Session 6 Report Cards: Grades, Learning Skills & Comments

Ontario Ministry of Education The Ontario Curriculum (Grades 1-12) has an draft achievement chart for each subject area (on-line). Achievement charts for Social Studies, History and Geography (Grades 1-8) were revised and disseminated in 2004 in a complete curriculum document.

Students’ work will be assessed and evaluated across FOUR categories: Knowledge & Understanding: Acquiring subject-specific content knowledge. Understanding and comprehending meaning. Thinking: Using planning, processing and critical/creative thinking skills and/or processes. Communication: Conveying meaning through oral, written, and/or visual forms. Application: Using knowledge and skills to make connections between contexts. Transferring and extending knowledge and skills to new contexts.

What is the typical number of criteria for each category? “Effectiveness” is the descriptor used for the criteria in the Communication category. How do you gauge “effectiveness” ? Are the qualifiers equidistant and measurable? Level 1 = “Limited” Level 2 = “Some” Level 3 = “Considerable” Level 4 = “High Degree” or “Thorough”

Guide to the Provincial Report Card: Ministry of Education Grades report/1998/repgde.pdf Grades report/sec/srepgde.pdf report/1998/repgde.pdf report/sec/srepgde.pdf

Provincial Report Card Contents… OSR Requirements Report Card Versions: Grades 1-6 (Letter Grades + -) Grades 7-12 (Percentage Grades) Semestered vs. Non-semestered Catholic Religious & Family Life Section

Provincial Report Card Cont. … Two aspects of reporting: Achievement of Curriculum Expectations Development of Learning Skills Promotion Status (3 options) Chart for Achievement of Provincial Expectations The Meaning of “A” and “R”

Provincial Report Card Cont. … Average, Course Median, Credit Earned Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Steps for each subject Achievement of Learning Skills – “E” “G” “S” “N” Response Form

Tips for Writing Comments Comment on the “Overall Expectations” and if possible blend in the Specific Expectations too. If a child is on an IEP, this box is checked. Your board may choose to include the IEP with the report card. Clarify with your administrator whether point form or prose is preferred for comments. Use qualifiers first: “With assistance, Caitlin can…” If possible, make reference to something specific that the student has accomplished.

Tips for Writing Comments Cont… “Next Steps:” are goals for the child to focus on to increase success. For Term 2 & 3 comments, recall “Next Steps” from previous report cards. “Next Steps” should not be the same for all students. Compose a model comment set for each level of achievement (e.g. A’s, B’s…). Keep a thesaurus handy to avoid overusing certain words. Spell check and save your comments frequently.

Learning Skills … Independent Work Initiative Homework Completion Use of Information Cooperation with Others Conflict Resolution Class Participation Problem Solving Goal Setting to Improve Work

Learning Skills Comments Look at the defining characteristics of each of these Learning Skills and assessment tools. Ensure that the comments for Learning Skills match the grades. Craft your words for these comments carefully.