Understanding your child’s report card

Elementary and high school report cards have the same format. The same information is provided in both:

• Your child’s grades
• The group average (expressed as a percentage)
• The passing grade (i.e., 60 percent)

The school year is divided into three terms. A report card is issued at the end of each term by the following dates:

• November 20
• March 15
• July 10

The three school terms have different values. Here’s how the weighting (value) of each term is assigned in elementary and high school:

• The results of Term 1 count for 20 percent of a student’s final grade
• The results of Term 2 count for 20 percent of a student’s final grade
• The results of Term 3 count for 60 percent of a student’s final grade

Grades aren’t given at random or based on teachers’ whims. Grading is done according to specific criteria and is part of a lengthy process. Specifically, teachers must do the following:

• Plan which concepts to teach and evaluate
• Collect their students’ work (e.g., tests, papers, assignments, oral presentations)
• Comment on and grade all homework and assessments
• Look over the results and complete the students’ report cards

  

Your child acquires different disciplinary competencies depending on the school subject. Here are a few examples:

• In French, they learn to read, write, and communicate orally.
• In Mathematics, they learn to solve problems and reason.
• Etc.

Cross-curricular competencies are evaluated by your child’s teacher throughout the year as they interact. In the report cards issued at the end of terms 1 and 3, teachers generally leave comments on these four cross-curricular competencies:

• Exercises critical judgment
• Organizes his/her work
• Communicates effectively
• Works in a team

Disciplinary competency grades are expressed as a percentage for each subject.

The group average is the average grade obtained by the entire class for a given subject. It is expressed as a percentage for each subject.

Ministerial examinations, commonly known as ministry exams, are administered in every school in Quebec for all students in Grade 4 (French-language schools only), Grade 6, Secondary II (French-language schools only), Secondary IV, and Secondary V. Here are two key points to remember:

• They assess learning in compulsory subjects.
• They usually take place in June, under uniform conditions, according to an official schedule.