Why Are Report Cards Important?

Teachers put a great deal of effort into writing the most fitting and appropriate report card comments for their students.

Report cards are an integral educational tool. They’re designed to enhance each student’s learning experience by highlighting their strengths and identifying points of improvement. Report card season is stressful for many educators, especially in the age of online learning and lockdowns when student evaluations are more challenging than ever.

Luckily, there are plenty of excellent digital resources available to support teachers and ease some of the burden.

Why Are Report Cards Important?

Report cards an important aspect of education because they help students, teachers, and parents alike grasp which areas students are excelling in and which areas require a little more attention. Report cards also serve as excellent progress reports that showcase a student’s talent and offers valuable insight into their unique learning capabilities and styles. Teachers can track a student’s progress and note which teaching methods work best for each student.

While grades are certainly a good indicator of whether students should progress to the next grade-level, they don’t always tell the whole story. Sometimes, report card comments are just as essential in dictating a student’s educational journey. Report card comments should acknowledge when students do good work and offer constructive criticism to improve their learning and performance when it’s needed. An important part of being a good teacher involves knowing when your students deserve praise for their hard work and when they need a little extra push to do better.

Reading comments regarding their performance evaluations on paper or in a digital format helps students acknowledge and identify their own strengths and weaknesses while striving to boost their performance.

What Do Students Look for in a Report Card?

Above all, students are looking for guidance from their teachers. Over the course of a semester or a year, teachers get to know their students very well on an individual level—at least, they should. Large class sizes and doing strictly online learning can make it extremely difficult to focus on one student at a time. Along the way, teachers keep detailed notes about each student, observing their characteristics and work ethic.

Based on these factors, teachers evaluate the progress of their students and determine whether they’re capable of handling certain subject matters and a heavier workload that comes with moving on to a higher grade. Teachers also understand that each student as a unique learning style that needs to be taken into consideration when writing report card comments.

How Report Cards Improve the Learning Experience

Teachers can use the comments section in report cards for constructive criticism and suggestions for future performance improvement. Partnering with teachers and parents, students can the use these suggestions as the starting point to map out a proper learning plan of action for the next semester or grade level.

Writing unique comment ideas for report cards can be challenging. TIMESAVERS for TEACHERS has an excellent solution for educators that need a little extra support. Our extensive Report Card Comments Collection includes over 1,800 common report card remarks in Canada. As part of our educators’ support package, we also offer other time-saving resources for teachers including The Teacher’s Binder, Substitute Teacher Instructions Kit, and Classroom Awards. Contact us today to learn more!