How to Evaluate Students and Prepare for Report Cards

Report cards are an important part of a child's education. Report cards are generally completed three or four times a year and are a way to inform the parents of their child's progress. As a teacher is is very time consuming to fill out a report card for every child in the class.

Thirteen years ago when I started teaching it was very simple to fill out my students' report cards. I reported whether the child was making "sufficient progress" or "needed improvement" in Reading, Writing, and Math. Today I have almost 80 items to grade for each student. Each area or standard needs to be graded on a scale of 1-6. It takes almost one hour to fill out one report card.

Since the begin of No Child Left Behind, teachers are held very accountable of the progress being made by students. My first graders come to first grade with the word "test" in their vocabulary. They know what "fill in the bubble by the correct answer" means. There are many tests given during the year and these are very valuable tools for filling out the report card, but they should not be the only measure used to grade students.

Teachers should always be observing the students and making mental notes on the students' progress or lack of. I have 20 students in my class, so I focus on four students each day. I have a notebook and take notes on those four students during the day. These notes come in very handy when report card time is arriving. These are also very helpful to use when conferencing with parents.

Some testing requires one on one attention. My first graders need to read a short book and answer comprehension questions. This test usually only takes 5 minutes, but it's often difficult to give during the day because the other students interrupt the test taker. For these types of tests it's a good idea to test each student with as little interruption as possible. At my school we offer breakfast so many students wait in the cafeteria before school starts. I try to test one student before school. Then at recess I keep one student in to test. By the end of two weeks I have tested all 20 of my students.

After all tests are given and graded I file the tests along with work samples for each student. I then look at all the tests and work samples. Our report card is standards based so I look at which samples pertain to each standard. I also think of class discussions and class performance. Based on all this, I give the student a grade for that standard.

Report cards should be done as accurately as possible. Teachers should not grade students differently. All students should be graded fairly and consistently. When it's report card time I like to give myself a little reward after finishing half the report cards and another small reward when all report cards are completed. My reward is usually a Starbucks drink, but it can be anything enjoyed by the teacher.

Parents want to know how their child is doing in school. Report cards are one way to inform parents how their child is doing. Start early so you don't feel the last minute pressure of completing the report cards.