Most people remember report card day and bringing home the envelope to their parents with a feeling of either pride or worry. The range of marks and comments has changed over the years from simple letter grades to long pages of thoughtful descriptions of student progress. Teachers in our school district, along with 17 other districts in the province, have received a grant from the Ministry to explore ways of improving communicating student learning to parents.

This past fall, teachers interested in this project met to discuss several ways reporting may take place: student portfolios, student-led conferences, pedagogical documentation (learning stories), competency based reporting, gradeless reporting, and student self-assessment were all of interest to our district's teachers. Early this year, 40 educators met on a Friday to co-create criteria and plan what communicating student learning may look like for the next reporting term.

If your child’s teacher chooses to participate, your child’s "report" may look like a 3-way conversation including the student, teacher, and parent. Some of our district teachers have already begun to use some of these new methods. Other teachers will continue to write traditional report cards.

We look forward to working together with an emphasis on ‘communicating student learning’ in ways that include students, parents, and teachers, rather than teachers ‘reporting’. You can learn more at a district parent information night, to be held on Thursday March 3, at 6:00 at Salt Spring Elementary.  Please bring your questions and concerns.

http://k12innovation.ca/projects/communicating-student-learning/