Education

Pupils Report Card Guide For Teachers: Give parents the best report

At the end of every term or academic year, teachers are tasked with filling out pupil’s report cards. This task requires providing information that not only vividly describes their learners but also communicates valuable insights to parents.

While filling out report cards has been a long-standing practice in the teaching profession, not every teacher has mastered this skill. Many struggle each term to complete the relevant portions of their report cards effectively. It can be challenging to determine the correct grades, describe a pupil’s attitude, interests, and conduct, and phrase comments in a way that is constructive and not offensive to parents. This demands experience, practice, and a good understanding of each student’s behaviour, academic work, and interests.

Teachers should be meticulous when completing report cards. It is essential to check and cross-check spelling, grammar, and the scores entered. It is advisable to first use a pencil to enter the information and then finalize it with a pen.

This guide has been published to help teachers produce the best pupil’s report cards with the right information, written the right way.

Key Features of a Quality Report Card

1. Use Positive and Constructive Language Use ethical language to communicate both positive and negative feedback. This ensures that the learner’s weaknesses are communicated respectfully to the parent.

Instead of this: “Ama is not making progress in her English language.”
Say this: “Ama can improve her performance in the English language by focusing on daily reading and practicing her spelling.”

2. Offer Useful Suggestions As a teacher, you have observed the learner for at least a term. Your comments should suggest specific ways the learner can improve or what support is needed.

Example: “Ama would benefit from a quiet space and consistent support at home to complete her homework.”

3. Avoid Accusatory or Negative Labels Focus on behaviour and progress rather than applying negative labels. Your feedback should be aimed at solutions.

Avoid this: “Ama is a very lazy pupil. She is always fighting.”
Say this: “Ama is making a conscious effort to manage her temperament and interacts more positively with her peers. We encourage continued support at home to reinforce this progress.”
Alternatively: “Ama is learning to work on her patience and self-control in class. She is encouraged to continue this positive development.”

Grading Systems and Sample Comments

Report Card Grading System for Basic School (Grade 1-6)

Teachers can use the following range of scores to grade their learners. Schools can adapt or expand these ranges to fit their internal policies.

80-100% = Excellent
70–79% = Very Good
60-69% = Good
45-59% = Pass
35-44% = Weak
Below 35% = Very Weak

Editor’s Note: The original “35 and below = every week” was corrected to “Below 35% = Very Weak” to fix the typo and create a logical, non-overlapping scale.