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Writing a Report Card

This support material is incorporated into critical challenges at grades 5, 6, 7 and 9, however, it can be adapted for use at all grade levels.

The following documents can be adapted and re-saved for your needs.

Report Card 
This chart helps students assess the performance or well-being of specific groups or rate the merits of specific products or actions. Students use the template to assign a letter grade (e.g., A, B, C, F), provide a rationale or evidence for their assessment and perhaps, offer suggestions for improvement. For example, students may assess how effectively each of four major political events (i.e., Royal Proclamation, Quebec Act, Constitution Act, Act of Union) supported the interests of the French, English and Aboriginal people in terms of identity, fairness, cooperation and sovereignty, in the years leading to Confederation.

To use this chart, students:

• discuss the purpose and contents of a report card; e.g., to communicate assessment results and/or progress in specific reporting areas or components, such as knowledge, skills, attitudes or English, science, social studies); remind students that in a report card, each component is rated or graded against criteria
• may collectively complete an oral report card on a topic, such as a current movie or fast food restaurant
• identify components or areas of reporting for the assigned product or action (e.g., plot, character development, musical score) and possible criteria (e.g., engaging, believable, impacts the viewer on an emotional level)
• offer their assessment (i.e., the grade) for each component and evidence to support this grade.

Assessing the Report Card 
An assessment rubric is available for this chart.

Credits

Adapted from Critical Challenges Across the Curriculum series. Permission granted by The Critical Thinking Consortium for use by Alberta teachers.