The rules also baffled many parents and raised concerns that students were not being properly prepared for the expectations of university classes. (Ontario’s new policy, which will shape guidelines developed at the board level, stresses teachers’ making marking decisions based on context and their own expertise.)
At the same, the idea that behaviour should be distinct from marks has shaped much of the new conversation around report cards. Quebec’s new version, which differs slightly depending on whether it is for elementary, middle or high school, contains more room for detailed comments by teachers and moves toward percentages for most grades, with class averages included. In Saskatoon, a new report card being piloted has added specific learning skills, such “uses time effectively” and “learns well with others,” assessments that already exist in some provinces. And Ontario’s new progress report, by not giving marks, should focus more on how students have settled into the routine and learned the requirements of school.
But some researchers also suggest that report cards should do a better job of communicating social skills and emotions: Many parents want know not just about math scores, but whether their children are well-adjusted and happy.
In Denmark, for instance, students and parents complete an annual survey, with specific questions about how the students feel in school and what they need and want from teachers. Their answers are incorporated into report cards. “That sends a really strong message to the public that we care about students’ social and emotional well-being, because that’s contributing to their [school performance],” says Eunice Jang, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
Probably the main complaint about report cards is the language, a problem highlighted by Canada’s ever-growing number of immigrants, who may arrive with English that does not include a grasp of the term “numeracy” or a relative understanding of what it means to “meet expectations.”
As Manitoba Education Minister Nancy Allan points out, “If you’ve just come to Canada from another country [how do you know] what are our country’s expectations?” She has promised that the province’s new report card “will be parent-friendly and written in plain language.”
Even with these rounds of changes, it’s unlikely that the tinkering is done. Grading makes for lively debate everywhere. In Texas, a judge ruled in the summer in favour of teachers who argued that a policy banning marks below 50 per cent on report cards violated their academic freedom. Other U.S. school districts have got rid of the D letter grade, saying that if students can’t score a C, they should receive a failing grade. Denmark has only recently starting giving grades to students in Grade 7 and below, a response, partly, to middling scores on international rankings
Changes to report cards in Canada can be expected to include an attempt to clarify grades – with more provinces leaning toward a return to old-fashioned percentages for middle and high school, which allows students to see improvements more clearly than letter grades. “There’s nothing wrong with grades being competitive,” Mr. Zwaagstra says. “Life is competitive.”
So, back in Red Deer, Mr. Bower will diligently fill out his report cards, with grades. But he added his advice for parents: Do not get distracted by them. “Don’t let grades rob you and your child of awesome conversations about learning.”
