Writing Report Cards: Part 1

Report Cards! For new teachers this can be a daunting and overwhelming responsibility, especially in the first year of teaching. Fear not! We're here to guide you through the process with encouragement and practical advice. Plus, we have a valuable tool to share with you: our Long-Term Planning Template.

The two major components of report cards are generally achievement levels or grades and comments. Since report card writing is a large topic we will start with achievement levels this week and focus on comments in next weeks blogpost

How to Assign an Achievement Level/Grade: Report Card Writing

Even before delving into report card writing, it is good practice to take a moment to consider each student's progress. Reflect on their achievements, academic growth, and personal development. The goal of a report card is to highlight not only their successes but also the challenges they've overcome.

Hopefully you've been keeping accurate and comprehensive data on student achievement throughout the term. Achievement levels should be based on real time data of student achievement. There should be support documents and data for the levels you assign. 

Each school, district, country, grade level....you name it! has different ways of reporting achievement. Some use numbers, letters, comments only, rating systems and more. What they should all have in common is that none of these are based on opinion. They are all reported based on students achievement of the specific learning goals and success criteria set out by either a district, school or you as the teacher.

Go through your evidence and match it up with what you are reporting on. It is oral communication? ensure you have evidence to support students progress in this area. Maybe it's a more specific reporting category like counting and manipulating numbers from 1-10. Here too, make sure you have evidence through an assessment, observation or the like to report on the students learning. 

What happens if you are stuck? Either you are not sure how to assign an achievement level for a student or there is a reporting category, that as a new teacher, you haven't yet assessed or don't have great records on? First of all, take a deep breath. It's your first year and there is still time to plan for further assessment during the remainder of the year. Next, GO AND ASK SOMEONE. You are likely blessed with colleagues and supervisors who can guide you for the best way to proceed in this situation and to suggest ways forward for the future. 

Remember in many places the report card is a document that is kept for students entire educational career. It serves as a record and evidence of student achievement. So work carefully and thoughtfully taking in to account all the suggestions above. 

Introducing Your Lifesaver: The Long-Term Planning Template 

🎉 Drumroll, please! 🎉

What if you came to writing your report cards and on reflection you realize that your classroom planning and student learning would benefit from clearer goals and better planning overall? Did you see the expectations that the students were meant to learn and want to make sure its included in the second half of the year?

We understand that planning for the long term can be overwhelming. That's why we're excited to offer you our Long-Term Planning Template—a valuable resource for any teacher navigating the challenges of educational planning.

Key Features:

• Editable Template for the Major Subjects: This template allows you to edit and customize for your specific classroom needs. You can adjust as the year goes on. While having a plan is essential, the editable feature allows you to be open to adjusting your course based on the evolving landscape of education. Flexibility is key to navigating unexpected challenges while staying true to your long-term goals.

• Monthly Breakdown: Allows you to plan for the entire year by inserting units, topics and goals by month. You can pace students learning and plan to cover ALL the topics

• Colour coordinated: The resource is colour-coded and clear to navigate and read. This makes it easy to follow and makes your life as a teacher more streamlined and simple

Ready to get your Long-Term Planning Template and navigate your teaching journey with confidence?

Click HERE to purchase your EDITABLE LONG TERM PLANNING RESOURCE!

You got this!