At our K-8, not only do we not get grades until 6th, we only get any kind of feedback (narrative and meets/exceeds expectations, etc.) twice per year rather than quarterly. So unless your child is doing very poorly, you go months without knowing whether you have a child who is basically an A, B, or C student. That felt fine in the lower grades, but doesn’t feel quite right now in 5th.

And the narratives are framed to focus on skills rather than content. So things like “Larla is engaged in math class and exhibits a growth mindset” rather than “Larla has mastered multiplying fractions.” They provide a lot of extra information but I feel like I’m coming away with less insight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just because a certain school's report cards don't have "grades," doesn't mean they aren't useful or descriptive about where a student stands academically.

So why not have grades?

I think grades are actually less informative than the detailed information that they do give. It’s like a shortcut for teachers who don’t individualize the learning experience to the student. It makes sense for older students that have different teachers for different subjects and the teachers have 50+ students and teach one subject. For young students who have 2 teachers who are with them most of the day, it makes more sense that the teachers get to really know how that student learns and where they are relative to their own ability AND relative to those around them - this is where that narrative is much more informative.

Now if you really want the grades, because you just have to compare your child to others at those very young ages (for whatever reason, I cannot understand), just make sure you are in a school that does that. Public schools might be fine for you. Your kid will probably look more favorable next to their peers too.

How are grades the opposite of "infantilizing"? They're so simple-minded and lacking in nuance.