In my last post, I explained why a grade of B is a perfectly acceptable grade. Today's post is where things start turning more into a rant.
Take everything with a grain of salt
Elementary school report cards are really, really subjective. The same work can be graded differently by two teachers at different schools, or even by two teachers at the same school. Yes, the province gives us rubrics for what work merits a grade of A, B, C, or D. Those rubrics are really vague. They just tell us that a grade of C goes to a student who has demonstrated "some" knowledge or skill, B is for "considerable" knowledge or skill, and A is for "a high degree" of knowledge or skill. What counts as some, considerable, or a high degree isn't defined for us. We are also meant to be grading them based on what we've taught, which can vary depending on what they kids can do at the start of the year.
Here are some examples:
Writing:
In an online teaching forum that I'm part of, teachers will share examples of students' writing work and ask how the rest of us would grade them. The same sample might receive a C from one teacher and a A- from another. In one school, almost all of my grade six students were writing persuasive essays without much trouble. Kids got a grade of B if they wrote essays that were well-organized, had good sentence structure and vocabulary, and were edited well. At another school, most of my students began the year unable to write a cohensive paragraph. They made many gains in their writing, and I was proud of their accomplishments. But if I'd tried to grade their writing on the same rubric that I'd created for my class a few years prior, most of them would have gotten a D. There are exemplars for writing, but they haven't been updated in over 20 years, and few students today achieve the levels that kids did in 1999.
Reading
For reading, we get meaningless levels called the DRA. Students have to read at a certain level by the end of a certain grade. The levels don't really correlate to how well students read at all; there's actually research saying that using them to gauge a student's reading success is about as good as flipping a coin. A student may be able to read a book at level G but struggle with level C. Also, we get no guidance about what level students should be at in the middle of the year, just at the end. So, another discussion in my teaching forum is about which reading level gets what grade for the February report card. I've heard teachers say they'll give a kid a B if they read at level E, but others give a B to students who read at level G.
Our curriculum says that they need to be able to use a variety of strategies to comprehend and decode text. Which strategies are appropriate for which grade level? How complex should the text be? Different sources give us different guidelines. There is honestly no one right answer for what constitutes a grade of A, B, C, or D in reading.
The Arts
In one teaching assignment, I taught music at a school with a well-established music program. All of the kids learned to sing in tune in kindergarten and by the end of grade four they could look at a piece of sheet music and sing what was on the page. They could listen to a recording and tell what instruments they were listening to. Technically, this is what the curriculum says they should be able to do.
Few schools, however, have a specialized music program. A few years later, I taught at a school where the kids had had limited music instruction. All of the classes started the year working on the same basic material - from the grade one curriculum - even the kids in grade five. It wouldn't be fair to ask them to sight-sing music or identify all of the instruments in an orchestra! I hadn't taught them those things yet since they were still working on the basics. Based on the same criteria from my previous school, these kids would be failing.
Science and social studies
In one of my first teaching assignments, my students mostly came from working class families where money was tight. Most of their parents didn't speak English fluently. These students only went to museums or art galleries on school trips. When they traveled, it was usually to visit relatives. They were capable students; they just came into grade six with limited background knowledge. I gave students grades of A and B for being able to explain the big ideas.
A few years later, I taught at a very wealthy school. These students were also in grade six, but they knew so much more about the world. These were children whose families had memberships to the museum and science centre, who had traveled to more places than I have, and who went to all kinds of enrichment programs in the summer. They started the year understanding more about biodiversity and global issues than my previous class did at the end of the year. If I'd graded this class on the same expectations as the other class, everyone would have gotten an A+ (and principals don't like it if we give too many kids an A+).
Basically, what I'm saying is that a teacher at the school a few blocks away might grade your child's work very differently from how your child's teacher does.
Part 3, coming up: we're often not allowed to be honest in our comments
Is receiving your child's report card anxiety provoking? Is it tricky to read all of the edu-speak? Do you have trouble deciphering how your child is really doing in school?
Here are the three things I wish parents knew about report cards. This is such a long post (rant) that I've broken it up into three parts.
Yes, a B is good enough!
B is the "provincial standard." This means that if your child receives a mark of B-, B, or B+, they've shown that they understand all of the concepts and have mastered the skills that they need at their grade level. Don't chastise (or worse, punish) your kid for not getting an A; I've met teachers who almost never give A's.
A grade of A-, A, or the elusive A+ means that your child has shown us something that is exceptional, beyond what we would expect. Sometimes it's hard to define exactly what that criteria is.
When I taught music, I often taught hundreds of students and saw each class for 40 minutes each week. Even by February, I didn't know all of the kids' names yet. I had to put checkmarks in boxes on the seating plan to make a note of which kids had demonstrated the skills I was teaching. If a student was able to do all of the things I expected, they got a B. If they demonstrated more, I'd give them an A. Less than what I expected? C. The kids who didn't do anything got a D. Often one or two kids in a class might get an A because I'd noticed their excellent singing voice or that they excelled at improvising rhythms. But don't be offended if your kid, who took piano lessons for years and just got a high grade on their RCM exam, got a B in music. It's hard for a child to demonstrate exceptional knowledge of the music curriculum in 40 minutes a week in a class of 35 children!
Also, here's a scenario I've seen many times. A kid does good work in class, work that is not exceptional, but perfectly fine. Then, for the final project, they bring it home to work on it and go all out. Everything is perfect and impeccable. At report card time, their grade in that subject is a B+, and the parents are angry that they didn't receive an A. We know when it's not your kid's work. If your child has exceptional vocabulary and great editing skills only on the essays that are brought home, we know that you're helping. And I don't mind that you're helping, since your help helps your child learn, and helps your child produce something they're proud of! However, teachers can tell the difference between the work that the children do independently and the work that they get help on, and we base their grades on what they can do, not what you can do.
Part 2, coming up: take everything with a grain of salt.
Are you looking for a special book to say "I love you" to your little valentine? You probably have some old favourites from your own childhood, but want to find something new for your child. Here are seven beautiful books about love, perfect for snuggling up with your toddler or preschooler. All of these are available in board book format. Note that younger babies usually don't care for this type of book, since they can't see the illustrations clearly and don't understand the words, so I recommend these books for babies one year and older.
I Love You to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth, illustrated by Tim Warnes
"I love our bathtime silliness, the way we splash and play."
A mother bear shares the ways she loves her cub throughout the day. I love the illustrations in this book. I'll admit I'm extra partial to it since my son's nickname is Baby Bear.
Little You by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Julie Flett
"You are life and breath adored. You are you, and so much more."
This is a short and sweet book about how wonderful babies are. Both the author and illustrator are indigenous. The illustrations depict parents and their baby doing everyday things together. This book is available in English and in dual-language English and Plains Cree.
I Love You Like No Otter by Rose Rossner and Sydney Hanson
"I love you like no otter. You truly are the best."
This book is so cute! The rhyming verses are all animal puns, with adorable illustrations to match. Your toddler won't get the puns at first, but that gives this book some staying power as your child grows to understand it better.
Pride Colors by Robin Stevenson
"A bright red heart, a little star, I love you just the way you are."
This book is technically meant to celebrate Pride, not Valentine's Day, but it's such a perfect book about love. Each page shows a different colour of the pride flag with an affirming message about how much we love our children. The illustrations are photographs of diverse families. This is one of my son's favourite books. The photos are also appealing to younger babies, so this would be a good choice if your baby is under one year.
I've Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb, illustrated by Suzie Mason
"Before birds flew over rainbows, and monkeys swung on trees,
There was you, and there was me."
Here is a book for all of us who dreamed of our children and were in love with them before we even met them. I love the repeating refrain in the text (your child can chime in to say it with you), and the illustrations are stunning. This is a perfect book for families who tried for a long time to have a child, or for those who became families through adoption.
Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman
"Make a big splash! Go out on a limb!
My love can find you. My love can swim!"
Don't be surprised if you finish reading this book and your child asks, "Why are you crying?" This book is definitely a tear-jerker. It's a perfect choice if your child is heading off to daycare, preschool, or kindergarten, or if you're traveling and need to be away from your child.
You Are My Happy by Hoda Kodb, illustrated by Suzie Mason
"What made us happy all day through?
Let's count those things, just me and you."
Once again, I'm partial to any book with a baby and mama bear duo, but this one is just too precious. A mama bear and her cub reflect on the things that make them happy throughout the day. This is a beautiful book about both love and gratitude.
So, which one of these made you cry?
