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TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM
Making Sense of Report Cards: A Three-Step Guide For Parents By R. N. Whitehead
Report cards can be stressful for students, and for parents alike. While poor grades signal that students may be off track academically, parents and students can work together to create a plan to address any issues before the next report card arrives.
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instance, “We are pleased with your spelling grade.” Listen to your child—School can be tough. It is helpful to students to know that someone is listening to their concerns and complaints.
Step 1: Read the Report Card
Step 3: Attend the Parent- Teacher Conference
Before reading the report card, keep the following in mind: • It’s Still Early—this is the first report card, which means that there is ample opportunity to make improvements. • Language—report cards often contain confusing educational jargon. Forget the gobbledygook and focus on the teacher’s comments. These comments can give you a better idea of how your child is performing overall. • Remember the context—some school years are more challenging than others. Certain grades are transition years, such as the first year of high school, or the shift from early to middle school. • Problems require Action—the report card is a red flag. Act now, or the urgency of the bad report card will be forgotten, and no progress will be made.
If poor grades have you worried about future academic performance, speaking with the teacher can help. The teacher has spent hours every day observing your child in the classroom. Often, he or she can help you paint a better picture of where your child is headed academically.
Step 2: Talk to Your Child Here are some strategies to keep in mind: • Don’t get upset—If you’re upset or angry about grades, hold the discussion until you can speak calmly and rationally. • Start with positive comments—Highlight something positive about the report card, no matter how trivial. For
Some tips to keep in mind: • Be succinct—the teacher only has a limited time for each interview, so prioritize the concerns that you’d like to have addressed. • Don’t be argumentative—both you and the teacher have a common goal of helping your child perform well in school. Keep this in mind if you find yourself disagreeing with comments or suggestions. • Ask for tips—the teacher may have ideas of actions that your family can implement at home. For over 30 years, Oxford Learning has been helping students of all ages and grade levels improve their academic skills. With 6 locations across Durham and Clarington, there’s one close to you! Visit us at www.oxfordlearning.com
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