Report Cards and the Reporting of Student Progress

An Introduction to the 2018–2019 Progress Report and Term 1 and 2 Report Cards

1. What are report card practices in the Durham District School Board? In early 2010, the Ministry of Education published a document which outlines very specific requirements for all school boards in the Province to follow in the areas of assessment, evaluation and reporting. This document is called “Growing Success.” For more information, you can visit the Ministry link: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/success.html.

2. When will I receive report cards from my child’s school? All elementary students in Grades 1 to 8 will receive an Elementary Progress Report and two Report Cards during the school year. Please see “Important Dates” on the back panel of this brochure.

3. What will the Elementary Progress Report tell me? The Progress Report is intended to give the parent/guardian an early indication of how their child is progressing. For each subject which has been taught, teachers will select either one of the following three status boxes: “Progressing With Difficulty,” “Progressing Well” or “Progressing Very Well”. The Progress Report will provide you with information regarding your child’s “Learning Skills and Work Habits”. The Progress Report does not contain letter or numerical grades. The Progress Report contains a section for parent/guardian comments and it will be returned to the school.

4. What will the February and June Report Cards tell me? The Report Cards will provide information on your child’s progress toward meeting the overall curriculum expectations. The comments will be written in letter grades (Grades 1 to 6) and percentages will be indicated for Grades 7 and 8. These grades will be indicated in each subject area and strand of the curriculum where instruction has been provided. Teacher comments will reflect strengths and next steps for improvement for learning. Like the Progress Report, both Report Cards also contain a section called “Learning Skills and Work Habits.” Both Report Cards contain a section for parent/guardian comments. This section will be returned to the school.

5. What are the Learning Skills and Work Habits? You will be provided with a record of the learning skills and work habits demonstrated by your child in the following six areas: Responsibility, Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Initiative and Self-Regulation. These will be reported on as either Excellent, Good, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement.

6. My child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Will it come home with the Reports? The IEP will accompany the Progress Report and Term 1 and Term 2 Report Cards.

7. Will I have an opportunity to meet with my child’s teacher in the fall? Yes. You will receive details from your child’s Principal about conferencing opportunities so that you may discuss your child’s achievement, strengths and learning needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions?Further information is available from the Principal of your child’s school.

Grades 1 to 8

400 Taunton Road East, Whitby, Ontario, L1R 2K6 Telephone: 905-666-5500 or 1-800-265-3968

Website: www.ddsb.ca

Reporting practices within the DDSB align with the

Ministry of Education’s document “Growing Success:

Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools

Grades 1–12, 2010.”

For more information, you can visit the Ministry link below:http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/success.html

Elementary Schools:

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 12, 2018WEEK OF FEBRUARY 11, 2019WEEK OF JUNE 24, 2019

PROGRESS REPORT REPORT CARD 1 REPORT CARD 2

IMPORTANT DATES

This brochure is printed on recycled paper.

OCTOBER 2018

DATES REPORTS SENT HOME

Learning Skills and Work Habits at SchoolStudents will be provided with learning opportunities in order to develop their learning skills and work habits. A “Learning Skills and Work Habits” section will appear on Progress Reports and Report Cards. The following are the six learning skills and work habits with examples to promote each:

RESPONSIBILITY Completing and submitting class work, homework and assignments according to agreed-upon timelines

ORGANIZATION Prioritizing and managing time to achieve goals

INDEPENDENT WORK Using class time appropriately to complete tasks

COLLABORATION Sharing information, resources and expertise and promoting critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions

INITIATIVE Approaching new tasks with a positive attitude

SELF-REGULATION Understanding one’s strengths, needs and interests

Learning Skills and Work Habits Contribute to Character Education for All StudentsThe Durham District School Board incorporates ten character traits to support all students in becoming contributing members of our communities. The development of learning skills and work habits will help students recognize the link between character education and their classrooms.

The Durham District School Board believes that character education supports students and assists in developing positive learning skills, work habits and student success.

CHARACTEREducationDURHAM DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

FoundationA

future!for your

Teamwork Responsibility Respect perseverance optimism

kindness integrity honesty empathy courage

I work

cooperatively,valuing the

opinionsof others,

towards a common goal.

I encourage others to

Participate.

I am

reliable and

dependableto do my work.

I take

Responsibilityfor what I do and say.

I think before I act, understanding there are

consequences for my actions.

I treat others the way that I want to be treated.

I am courteous and polite.

I listen to what people say.

I don’t insult, ridicule or name call.

I protect property and

the environment.

I am

determinedand work hard to finish what I start

even if it is difficult.

I complete all tasks to the

bestof my ability.

I do not give upwhen faced

with challenges.

I have a

positiveattitude.

I look at

challenges as

opportunitiesfor learning.

I have hopefor the future.

I am sensitiveto people’s feelings.

I helpothers in need.

I am never mean or hurtfulwith my actions

or words.

I am

charitable.

I always tryto do what’s right,

even when it is difficult.

I am trueto be my very

best self.I live up

to the highest

ethicalstandards.

I respect andunderstand the feelings

of others.

I act with

kindnessand

compassion.

I face my fears with

confidence- being brave.

I face challengesdirectly.

I amtruthful

and

sincere.

An Introduction to the Progress Report for ParentsThe Ministry of Education requires all school boards in the Province of Ontario to provide a fall checklist Progress Report.

At the Durham District School Board, home and school communication is an essential component to student success. In elementary schools, the first report that will be sent home will be a Progress Report. This report will help parent(s)/guardian(s) understand their child’s growth in learning skills and work habits. Teachers will also indicate a student’s progress with respect to curriculum expectations addressed in the first months of school in one of three categories, Progressing With Difficulty, Progressing Well, and Progressing Very Well.

Unlike the report cards, the Progress Report will not contain letter grades (Grades 1–6) or numerical grades (Grades 7–8). The intention of the Progress Report is to facilitate early communication between the teacher and the parent(s)/guardian(s).

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What do we mean by Progressing With Difficulty, Progressing Well, and Progressing Very Well in the subject boxes of the Progress Report?

In the professional judgment of the teacher, the student is Progressing With Difficulty when:

In the professional judgment of the teacher, the student is Progressing Well when:

In the professional judgment of the teacher, the student is Progressing Very Well when:

Evidence gathered to date indicates that the student will require improvement and planned next steps to meet the provincial standard at the end of the term/year.

Evidence gathered to date indicates ongoing, consistent improvement towards meeting the provincial standard at the end of the term/year.

Evidence gathered to date indicates ongoing, consistent improvement towards meeting and exceeding the provincial standard at the end of the term/year.