Why Not Just a Narrative Report Card For Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

What would be the advantages/disadvantages of just a couple of paragraphs from teachers highlighting strengths, and suggesting improvement areas for elementary kids instead of grades?

[Anonymous]

I think it would be great.

But there would be screams of horror from lots of people. MCPS is trying to hide the achievement gap! MCPS is dumbing things down! MCPS is touchy-feely squashy nothingness, compared to the academic rigors of [some country where elementary school students get grades]! My child the perfectionist needs to be able to strive for a perfect grade! How will elementary school students ever adjust to grades in middle school if they don't get grades in elementary school!

(Did I miss anything?)

[Anonymous]

CCSS is a set of standards so the report card should reflect a child's mastery (or not) or those standards. That's easier done with the report card similar to a more traditional one.

[Anonymous]

I have a perfectionist kid, and i would prefer a narrative card to the nonsense they have now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a perfectionist kid, and i would prefer a narrative card to the nonsense they have now.

Not a good reason
Work on the perfectionism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What would be the advantages/disadvantages of just a couple of paragraphs from teachers highlighting strengths, and suggesting improvement areas for elementary kids instead of grades?

In other countries, at young ages, kids are given as many good grades as possible (within reason) to build self-esteem. But here it is the other way around. Even deserving kids are denied the top grade. An adult student may understand the policy behind it, may tell to himself grades are not important as long as you learn etc etc. But for a young kid, this may have lifelong effects, thinking that he is just average even though he may be exteremely bright. This may very well end-up with kid not realizing his true potential. A narrative report card would be much more beneficial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a perfectionist kid, and i would prefer a narrative card to the nonsense they have now.

Not a good reason
Work on the perfectionism

You missed the point. I was responding to the earlier poster who said that people with perfectionist kids wouldn't want the narrative report card. I was saying that even for perfectionist kids, the narrative option would be preferable to the random, meaningless one they have now.
And, thanks for the "work on the perfectionism" advice. That would be helpful if it weren't totally obvious. Work on your reading comprehension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would be the advantages/disadvantages of just a couple of paragraphs from teachers highlighting strengths, and suggesting improvement areas for elementary kids instead of grades?

In other countries, at young ages, kids are given as many good grades as possible (within reason) to build self-esteem. But here it is the other way around. Even deserving kids are denied the top grade. An adult student may understand the policy behind it, may tell to himself grades are not important as long as you learn etc etc. But for a young kid, this may have lifelong effects, thinking that he is just average even though he may be exteremely bright. This may very well end-up with kid not realizing his true potential. A narrative report card would be much more beneficial.

Totally agree. It depends on the kid, of course, but this current trend toward removing any positive reinforcement for doing a good job is silly. Positive reinforcement works for most kids. I'm a classic example of that, and my kid seems so similar.