(THIS INFORMATION
IS COMPLIED FROM TWO DIFFERENT ARTICLES.
THIS MAY BE ALOT OF INFORMATION
BUT IT IS WELL WORTH IT!)
When Teachnet Contributor, Chantal Latour, sat down to personalize her
students' report
cards, something was missing. The list of report card comments that used
as starters and
had spent years compiling was gone.
Chantal explained her situation to the members of the Teacher-2-Teacher
forum and was
overwhelmed with responses. Over 300 adjectives and phrases are available
here for your
use.
As one contributor points out, remember: "My main advice about report card comments is to tell the truth."
1.Is a good citizen
2.Is learning to share and listen.
3.Is becoming more dependable during work periods.
4.Is developing a better attitude toward ___ grade.
5.Is showing interest and enthusiasm for the things we do.
6.Is learning to occupy his time constructively.
7.Wants responsibilities and follows through.
8.Can be very helpful and dependable in the classroom.
9.Always uses her time wisely.
10.Has strengthened her skills in ___.
11.Has great potential and works toward achieving it.
12.Working to full capability.
13.Is strong in _____.
14.Is learning to be a better listener.
15.Is learning to be careful, cooperative, and fair.
16.Is continuing to grow in independence.
17.Enthusiastic about participating.
18.Gaining more self-confidence.
19.Has a pleasant personality.
20.Has earned a very fine report card.
21.Has improved steadily.
22.Is learning to listen to directions more carefully.
23.Now accepts responsiblity well.
24._____'s work habits are improving.
25.Has been consitently progressing.
26.Has shown a good attitude about trying to improve in ___.
27.The following suggestions might improve his ____.
28.I am hoping this recent interest and improvement will continue.
29.Seems eager to improve.
30.Has shown strong growth in ____.
31.Is cooperative and happy.
32.Volunteers often.
33.Is willing to take part in all classroom activities.
34.Works well with her neighbors.
35._____'s attitude toward school is excellent.
36.Has the ability to follow directions.
37.Hand work is beautifully done.
38.Learns new vocabulary quickly.
39.Has a sense of humor and enjoys the stories we read.
40.Is a steadfast, conscientious worker.
41.Is very helpful about clean-up work around the room.
42.Anxious to please.
43.Brings fine contributions.
44.Has a pleasant disposition.
45.Works well.
46.Is hard-working.
47.Is pleasant and friendly.
48.Needs to increase speed and comprehension in reading.
49.Needs to apply skills to all written work.
50.Gets along well with other children.
51.Your constant cooperation and help are appreciated.
52.Has shown an encouraging desire to better herself in ___.
53.Making steady progress academically.
54.Quality of work is improving.
55.Responds well.
56.Is maintaining grade-level achievements.
57.Works well in groups, planning and carrying out activities.
58.Seems to be more aware of activities in the classroom.
59.Takes an active part in discussions pertinent to ___.
60.Accepts responsiblity.
61.Extremely conscientious.
62.Bubbles over with enthusiasm.
63.Has a sense of humor we all enjoy.
64.Has an excellent attitude.
65.Work in the areas of ____ has been extremely good.
66.Is an enthusiastic worker during the ____ period.
67.Needs to work democratically with others in groups.
68.Possible for ___ to exceed grade expectations.
69.Grasps new ideas readily.
70.Needs to develop a better sense of responsiblity.
71.Enthusiasitic about work in general.
72.Performs well in everthing he undertakes.
73.Unusually mature.
74.Seeks information.
75.Mature vocabulary.
76.Doing strong work in all areas.
77.Is a clear thinker.
78.Excels in writing original stories and poems.
79.Is a good student who appears to be a deep thinker.
80.Reads extensively.
81.Has good organization of thoughts.
82.Has a vast background knowledge of ___.
83.Is a very fine and serious student and excels in ___.
84.Rate of achievement makes it difficult for ___ to keep up with the class.
85.Must improve work habits if ___ is to gain the fundamentals needed for
___ grade work.
86._____'s academic success leaves much to be desired.
87.Handwriting needs to be improved.
88.Cooperative, well mannered.
89.Is a very happy, well-adjusted child, but ___.
90.Makes friends quickly and is well liked by classmates.
91.Cries easily.
92.Good worker and attentive listener.
93.Good adjustment.
94.Good attitude.
95.Capable of achieving a higher average in areas of ____.
96.Has difficulty retaining process of addition, etc.
97.Is inconsistent in his efforts, especially in ___.
98.Sacrificing accuracy for unnecessary speed in his written work.
99.Needs to listen to directions.
100.Never completes assignments in the allotted time.
101.Fails to finish independent assignments.
102.Would improve if he developed a greater interest in ___.
103.Comprehends well, but needs to work more quickly.
104.Needs to be urged.
105.Can follow directions.
106.Enjoys listening to poetry.
107.Enjoys listening to stories.
108.Listens carefully.
109.Evaluates what he/she hears
110.Phonics - (is able to distinguish, has difficulty distinguishing) sounds
in words
111.Now knows and is able to use _____ consonant and vowel sounds
112.Confuses the sounds ___ and ___
113.Is able to blend short words using the vowel(s) _____ with /without
assistance
114.Is learning to attack words independently
115.Uses the phonics skills to attack new words
116.Reading is (smooth, jerky, hesitant, rapid, irregular, or fluent)
117.Comprehends what he/she reads
118.Is interested in books and reading
119.Can read to follow directions
120.Can now recognize ____ sight words
121.Reads for pleasure
122.Needs lots of repetition and practice in order to retain reading vocabulary
123.Is still confusing words which look alike
124.Is beginning to read words in groups (phrases)
125.Reading is becoming (not yet becoming) automatic
126.Enjoys discussing the stories
127.Has had difficulty with learning ______ so in the coming term we will
focus on ______.
128.Speaks in good sentences
129.Speaks clearly
130.Has difficulty using (pronouns, verbs) correctly
131.Enjoys dramatization
132.Enjoys participation in conversation and discussion
133.Expresses ideas clearly
134.Has a good oral vocabulary
135.Takes turns talking
136.Speaks with confidence to the group
137.Uses punctuation correctly
138.Is able to place periods and question marks correctly
139.Uses colorful words
140.Uses (complex, simple) sentences
141.Is now able to write a complete sentence independently
142.Participates in group story telling (composition)
143.Can write an original story of (one or two sentences, of a few sentences)
144.Puts words in the appropriate order
145.Is able to read his sentences back
146.Shows self confidence in writing
147.Can compose several related sentences
148.Is building a good spelling vocabulary
149.Uses his individual dictionary to find unfamiliar words
150.Enjoys learning to spell new words
151.Is able to learn to spell words easily
152.Sometimes reverses letters in a word
153.Has difficulty remembering the spelling of non-phonetic words
154.Is helped by using hand or body motions to remember spelling
155.When printing, often reverses letters, such as __, __, etc.
156.Has good (poor) fine-motor skills
157.Is able to print on the lines
158.Spaces letters and words correctly
159.Some printing is excellent but is often untidy in daily assignments
160.Enjoys doing neat careful work
161.Can work with numbers up to ___ with understanding
162.Understands the signs +, -, = and uses them to make number statements
163.Understands and uses basic facts of addition and subtraction to ____
164.Reverses some numbers still
165.Understands place value up to _____
166.Can use manipulatives to add and subtract
167.Can use manipulatives to show place value to _____
168.Understands money (pennies, dimes, nickels)
169.Relies heavily on concrete objects
170.Knows the basic shapes
171.Can count to ______
172.Is able to create graphs using simple data
173.Understands several methods of graphing
174.Is beginning to memorize the number facts
175.Is friendly and cooperative
176.Cooperates well
177.Helps others
178.Has a sense of humor
179.Has a good attitude towards school
180.Is working well in all subjects
181.Lacks independence / Is gaining independence
182.Is too easily distracted
183.Is becoming more self-reliant
184.Is an attentive student
185.All work is neatly and accurately done
186.Is a polite conscientious pupil
187.Is working above grade level in _________.
188.Works too slowly
189.Does not complete assignments in the allotted time
190.Seems unable to finish required work
191.Does colorful and interesting art work
192.Is especially good at ______
193.Requires too much supervision.
194.Please encourage him to do things on his own.
195.Should be encouraged to _____
196.Needs frequent encouragement
197.Is maturing
198.Is learning to concentrate
199.Is learning to listen carefully
200.Is gaining self-confidence
201.Often completes work early
202.Is very thoughtful
203.Takes pride in work well done
204.Is eager to learn
205.Makes little effort when not under direct supervision
206.Often seems tired at school
207.Is not very appreciative of the value of ( time, courtesy, sharing,
neatness, accuracy)
208.Shows initiative; thinks things through for himself/herself
209.If a child is having difficulty - say so! Say what you have tried already
to help him/her, and what you are going
to do differently in the term to come to help the child.
210.Never say the child is having problems without giving a possible solution
you are going to try and what has
already been tried.
211.This shows you are doing everything in your power to change the situation.
212._____ has matured nicely this year, academically and socially.
213.He/She assumes responsibility well and has a find attitude.
214.He/She still needs strengthening in the concept of long division.
215.Thanks for the help I know you have given her.
216.There has been a noticeable improvement in _____'s study habits this
reporting period, which is very
encouraging.
217.Please continue during the summer with ___________ review and as many
reading experiences as possible.
218.___________ would benefit from reading many library books this summer.
219.He needs to improve his reading speed and comprehension if he is to
have success in the ________ grade.
220.If ___________ will put forth in the future the effort he has shown
in the past two reporting periods, he will
receive a great deal from his schooling.
221.With __________'s ability to apply herself to each task, she should
receive much satisfaction from her school
experiences.
222._____________ continued to blossom as the year progressed.
223._______________'s oral reading is very expressive and her oral reporting
is excellent.
224.Thank you for your interest in _____________'s attitude.
225.Although he has had some difficulty adjusting to our room and various
duties, he usually tries to cooperate.
226._____________ has had some problems adjusting to our room, as you know
from my reports to you.
227.Many of her difficulties occur on the playground and she then carries
a poor attitude in the classroom.
228.This hurts her academically.
229.She is capable of much better work.
230.I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you this year.
231.__________has made nice progress this reporting period.
232.He is maturing nicely and I hope this continues.
233.Although _____________'s growth in social maturity is continuing, it
is not consistent.
234.She still needs guidance and support from both you and me.
235.Thanks for your cooperation.
236._____________ is a wonderful girl and I'm happy to have had her in
my room.
237.she has made many fine contributions to our class and is an inspiration
to her classmates.
238.With ____'s friendly, cooperative attitude, she will always be a pleasant
addition to any class.
239.I have enjoyed the association I have had _____________.
240.His friendly, sincere way has made him a very popular member of the
___ grade.
241.Regardless of how busy _________ is, he still has time to do something
nice for someone. For this reason, he is
one of the best-liked members of my class.
242.I enjoyed having _____________ in my class.
243.She is a sweet and cooperative child.
244._____________ is a pleasant, conscientious student.
245.He is self-confident and has excellent manners.
246.It has been a pleasure to have him in my class.
247.I enjoyed having _____________ in my room.
248.She assumes responsibility well, excels on the playground and is well
liked by her peers.
249.She's helped to make my year a pleasant one.
250.She is a big help in seeing that our room looks clean and pleasant.
251.She has been most cooperative and only needs strengthening in social
studies skills to bring her up to ____ grade
level.
252.___________ is a fine citizen and takes a keen interest in school.
253.I hope you enjoy your new home!
254.__________ takes a keen interest in all work and is most agreeable
and a willing worker. It has been wonderful
having her in my room.
255.Exhibits excellent attitude
256.Possesses good self discipline
257.Respectful of others
258.Works independently on assignments
259.Exhibits creativity
260.Does good work
261.Always cooperative
262.Classroom attitude shows improvement
263.Pleasant student to work with
264.Quality of work has improved
265.Hard worker
266.Participates well in class
267.A pleasure to have around
268.Experiences difficulty following directions-when unsure needs to ask
for questions
269.Needs to actively participate in classroom discussion
270.Needs better study skills
271.Requires incentives
272.Low quiz/test scores
273.Assignments/Homework incomplete/late
274.Needs to pay attention in class
275.Disruptive in class
276.Needs to improve classroom attitude
277.Excessive tardiness
278.Excessive absences
279.Failure to turn in make up work
280.A conference is requested
281.This subject modified/ leveled according to ability
282.Does not work up to his/her ability
283.Student will be retained in current grade next year. Please contact
the school to arrange a conference.
284.Subject has been taught but no grade issued
285.Makes careless errors
286.Difficulty understanding the material
287.Does not know math facts well
288.Interrupts others
289.Gets upset easily
290.Work is not neat
291.Disorganized
292.Needs to proofread work
293.Does not form letters correctly
294.Assignments are not neat
295.Excessive talking
296.Needs to spend time on task
297.Does not put enough time into assignment
298.Needs to improve self discipline
299.Needs to improve respect for others
Try these sites for some ideas:
http://www.teachingtips.com/articles/WWreportcards1.html
http://www.occdsb.on.ca/~proj1615/rep1.htm
http://www.occdsb.on.ca/~proj1615/Rep4.htm
http://ragingsearch.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=report+card+comments
http://atozteacherstuff.com/tips/GradeCard.shtml http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7603/report_card.html
These are designed for the art teacher, but could be adapted:
http://www.dreamscape.com/ymrugg/Report_card_comments.htm
Just for laughs: http://www.teachers.net/mentors/humor/topic182/7.09.99.18.43.24.html
Let parents know
when you think their
children are:
able, accurate, active
aggressive, ambitious,
anxious, attentive,
capable, cheerful,
confident, cooperative,
conscientious, courteous,
dependable, determined,
eager, energy, energetic,
friendly, generous,
happy, helpful,
imaginative, industrious,initiative,
interested,
keen, neat, nervous,
observant, orderly,
pleasant, polite, prompt,
quiet, receptive, reliant,
resourceful, studious
More information as to why we should take the time to do report cards
and write comments. . .
Several times a year, teachers must complete a report card for each
student in order to inform parents about the academic performance and social
growth of their child. Schools
have a variety of ways to document the progress of students. In a majority
of schools, teachers usually assign a number or letter grade to the subject
or skill areas. In several
schools, mostly elementary schools, teachers write a descriptive narrative
of each child's cognitive and social growth. Other schools have teachers
indicate whether a student
has acquired different skills by completing a checklist.
Despite the fact that schools have different policies concerning the
report card's content and format, most teachers are required to include
written comments about the student's
progress. Considering the amount of students in each classroom, the
long span of time needed to complete each report card, and the presence
of grade/check marks on the
report cards, some may think that comments are nonessential and take
up too much of a teacher's time. The purpose of this digest is to explain
why teacher comments on report
cards are important, offer suggestions on how to construct effective
comments, point out words or phrases to be cautious of using, and indicate
sources of information for
report card comments.
WHY ARE COMMENTS IMPORTANT?
Grades are designed to define the student's progress and provide information
about the skills that he/she has or has not acquired. Nevertheless, grades
are often not detailed
enough to give parents or the student him/herself a thorough understanding
of what he/she has actually learned or accomplished (Wiggins, 1994; Hall,
1990). For example, if a
child receives a B in spelling, a report card comment can inform the
parent that the child is generally a good speller; however, she consistently
forgets to add an -es to plural
nouns ending with the letters s and x. Thus, teacher comments often
convey whatever information has not been completely explained by the grade.
Well written comments can give parents and children guidance on how
to make improvements for specific academic or social areas. For example,
the teacher who wrote the
previous report card comment on spelling may also wish to include that
practicing how to write the different plural nouns at home or playing different
spelling games may help
the child to enhance her spelling skills.
The process of writing comments can also be helpful to teachers. Writing
comments gives teachers opportunities to be reflective about the academic
and social progress of their
students. This time of reflection may result in teachers gaining a
deeper understanding of each student's strengths and needs.
WHAT TYPES OF WORDING SHOULD TEACHERS INCLUDE IN THEIR
COMMENTS?
The use of specific comments encourages positive communication between
teachers, parents, and students. Written in a positive and informative
manner, comments can
address a variety of issues while still maintaining the dignity of
the child. This is especially important if a child has had difficulty with
a particular subject area or controlling
his/her behavior over an extended period of time. Shafer (1997) compiled
a list of "effective" comments from a variety of teachers. The following
lists of words and phrases
are just a sampling from her publication "Writing Effective Report
Card Comments" (p. 42-43).
WORDS THAT PROMOTE A POSITIVE VIEW OF THE STUDENT
- thorough
- caring
- shows commitment
- improved tremendously
- has a good grasp of WORDS AND PHRASES TO USE TO CONVEY THAT A CHILD NEEDS HELP
- could profit by
- requires
- finds it difficult at times to
- needs reinforcement in
- has trouble with
WORDS AND PHRASES THAT TEACHERS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS OF USING
When teachers write comments on report cards, they need to be cognizant
of the fact that each child has a different rate of social and academic
development. Therefore,
comments should not portray a child's ability as fixed and permanent
(Shafer, 1997). Such comments do not offer any reason to believe that the
child will be successful if
he/she attempts to improve. Also, teachers must be sensitive to the
fact that their students will read their comments. If negative comments
are made, teachers must be aware that
those comments may be counterproductive. In addition to the previously
mentioned positive comments, Shafer (1997) compiled a list of words and
phrases that should be
avoided or used with caution (p. 45). WORDS TO AVOID OR USE WITH CAUTION
- unable
- can't
- won't
- always
INFORMATION SOURCES TO WHICH TEACHERS SHOULD LOOK WHEN WRITING
REPORT CARD COMMENTS
Teachers should have a plethora of sources from which they can derive
information on each child to support the comments that are made on each
report card. Teachers need
these in order to provide specific information on the different strengths
and weaknesses of each child. The most commonly used sources of information
are examples of student
work and test results. In addition to these traditional sources, teachers
also use student portfolios as well as formal and informal student observations.
Arter, Spandel, and Culham (1995) define the student portfolio as "a
purposeful collection of student work that tells the story of student achievement
and growth" (p. 1). A
student's portfolio is usually comprised of work that is either the
student's best or most exemplary of his/her ability. A portfolio may also
contain papers which show the
evolution of a particular writing assignment or project. In addition
to aiding teachers in keeping track of a student's progress, the portfolio
allows the student to chart his/her
own academic growth. Because of this, a student should not have many
surprises on his report card and will understand how he earned his grades
and why different teacher
comments were written.
Another rich source of information is the student observation. Student
observations often provide important information that is sometimes difficult
to derive from the written
work of students. These observations allow teachers to make comments
on students' daily academic and social behaviors. These should be written
about the students'
behaviors in a variety of settings: independent work, cooperative learning
groups, and playground or nonacademic interaction (Grace, 1992). Grace
(1992) suggests that
teachers have the following observations for each child: anecdotal
records, checklist or inventory, rating scales, questions and requests,
and results from screening tests.
REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READINGS
Arter, J.A., Spandel, V., Culham, R. (1995). Portfolios for assessment and instruction. (ED 388 890).
Farr, R. (1991). Portfolios: Assessment in language arts. ERIC digest. (ED 334 603).
Grace, C. (1992). The portfolio and its use: Developmentally appropriate assessment of young children. ERIC digest. (ED 351 150).
Guskey, T.R. (Ed.) (1996). Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Yearbook 1996. Communicating Student Progress. Arlington, VA: ASCD.
Guskey, T.R. (1996). Reporting on student learning: Lessons from the
past--Prescriptions for the future. Association of Supervision and Curriculum
Development Yearbook
1996. Communicating Student Progress. Arlington, VA: ASCD, pp. 13-24.
Hall, K. (1990). Determining the success of narrative report cards. (ED 334 013).
Lake, K. and Kafka, K. (1996). Reporting methods in grades K-8. Association
of Supervision and Curriculum Development Yearbook 1996. Communicating
Student
Progress. Arlington, VA: ASCD. pp. 90-118.
Peckron, K.B. (1996). Beyond the A: Communicating the learning progress
of gifted students. Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
Yearbook 1996.
Communicating Student Progress. Arlington, VA: ASCD. pp. 58-64.
Shafer, S. (1997). Writing Effective Report Card Comments. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Wiggins, G. (1994). Toward better report cards. Educational Leadership. 52(2). pp. 28-37.
This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational
Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract
RR93002002. The
opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions
or policies of OERI or the U.S. Department of Education. Permission is
granted to copy and distribute
this ERIC/AE Digest.
Title: Teacher Comments on Report Cards. ERIC/AE Digest.
Document Type: Guides---Non-Classroom Use (055); Information Analyses---ERIC
Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC
Digests
(Selected) in Full Text (073);
Target Audience: Practitioners, Teachers
Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, University
of Maryland, College Park, Schriver Hall, College Park, MD 20742-5701;
telephone:
800-464-3742 (free).
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Communication (Thought Transfer),
Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, Parent Teacher Cooperation,
Report
Cards, Student Evaluation, Teacher Attitudes
Identifiers: ERIC Digests
###