For some parents, report cards may be a source of strong emotions, expectations, or misunderstandings. Other parents may have questions but are afraid to ask them. Because of this, it is a good idea to demystify report cards for parents. Not only will giving a short overview be very useful to them, but it will also help establish effective family-school communication!
As you know, the school year is divided into three terms in Quebec. At the end of each term, report cards are sent out to parents. Parents are often unfamiliar with the school calendar and wonder when they will be receiving their child’s report card. A good way to get ahead of these concerns is to provide parents with a list of important dates at the beginning of the school year. Examples include the following:
Here are key points to remember about report card weights and issue dates:
Note: Report cards may be different for students enrolled in a specific program or students with an individualized education plan. In addition, for students in special education classes, the subjects taught may be different and results will be reported as a letter grade.
Some parents may be confused when they receive a “report card” with no marks—this is a progress report. Therefore, it is important to reassure them by explaining the purpose of this assessment, sent out usually in October. Progress reports contain the teacher’s observations and comments in the form of a qualitative assessment (good, very good, good but requires some help, etc.). Students’ progress reports, which should go out a few weeks into the school year, are used to identify any difficulties students may be facing. This first assessment also presents an opportunity to build a relationship with the school team.
As for report cards, it may be useful to remind worried parents that in Quebec, the passing mark is set at 60%. For parents of children who fail a subject, explaining the process of repeating a grade can also help calm their fears.
There is a lot of information in a report card, which can be stressful for a parent who worries they will not understand everything. It may be helpful in these cases to take the time to go over all the elements of the report card, such as:
Here is what parents should keep in mind about competencies: for core subjects such as English, French, and math, results are broken down into subcategories unique to each subject, called disciplinary competencies. Here are some examples:
Cross-curricular competencies, on the other hand, are often harder for parents to grasp because they are more abstract. Therefore, it can be very helpful to explain that they represent essential skills that allow students to adapt to a variety of situations, impacting their holistic development more generally. Typically, report cards issued at the end of terms 1 and 3 provide feedback on two of these four cross-curricular competencies:
One thing many parents are sure to ask about is the class average, and whether their child’s marks were above or below it. Some parents are very concerned about how their child’s performance compares to the average. It is a good idea to remind these parents that the class average is an indicator: it serves as a benchmark to get an overview of the progress of the whole class, but does not say much about any particular student’s progress. If a student changes classes, for example, the class average will also change.
Some parents will be concerned about their child’s marks. While the report card assesses a student’s academic performance at the end of each term, it is not the only way to evaluate student development. It is wise to remind parents that their child’s progress is more important than the mark they receive. Indeed, parents should place more emphasis on their child’s effort than the marks they earn. If the student’s progress is not satisfactory, you should reassure the student and communicate with the parents to come up with an action plan to get them back on track.
There are many different ways of looking at academic success. From an individual standpoint, you could say that success means realizing one’s full potential.
A good idea to help students cope when they are struggling is to recommend the Alloprof Help Zone.
This collaborative space is open seven days a week and allows students to help each other by suggesting explanations for their peers’ questions. All explanations are reviewed by the Alloprof team.
Writing : Alloprof Teachers' team