Ontario Provincial Report Cards

It's crunch time! Teachers write constructive reports on the learning progress of their students.

Is it the most wonderful time of the year? Perhaps not for some students, but for educators, the verdict is yours. Crafting report cards can be a daunting task, particularly for novice teachers, but with practice, it becomes more manageable over time. Writing reports is a time-consuming, thought-provoking, and exhausting process, especially when faced with a large volume of up to 30 reports!

One effective strategy I've adopted as a future teacher is organizing each student's progress using an Excel document. Within this document, I create separate tabs for each subject taught, where I meticulously chart and organize various aspects such as written assignments, projects, conversations, and observations. These observations encompass work habits, participation in class discussions, group dynamics, and transferable skills. By recording marks from rubrics and jotting down notes regularly, ideally at the end of each week or whenever noteworthy events occur, I ensure organization and efficiency when it comes time to write report cards. This method helps me stay organized and saves time in the long run.

Above: Sample of my assessments for grade 6 students' progress in Social Studies. These comments can potentially be used in a progress repot. The names have been changed to protect the identity of the students.

According to the provincial policy:

"Teachers will obtain assessment through a variety of means, which may include formal and informal observations, discussions, learning conversations, questioning conferences, homework, tasks done in groups, demonstrations, projects, portfolios, developmental continua, performances, peer and self-assessments, self-reflections, essays and tests (Growing Success, 2010, p. 28)".

Above: Documents give teachers guidelines to making assessments for their student. The first document is courtesy of Emily Burgis, Course Director and Practicum Facilitator at the Faculty of Education at York University. The second document is courtesy of the Ontario Curriculum.

Assessment is an ongoing process that occurs throughout the year, capturing how students learn and what they produce as evidence of their learning. Utilizing a triangulation method involving assignments/projects/products, conversations, and observations ensures a comprehensive assessment strategy. These assessments should strive to be unbiased, criterion-referenced, and reflective of the student's learning over time, as per Ministry of Education guidelines. Marks should align with learning goals and success criteria, with educators providing constructive feedback to help students improve and meet their goals. This progress is then documented for review by legal guardians and/or parents.

Report cards serve as a valuable tool for students, parents, and teachers alike. They allow students to recognize their strengths and set higher goals for themselves, fostering positive outcomes. For parents, report cards provide guidance on how to support their child's learning at home. Lastly for teachers, report cards serve as a dynamic document, enabling them to track students' progress and guide them on their path to success.

Resources:

Ministry of Education. (2010). Growing Success:

Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools. https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growsuccess.pdf

Ministry of Education. (2021). Ontario Provincial Report Cards.

https://brocku.ca/education/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/PDPTC-Provincial-Report-Cards_2020-21.pdf