The program I serve in issues report cards at the middle and end of the program. Tonight, I’ll work on these for the “1st semester.” They are very basic…I indicate their attendance record, provide a “rating” on some basic criteria and then write a comment. A grade (A, B, C, etc.) is not involved.
These are to be ready by Wednesday so that they can be organized in time for next Monday when we will host an Open House. Parents are encouraged to come and see their child’s class in action and to pick up their report cards.
Personally, I would prefer to call these Assessments instead of report cards. The phrase report cards just sounds so academic. What we are doing here is offering an assessment of each child’s progress in their faith formation. It may be semantics but I think it would make a difference in how we perceive what it is that we are doing.
I’d love to hear from others who fill out report cards/assessments. What’s your experience?
We are doing report cards here for the first time ever, and they will be sent home next week. We do use a system of “grades.” O=outstanding, S=satisfactory, N=needs improvement, and yes, U=unsatisfactory. We also accompany that with an effort “grade.” There is also a section on behavior and a section on attendance. So, it is modeled like the academic type of report card.
To me assessment of progress is what precedes evaluation. I shared your four posts about assessment with the catechists.
Ruth Ann,
Thanks for letting us know about your experience. I’ll be interested in hearing about feedback you get from catechist, parents, and students about issuing report cards. Keep us informed.