Communicating Assessment Results

Reporting Student Learning: Guidelines for Effective Teacher-Parent-Student Communication 

   Effective Teacher-Parent-Student relations are rooted in clear and precise communications. All communications should have one goal in mind: providing essential information regarding ways to improve student learning. 

    Report cards are a major source of Teacher-Parent-Student Communication, providing sufficient information on assessment for learning and assessment as learning. Conferencing about report cards allows parents to be included in the learning and assessment conversation, and they can establish where their support may be needed in the improvement of the learning process. Report cards are a great diagnostic tool that allows parents to outline concerns about their child's progress early on, to develop an improvement plan. 

 Usually, report card comments go one of two ways. The first being a conversation around student's progression in a positive manner, indicating that students are on track. The second way that this conversation can go is the indication of “red flags”, in which parents are notified that additional support or interventions should be put into practice. Ongoing communication throughout the year will have to provide parents with a good understanding of their child's learning process. In both cases, teacher-parent communication is important. 

 What is being communicated in a report card? Teachers are providing feedback in the form of comments regarding student strengths, and the next steps to improvement. Student strengths are related to the curriculum expectations and the development of learning skills. When communicating such feedback, it is important to be consistent. Teachers must provide sufficient evidence of learning that they can cite in their comments, there should be a range of evidence. 

  Something that should always be on the mind of a teacher is equitable and inclusive communication. For ESL students, modifications must be explained to parents. Teachers must prepare themselves to be equipped in conversing with diverse parents, to provide feedback. If a teacher requires extra support so that they are properly delivering the correct information, they must seek this support. 

 Another case of special considerations is for students who have an IEP. A student's IEP will outline if a student needs accommodations, modified learning expectations or alternative learning expectations. Teachers can use IEP in the construction of reports, and this is important in providing important information for parents. 

 Planning for writing effective report card comments is rooted in the process of planning, assessment, and evaluation. This is a careful process that requires well-thought methods of assessment and a range of collection of evidence.