One thing I found particularly challenging as I worked through progress reports this weekend was arriving at a "mark" that accurately reflects student progress in the six different learning skills on page one of the report.
Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Responsibility, Initiative and Self-Regulation all have to be judged as "N-needs improvement", "S-satisfactory", "G-good" or "E-excellent" for every student. At only 7 weeks into the school year...???!!! One thing some of my colleagues and I have been working on is making the descriptors from the report card more "student friendly", in terms of language, in order that we might communicate the look-fors more effectively to students.
Below are two examples, Independent Work and Collaboration, which we use with students as we are developing criteria by which they can self-assess. These criteria are posted in the room and referred to throughout the year. They also form the basis for a Learning Skill-specific activity we complete together as we discuss each Skill.
Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Responsibility, Initiative and Self-Regulation all have to be judged as "N-needs improvement", "S-satisfactory", "G-good" or "E-excellent" for every student. At only 7 weeks into the school year...???!!! One thing some of my colleagues and I have been working on is making the descriptors from the report card more "student friendly", in terms of language, in order that we might communicate the look-fors more effectively to students.
Below are two examples, Independent Work and Collaboration, which we use with students as we are developing criteria by which they can self-assess. These criteria are posted in the room and referred to throughout the year. They also form the basis for a Learning Skill-specific activity we complete together as we discuss each Skill.
As we work with students throughout each day, many behaviours are observed that form the basis for anecdotal records. But where to record these? Until now, I have used a variety of recording locations and tools. Working on progress reports this past weekend reminded me of the importance of having notes in one place, linked specifically to the learning skills as a whole, since we report on them as a group. One of my colleagues sent me a draft of a template he had been working on, with multiple LS on one page. This inspired me to create my own tool for use with LS.
Below is a tracking sheet I am going to try out for Term One reports. The descriptors are copied almost verbatim from the report card, with some fine-tuning (so they make more sense "at a glance"!) As I move about my classroom taking note of the things students say or do that may link to a specific learning skill, I can jot these down in my binder, or even on a sticky note which I can then transfer to the appropriate spot on the record sheet. Later, the anecdotals can be used to construct comments for the report card.
I am hopeful that this organizational tool will make accurate, descriptive comments more effective and efficent come January!
Below is a tracking sheet I am going to try out for Term One reports. The descriptors are copied almost verbatim from the report card, with some fine-tuning (so they make more sense "at a glance"!) As I move about my classroom taking note of the things students say or do that may link to a specific learning skill, I can jot these down in my binder, or even on a sticky note which I can then transfer to the appropriate spot on the record sheet. Later, the anecdotals can be used to construct comments for the report card.
I am hopeful that this organizational tool will make accurate, descriptive comments more effective and efficent come January!
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