performs
-
Experiments
- Produces
-
Explains
- Shows
-
Expresses
-
S
o
lv
e
s
!
-
A
tte
m
p
t
s
to,
Makes
attempts
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
e
s
to
need help
w
i
t
h
-
Could profit
b
y
-
Demonstrates
a
limited ability
to
-
Does
not
a
l
w
a
y
s
-
Does
not demonstrate
-
Encouragement
w
i
t
h
-
Experiences difficulty with, Has d
i
ff
i
c
u
l
t
y
w
i
t
h
-
Finds it difficult
at
times
to ,
Has d
i
ff
i
c
u
l
t
y
-
Has
not
yet demonstrated
the
ab
ili
t
y
-
Has
not
yet demonstrated
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
-
Has trouble
w
i
t
h
-
Is seldom
ab
l
e to
-
Is encouraged
to
-
Is benefiting from practice
w
i
t
h
-
Is learning
t
o
/
t
h
a
t
-
Is receiving additional help w
i
t
h
-
Is working
at
-
It is important
that
-
L
ac
k
s
a
clear
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
-
Needs more opportunities
to
-
Needs ongoing help with, Needs
o
n
g
o
i
n
g
assistance
w
i
t
h
-
Needs
support
-
Needs
to
c
l
a
r
i
f
y
-
Needs
to
d
e
v
e
l
o
p
-
Often
l
ac
k
s
-
Rarely uses, Rarely
ab
l
e to
-
Requires adult support
for
-
Requires more
t
i
m
e
-
Seems
to
use
few
-
Tries
to,
Makes attempts
to
-
Struggles
to,
Struggles
w
i
t
h
-
Unable
to e
x
p
l
a
i
n
!
-
Can pr
ac
t
i
c
e
/
a
pp
l
y
at
home b
y
-
Greater focus
on
-
Is encouraged
to
-
Is encouraged
to be more
-
Is encouraged
to
s
ee
k
-
Is encouraged
to
strive
to
-
Is
not
always willing
to
-
It is recommended
that
-
It is suggested
that
-
Needs more time
to
d
e
v
e
l
o
p
-
Needs
to
a
s
k
-
Needs
to be
more
open
-
Needs
to
c
o
ns
i
d
e
r
-
Needs
to
continue
to
-
Needs
to
d
e
v
e
l
o
p
-
Needs
to
expand
on
-
Needs
to
improve, Needs improvement
i
n
-
Needs
to
refer
to
-
Needs
to
r
e
vi
e
w
-
Needs reinforcement
i
n
-
Needs
to
spend more time on, Should s
p
e
n
d
more time
on
-
Needs time
to
-
Needs
to
work
on
-
Requires additional
effort
-
Requires additional
pr
ac
t
i
c
e
-
Requires further
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
-
Requires guided
i
ns
t
ru
c
t
i
o
n
-
Should continue
to
-
Should do further
pr
ac
t
i
c
e
-
Should take
the
time
to
-
Should utilize options
for
-
Should work
towards
-
Would
b
e
n
e
f
i
t from
-
Will have opportunities
to
!
!
L
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
Suggestions for Descriptors in Report Card
C
o
mm
e
n
t
s
!
EXTENDS
The student
demonstrates
achievement
of the expected
learning standards
a
ddr
e
ss
e
d
during
the
current
r
e
p
o
r
t
i
n
g
p
e
r
i
o
d
.
PROFICIENT
The student
demonstrates
achievement
of
most
of the
expected learning
standards
addressed during
the current
reporting
p
e
r
i
o
d
.
DEVELOPING
The student
demonstrates
achievement
of
some
of the
expected learning
standards
addressed during
the current
reporting
p
e
r
i
o
d
.
EMERGING
The student
d
e
m
o
ns
t
r
a
t
e
s
achievement
of
few
of the
expected
l
e
a
r
n
i
n
g
standards
addressed
during
the current
reporting
p
e
r
i
o
d
.
co
ns
i
s
t
e
n
t
ly
to a
high
degree
without
pr
o
m
p
t
i
n
g
is skilled
at
has fully
demonstrated
c
l
e
a
r
(
ly
)
co
nf
i
d
e
n
t
(
ly
)
i
n
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
n
t
(
ly
)
is pr
o
f
i
c
i
e
n
t
co
m
pr
e
h
e
ns
iv
e
e
a
s
ily
e
x
c
e
ll
e
n
t
co
m
pr
e
h
e
ns
iv
e
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
sometimes
exceeds
is
ab
l
e
to
is very good
at
skillfully
uses
understands h
o
w
/
t
h
a
t
most
of the t
i
m
e
is
ab
l
e
to
for
the
most
part
often
can
u
s
u
a
lly
demonstrates
demonstrates
some
understanding
of
understands most
of
competent
ca
p
ab
l
e
g
e
n
e
r
a
l
(
ly
)
co
mm
o
n(
ly
)
s
o
m
e
t
i
m
e
s
with
support
with pr
o
m
p
t
i
n
g
occa
s
i
o
n
a
lly
is beginning
to
has some difficulty
w
i
t
h
is d
e
v
e
l
o
p
i
n
g
is aware
of… but is
not
applying
i
n
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
n
t
ly
is
a
ppr
oac
h
i
n
g
strives
to
has
a
ba
s
i
c
understanding
of
understands some
of
is not
ab
l
e
to
does not
y
e
t
is unable
to
needs
a
great deal
of
a
ss
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
s
e
l
d
o
m
has not
y
e
t
d
e
m
o
ns
t
r
a
t
e
d
with
repeated
a
ss
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
r
a
r
e
ly
has difficulty
w
i
t
h
struggles
to
has
a
li
m
i
t
e
d
understanding
of
Strengths and
N
ee
d
s
:
Give specific examples (e.g. for example, for
i
ns
t
a
n
c
e
,
such
as)
Suggestions:
needs
to
continue
to
• would
b
e
n
e
f
i
t from
will
have opportunities
to
can
pr
ac
t
i
c
e
/
a
pp
l
y
at
home
b
y
!
7
!
!
!