Effective Report The B e st S t r a t e g ie s , Tips, a n d Lists o f U se fu l P h r a s e s That E n c o u r a g e C ...
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Effective Report The B e st S t r a t e g ie s , Tips, a n d Lists o f U se fu l P h r a s e s That E n c o u r a g e C h ild r e n — a n d S a v e Y o u Tim e! ------------------- by Susan Shafer --------------------
JCim is a g r e a t contributor to our rcudi
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eludes Lots o f Sam ple omments! 1
Writing Effective
REPORT CARD Comments by
Susan Shafer
pROFESSIONALgOOKS NEW Y O R K
• TORONTO
• LONDON
• AUCKLAND
• SYDNEY
D e d ic a t io n
To Marilyn
A C K N O W LE D G M ENTS
My thanks to the teachers and consultants w ho contributed their tim e and th o u g h ts to this book, especially Adam Berkin, M iriam Epland, Adele Fiderer, M in H o n g , Gloria H oyos, Jane Fowler, M ary Gallivan, Kathy Lake, Fran M cNulty, Yvonne Sui R unyan, Peggy S cott, Leslie Serling, Penny S trube, Kathy Sholtys, Suzanne H o u g h to n Varney, and Valerie Williams.
T he report card excerpt on page 11 is reproduced from the archives o f th e N ew York City Board o f E ducation: New York City Board o f Education Archives, M illbank M em orial Library, Teachers C ollege, C olum bia University. T he student pages may be reproduced for classroom use. N o o th e r part o f this publication can be reproduced in whole o r in part, stored in a retrieval system, o r transm itted in any form o r by any m eans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, o r otherw ise, w ithout w ritten perm ission o f the publisher. For inform ation regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. C over design by V incent Ceci and Jaime Lucero Interior design by Solutions by D esign, Inc. ISBN 0-590-06882-2 C opyright © 1997 Susan Shafer All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Table of Contents /
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J In tro d u c tio n ...................................................................................................5
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C h ap ter 1
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R eport Cards in the Assessment Process......................................... 7 I
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C h a p te r 2
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Teachers’ Philosophies A bout Teaching and K id s .....................15
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C h ap ter 3
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M ethods for Assessing O u r S tu d e n ts ............................................ 21
C h ap ter 4
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Tips for W riting R eport C ard N a rra tiv e s .................................... 35
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C h ap ter 5
Words and Phrases T h at W ork......................................................... 41
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W hat D o Parents W a n t? ................................................................... 49
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Strategies for Resolving Possible P ro b lem s..................................53 $
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Guidelines, Form ats, Schedules, and T ips.................................... 59
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B ib lio g ra p h y ............................................................................................. 63
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Introduction “A report card,” says Penny Strube, a fifth-grade teacher in H annibal, Missouri, a keepsake fo r the whole fam ily. It's a piece o f memorabilia th a t a child may keep fo r a lifetime. So, when I write comments on my students' report cards, I compose very carefully, basing my statements on careful observation o f the child's work. I know th a t in fu tu r e years those kids may one day reread what I said about them when they were students in my class. It's a big responsibility, a n d I try to be positive a n d encouraging.” This is part o f a conversation I had w ith one teacher, which grew into conversations w ith m any teachers across the country, on how to make com m ents we teachers write on stu d en ts’ rep o rt cards m ore m eaningful and helpful to the child and the child’s family. R eport card com m ents have always been an interest o f mine. D uring the tw enty years I worked as an elem entary school teacher, I often wished th at we teachers had m ore opportunities to share ideas on how to write the best narratives possible. W hile I was confident th at the rep o rt cards I w rote were clear, straightforw ard, and inform ative, I wished th a t I had further chances to discuss w ith my colleagues o u r philosophies ab o u t rep o rt card w riting and o u r approaches to and systems for collecting data. By sharing ideas, we w ould grow as professionals and our im proved narratives w ould help students grow as learners.
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9
Questioning Begins
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om e m onths ago I plunged into the research th at I had w anted to undertake for so long. N ow an educational w riter and consultant, I started by p h o n in g teacher friends and colleagues, asking them to discuss w ith me the basic tenets and practical assessment systems th at guide them as they prepare rep o rt cards. My plan was to write a book th a t w ould give teachers the tools to com m unicate m ore effectively w ith parents. I hoped to make it easier for teachers to create narratives that are clear and constructive—in the fullest sense o f th a t w ord. I w anted to help teachers write com m ents that w ould build kids’ confidence and im prove their learning.
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Phone Calls Galore
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*cll m e about your philosophy o f w riting rep o rt card com m ents,” I began, after chatting informally w ith each teacher. (Their response? Make it positive.) “W hat do you hope rep o rt cards will accomplish?” I also asked. “W ho are you trying to reach?” Teachers were eager to discuss these questions and were happy to share their thou g h ts and practices. M any even w rote letters and sent me sample narratives to illustrate their points. T he interviews were so spirited and inform ation-packed that I began to take notes.
* Distributed Questionnaire *
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oon I formalized my w ork even m ore. I created a questionnaire which I sent to eight o u tstan d in g teachers. (They teach various grades, from grade 1 th ro u g h grade 5, and some have tau g h t preschool or grade 6 and higher in the past. O ne ta u g h t a range o f grades from K— 12 and is currently an associate professor in a university.)
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Moms and Dads Queried
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also w anted parents’ v iews ab o u t narratives. In tim e, I contacted parents o f my form er students, friends o f relatives, and neighbors.
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Purpose y he purpose o f W riting Effective Report C ard Continents is to help you:
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Write rep o rt card com m ents w ith clarity and ease.
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Share inform ation th a t encourages parents’ su p p o rt o f their child ren ’s learning.
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Ki3 Make the rep o rt card w riting process m ore efficient.
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T he book describes the four m ost im p o rtan t elem ents o f effective narratives and offers tips and actual examples o f rep o rt card com m ents th at work.
Chapter
1
Report Cards in the Assessment Process Assessment Is Ongoing rom the m om ent students enter your classroom in the m orning till long after they leave at the end o f the day, you are evaluating their progress, b o th formally and informally. Assessment is often so m uch a natural part o f w hat we teachers d o th at w e’re hardly aware w e’re doing it. Yet assessment is vital in helping us p ro m o te students’ grow th as learners, in inform ing us about o u r ow n teaching, and in reporting students’ progress to parents. L et’s look at the ways in w hich all o f these things com e into play in one teacher’s classroom. After lunch, the students in a fourth-grade class gather for a w riting w orkshop mini-lesson. T he teacher starts by dem onstrating for the group how to use dialogue to write a “ catchy lead.” After the discussion, the children return to their desks to experim ent w ith leads for their own stories (they have learned several techniques so far this m o n th ). Before long, the teacher notices 11 -year-old Shawn sitting dejectedly at his desk, crossing o u t som e o f his sentences, crum bling up his paper. “W hat’s w rong, Shawn?” the teacher asks. “ My leads are crum m y,” he says. “ I’ve tried ‘dialogue.’ I ’ve tried 'surprise statem ents.’ But no th in g sounds good en o u g h to get my friends to read on. I ’m stuck.” The teacher offers a suggestion. “ Have you tried ‘flashback’?” she asks. Shawn’s face brightens, his body relaxes, and he goes back to w riting w ith new energy.
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N ow th at we see the fundam ental principles th at guide teachers, let’s look at the m ethods they use to actually assess their students’ grow th. J " -
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Methods for Assessing Our Students |V .
What Did I Ask and Why?
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What systems do you or your colleagues use to collect information for report cards? knew th a t the answer to this question w ould uncover sound systems for collecting inform ation ab o u t students and for rep o rtin g evaluations fairly to parents.
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What Did Teachers Say? eachers use a wide range o f m ethods to assess stu d en t progress. For example, they rely on portfolios, checklists and inventories, anecdotal records, journals, observations, stu d en t self-assessments, and tests.
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PEN N Y S T R U B E , Grade 4:
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Authentic Evaluation
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O ther Areas M ath I use tw o pieces o f form al assessment, such as tests or checklists. The checklists contain areas such as “counts by 5s” and “understands one-toone correspondence.” R e a d in g Besides keeping inventories, I also have my students com plete these statem ents: “ I did a good job o n _____ ” and “ I need to w ork on _____ .” Som etim es I jot dow n quotes from the child.
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A rt I keep selected samples in their portfolio. F or instance, a child w ho loves to draw or paint or make a puppet can p u t that p roduct in the portfolio. It does n o t have to be a finished work. SUZAN NE H O U G H T O N VARNEY, Grade 2: In addition to keeping folders for each child, I keep a noteb o o k in which I place anecdotal com m ents. As I observe my students, I write these com m ents on mailing label-sized stickers and then place them on the appropriate pages in my notebook.
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