How do we make report cards meaningful?

How Can We Make Reports & Assessments of Student Learning Meaningful to both Parent and Student Stakeholders?

On October 26th, CMA will be distributing a digital Interim Report to all of our parents via email. This report is one way to communicate with parents about their student’s learning in the classroom. Each report is a snapshot that describes a measurement of that child’s performance regarding the content in a particular subject at that point in the year. The first report ends up being a baseline from which progress is made. It is good educational practice (and mandated by the BC Ministry of Education) to report in a way to parents that is timely and responsive throughout the school year.

Every year we try to improve the quality and efficiency of our reporting process. Our intention is to communicate with families about their student’s learning in a way that reflects our care for the student, is personal to the student, and motivates the student to progress and take the next step forward. The ideal report is a piece of communication that includes all stakeholders in the student’s learning; teachers, student, and parent(s) or guardians.  It should inform all parties of the student’s level of understanding, and give direction (as well as action) regarding how to best support student progress.

Head of School, Mike Slinger, has asked CMA Faculty to consider the question: How can we communicate timely and meaningful assessments of student learning to parents in a better way?  This is an investigation we are taking on this year that will evolve as the year progresses. Parents can anticipate an invitation for their voice as stakeholders in the CMA system of reporting.

My upcoming blog post will be an overview of assessment as a part of the teaching process. If you’ve ever wondered about how a teacher goes about assessing student understanding, be sure to keep your eye open for it.

Submitted by guest blogger Ms. Alysa Patching, CMA Faculty and Co-ordinator of Learning & Innovation.