I'll start by saying what follows is MY opinion, not the opinion of any other teachers, principals or school boards....
Report cards are my least favourite time of the year. It is stressful to write them; it is stressful to read them. I think I speak for all teachers when I say we would rather teach than evaluate. It's so hard to mark a little ducky that you know has worked hard, has made gains but just isn't there yet. It's sometimes hard to find just the right words.
Here's what's involved. We teach according to the Ontario Curriculum. In all subjects there are standards for knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication and application that must be levelled according to proficiency level 1,2, 3 or 4. Level 3 is the provincial standard (that shows up on report cards as a "B.")
"B" is good. "B" is what we are striving for. "A" is rare, very rare, because it means you are consistently performing at a rate that is higher than the provincial standard, that is, higher than what we are teaching you. Some say "B" is the new "A."
Teachers collect marks and comments throughout the term. When they go to write the reports there is an emphasis on most recent and most consistent demonstration of proficiency. It takes quite an amount of time to review marks, current work, and compile comments that reflect the curriculum documents and the child, and do it in a way that parents understand what they are reading. I think teachers, myself included, often don't do a terrific job of making the language on the report card "parent friendly." With limited space, specific direction about including strengths, needs and next steps while also following the Ministry and Board assessment documents it is sometimes more prudent to use "edu-lingo." So if you don't understand clearly what the teacher is trying to say, please ask.
When I wrote class sets of reports it usually took me around 20 extra hours to write and proofread a class set. I usually had to do them after I put my kids to bed so I could concentrate on what I was doing. It was a better time for me to write -- but late nights often meant I found more typos the next day....
Report cards are written on a computer program available via internet. This means I can pop into the report cards any time to check things over for teachers and to see how the progress is coming along. This is also how I read them when they are done.
Teachers email me to tell me that they have finished writing and proof-reading. They will finish that by Sunday evening. Then I get to read them. EVERY one. I read each report card on-line and try to catch typos or errors. This also gives me a good sense of each student in the school and how they are doing. My family likens report card reading time to income tax time -- mom is tired and grouchy. It usually takes me about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to reach each class set. I have 11 sets to read starting Monday. They need to be done by Thursday so they can be printed Friday morning ready to go out on the 11th. Also, I pray all week that there are no computer glitches...
We take a great deal of time and effort to write report cards. There is much discussion and thought that goes into every one.
If ever you have questions about what comes home on the RC, please ask.
Mrs. B
