Do report cards really show if my child is struggling?

In Summary

• Report cards may not always accurately reflect a child’s struggles or strengths.
• Observations at home can provide a better understanding of a child’s academic performance.
• Report card grades are an overall assessment of multiple elements combined.
• Parents should trust their instincts if they feel a grade does not align with their child’s abilities.
• Schedule a meeting with the teacher to gain a deeper understanding of the grade.
• Conducting a full assessment can help identify specific gaps in a child’s understanding.
• It is important to address these gaps early to prevent long-term difficulties.
• Parents can reach out to experts, like Seeds of Knowledge, for assistance and guidance in understanding report card grades.

A concerned parent’s call

Recently, I had a phone call from a concerned parent in regards to her year 1 daughter’s math mark.

She had been noticing her child, Gemma, was not understanding her Math homework and called me for advice.

I asked to see her last report card and her mother said Gemma received a B and was confused. How was Gemma appearing to struggle when her mark was above average?

This is a common question I get asked by parents.

Let’s break this down.

Firstly, as a parent we have a sense of where our children are sitting academically, from what we observe in the home environment, through incidental learning.

We observe their learning through their writing, going to the supermarket, cooking, doing their homework and so much more.

Therefore, at times when the report card comes home it can feel like a surprise — whether that be a D, C or B.

That is when we question ourselves or become curious about how they received that grade.

Listen to your gut instinct. If the grade is not sitting right with you in knowing your child, then it is time to dig a bit deeper.

Unveiling the meaning behind grades

The next step is to understand what the mark means on the report card.

Report cards are a global assessment on how a child is performing over a semester. They are made up of many different elements, brought together to give one mark.

For example, Gemma may have received an A in number knowledge but a D in another assessment and a C in another assessment, each one assessing all different areas of mathematical knowledge.  This would produce an overall B mark.

Decoding the report card

In the case of Gemma, once her mother knew this, she booked a meeting with the classroom teacher and found out that the assessments for the report card were one number test, two shapes tests and one directionality test.

Gemma did extremely well on the shape and directionality tests, achieving As and Bs, however on closer examination her number test showed gaps in knowledge, resulting in a C.

This was the same gap that her mother was noticing in her homework. Therefore, the report card did not accurately reflect the struggle that Gemma was experiencing, nor giving her mother any direction on how to support or teach Gemma.

Does this sound familiar? Have you experienced this?

In the famous words of Albert Einstein “the important thing is not to stop questioning, curiosity has its own reason for existing”. It is so important to be curious in understanding your child’s report card.

Book a meeting and understand what that mark really means.

As a teacher I know that number knowledge is the foundation of all mathematics. It was in number knowledge that Gemma was struggling and therefore this was of great concern, even though she received an overall B.

But how was Gemma’s mum to know? And how would she move forward?

In this case, Gemma’s mum called me. We had a deep discussion in regard to what to Gemma’s mum was noticing about her mathematical knowledge.

The importance of a full assessment

The only way we truly knew where the mathematical gaps were for Gemma, was to do a full assessment. Gemma completed the assessment and once we delved into the results, we found that her struggle was in understanding number patterns and counting.

This was a simple fix, however without it Gemma would have struggled the whole way through maths with a flow on effect to her schooling. She would find time difficult, money challenging and so on.

Trust your gut

I guess what I wanted to communicate is that report cards are general. As parents we have gut instincts however, unfortunately we do not have knowledge around the curriculum. Therefore, no matter the grade on the card, if you feel it isn’t what you were expecting, get curious!

Remember, contact the teacher, or contact us at Seeds of Knowledge and we will help you delve into that grade deeper.