Report Cards: Tears and fear, or all good cheer?

It’s report card time. If your stomach just started fluttering with nervousness and dread, you certainly aren’t alone. This year, Parent Driven Schools wants to make the process a little easier by providing a few simple tips to make report card season a learning experience.  No matter if your child is a straight A student or struggling in a few subjects, the report card is a perfect opportunity to discuss the prior year and set new goals for fall.

Dos and Don’ts when that Report Card Arrives

• Do set a time for you and your child to sit down and talk about the report card in detail. This “date” should be set before report cards are released, and held to, regardless of the report card scores. A set meeting time will also give you a chance to ask your child specifically about the grade and comment assessments.
• Don’t focus only on letter grades. Instead, look at the teacher’s comments first to better evaluate how your student is doing overall.
• Do offer positive reinforcement for the good evaluations he or she receives; whether it be for the present card, or for future cards (i.e. to increase grade scores).
• Don’t forget to consult your child’s Interest and Abilities Map (IAM) during the report card evaluation process. See what goals you set last year, than look at the report card to see if they were met. Maybe your student didn’t get an A in math, but they improved their multiplication facts—quite a reason to celebrate!
• Do put the report card in context. Remember that some years are especially difficult on kids—such as moving schools, or transitioning out of middle school.
• Don’t blame the teacher. Instead, remind your student that in the real world sometimes people may not like them. Discuss how to thrive even under tough circumstances.
• Do establish detailed goals for the next report card. Goals can be set reminders for your child, something they can see as a “finish line.”
• Don’t make goals unrealistic. If your student failed English, perhaps a reasonable goal for next year is to aim for a C- rather than an A.

Project Appleseed has created a parent involvement survey. This survey will assess how well your involvement is in your child’s learning. It is also a good resource for tips on how to become better involved; and in return see more and more positive report cards throughout your child’s education. For more information, please visit http://www.projectappleseed.org/reportcard.html.

Blog Talk Radio: Finding Solutions, Not Airing Frustrations

As always, BlogTalk Radio is produced to inspire and support parents nationwide. Listen to our most recent BlogTalk Radio conversation with Margaret Leeds and Texas Conflict Coach, Patricia Porter. Both women talked about supporting parents and teachers in having conversations around solutions and celebrations, not frustrations. Parents will also receive information regarding the peer mediation process to help their child in school. We recommend this episode for all parents. To listen, please visit our BlogTalk Radio page.

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