Tips for Not Letting Report Cards Get You Down

It is that time of year that is typically the most stressful for teachers---

1st quarter report cards, conferences, American Education Week,

and maybe even observations? 

Report cards don’t need to stress you out and give you a constant headache! 

A focus of my school this year is to make sure we utilize report cards to accurately document:

1. how the student is performing in the classroom

2. behavior/social concerns effecting performance

3. level of support currently being provided for student success

4. teacher’s plan for assisting in student growth next term

Let me back up a moment and add that parents and teachers should be communicating throughout the quarter on the student’s successes and challenges.  The report card should not be the first time a parent is hearing this information.

The report card is the place to document the student’s current successes, challenges, and student concerns. 

As I scoured blogs and performed many searches on Pinterest, I so often found suggestions and resources about changing all negative things into positives.

While I do believe you should begin the comment, conferences, and any parent communication with a positive comment, it is essential that you accurately document the student’s status.

The comments section is not a place to list everything taught during the quarter or to copy & paste the same comment for every student.  The comment should be personalized & thorough, accurate & data-driven.

(Please keep in mind all schools, counties, and districts have their own expectations for report cards.  This blog post is my personal opinion from experience and professional development.)

To help you with writing your own report card comments, I have compiled a document that I am also sharing with teachers at my own school.  I printed these on bright paper, backed on a sheet of construction paper, and laminated.  I am recommending that teachers store these in their grading binders for easy access.

Click on any image to download and good luck with writing your report cards!