by Superintendent Keith Davis

Report cards have been around for as long as schools.

Many of us still have our old report cards tucked away in a box somewhere and once in a while, we’ll see one dating back many decades and wonder how that child turned out.

As interesting as they may be in a historical sense and as a tool to bring forth old memories of a particular teacher or period of time, today’s report card is much more than an assignment of percentages mastered in a particular content area.

The weaknesses of report cards are many, especially if we think of them as an objective measure of learning.

There may be enough precision in a math class to distinguish between the amount of learning that earns an 89 percent and a B as opposed to a 91 percent and an A, but in every other subject (and to be honest even in math), the grades given on the report card are far too imprecise to make actual representations of the percent of standards and objectives actually mastered.

To be “pure,” the report card grade should be taken only from test results based on a representative sample of the standards that the teacher covered during the particular time period.

There should be no extra credit, homework completion wouldn’t matter at all, and retaking a test would be strictly out of the question.

But, what would that really tell us?

It would tell us pretty much what our state standardized testing already tells us, which is far too little if it is to help us help the student learn.

We want and need more information from our caring, human, professional educators than just a number and a computer generated comment.

What I think parents want is for the trained educator to tell parents how their child is really progressing and what he or she needs to do better based on their professional, human judgment.

BCPS elementary and middle schools are using a supplementary document to give parents this kind of information.

It is called the Personal Development Report Card and is being used in conjunction with the numbers-based report card to give parents some very subjective, but highly useable information.

The layout is pretty simple. There are seven qualities that the teacher or team of teachers judge and report: 1) Works Independently, 2) Works Collaboratively, 3) Demonstrates Work Ethic, 4) Manages Time Effectively & Meets Deadlines, 5) Contributes to Class Discussions, 6) Respectful, Responsible, & Safe, and 7) Demonstrates Leadership.

Each quality is judged on a three point scale: Fully Developed, Developing, or Area of Need. There is also an area for specific comments by the teacher(s).

This is not something that determines promotion or retention, or grade point average, or how much a student might get in scholarships.

It is meant to give the elementary and middle school child and his parent a starting point for introspection and discussion.

It is a way for us adults to help our children develop characteristics that will serve them well once they leave school.

It is a way for us to see our own child through the eyes of another caring adult who may see something that we do not.

When you have your parent/teacher conferences, be sure and bring this report along, or contact your child’s teacher to see what you can do to help your child develop these qualities.

The teachers will welcome your interest because children who grow on these seven factors are much easier and rewarding to teach, and will be more successful when they transition from school life to adult life.