The Do’s and Don’ts of School Report Cards

Over the years of running a tutoring business, report cards have always been a topic of conversation and a controversial topic for many of my parents. This article aims to dispel many misconceptions by presenting a solid understanding of how to interpret a school report card.

Firstly, let’s start the conversation about what report cards are and their purpose. A substantial part of the learning process of school is receiving report cards. Report cards are designed to provide a clear account of your child’s learning progress against the expected standards of their year level.

How do I interpret a school report card?

There are many ways of interpreting a report card, and it is essential that you interpret it correctly to understand your child’s growth in learning. One of the ways to interpret a report card is through the grading system, understanding challenges, and the areas of academic success.

Here are some suggestions:

• Interpreting the grading system individually and collectively across the class: To access the collective records of the class, request the comparative reporting report card (this provides a comparison of the student’s levels of achievement in each learning area against the achievement of other students in the school). This comparative report card will show you the number of students who received a particular grade. For example, two students may have only received an A, whereas the majority of the class received a B or C. This indicates that your child is achieving with the majority of the class.
• Understanding challenges: The report card is designed to give you a global perspective on a particular learning area. What is important is the specific area of challenge. For example, in English, the challenge might be connecting letter and sound knowledge to read or using correct sentence structures to write. In Maths, the area of challenge might be adding and subtracting to 10.
• Asking the teacher for the specific areas that are challenging for your child: This allows you to become aware of any developmental or knowledge gaps that may be forming and to focus the support a child receives on those gaps.
• Understanding areas of academic success that can be developed: Just like challenges, it is essential to know your child’s specific areas of success. Having this information enables you to seek further opportunities for your child to excel in those areas.

Going through the learning years, you and your child will become more familiar with report cards and how to interpret them. This leads me to another controversial topic: “Should I share the report card with my child?”

To share or not to share a report card

This is an open-ended question that has many answers. There is no right or wrong answer; it is a personal choice informed by your understanding of your child, their learning mindset, and their learning needs.

You might NOT share the results of the report card if:

• your child is too young to understand what the report card means;
• your child is putting in a solid effort but not receiving the grades representing their hard work;
• you do not want your child to compare themselves with the performance of other students; or
• you feel your child may see themselves as a product of the grade. For example, if they receive a D, they may see themselves as a failure, whereas they may have made progress.

You might WANT to share the results of the report card if:

• it has a benefit for your child to know how their learning is progressing;
• it provides an explanation as to why your child is performing academically in a certain way;
• it enhances your child’s self-esteem or learning mindset; or
• your child is goal-oriented.

This is definitely one of the topics we love to discuss with our parents. Sometimes, you may feel uncertain, and we are happy to help you through the report card minefield.

A quality conversation is the way to go

Conversations are vital to support children in understanding their report cards. Without a conversation, children’s minds fill in the missing gaps of what is not being said in the report card. This is why a quality conversation with your child at different ages and stages is essential.

Children, especially in the later years of primary school, develop the ability to reflect on their learning, set goals and know what they want to achieve in the future. Reflection is key to moving forward and discovering the possibilities.

To open a conversation about a report card, ensure that the environment is conducive to having an in-depth conversation. Ideally, this conversation should be one-on-one and in a quiet space. Setting the scene for the conversation will ensure the best outcome.

Ask your child a series of open-ended questions, allowing them to lead the conversation and develop ideas for growth.

Questions may include:

• How do you feel about your report card?
• What do you think about your report card?
• What are your areas of strength?
• What are your areas of challenge?
• What do you think will help you get to the next grade level/improve?

You might be surprised that as the children get older, they will be able to explain the report card in more depth and develop ownership of their learning and report card. This is the ultimate goal!

There can be speed bumps in the road when it comes to report cards. It is essential to navigate these obstacles to support your child’s growth, development, and learning.

Great actions are made up of small steps

As parents, we all want the best education experience for our children. Sometimes, we don’t know what action to take if the report card doesn’t reflect our child’s learning potential.

Here are several small actions you can take to help improve your child’s educational outcome:

1. Ask the classroom teacher about any challenges your child is experiencing (e.g. social, emotional, focusing, listening, following instructions, etc.). Once you understand these challenges, you can take steps to help your child overcome them.
2. Understand your child’s academic ability. If a small piece of foundational literacy or numeracy knowledge is lacking, it can impact your child’s ability to understand subsequent concepts and, therefore, fall further and further behind. Your child’s teacher may already know the areas requiring support and will try to assist. However, your child may just need some extra time to catch up or learn.
3. Consider outside support from qualified teachers and tutors. These professionals will have a stronger ability to focus on your child’s learning needs to grasp concepts and processes they may struggle with in a classroom setting.
4. Help grow your child’s confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills. These skills are often not developed in the school but are vital for school success. Seeds of Knowledge offers a range of short programs that will help your child take action, apply the knowledge, and develop new skills along the way.

At Seeds of Knowledge, we help parents to dispel misconceptions and clarify their understanding of report cards. We understand the complexity of interpreting report cards and what meaning they have for you and your child.

We welcome any conversation to discuss how we may help your child grow confident in their effort and achievements in school. Feel free to contact us to discuss this.

Our in-term tutoring and school holiday programs help your child grow their learning skills, confidence and mindset, allowing them to achieve their true potential. Many of our parents’ biggest regret is not starting these programs sooner.