Tag Archives: report cards

Study: Report Cards Released on Friday Associated with Abuse on Saturday

A study that was published in JAMA Pediatrics in December of 2018 took a close look at the association between report cards being released on a Friday and reports of abuse on Saturday. This disturbing finding gives parents and educators plenty to think about. The study is titled: “Association of Friday School Report Card Release With Saturday Incidence Rates of Agency-Verified Physical Child Abuse”. Authors of the study include Melissa A. Bright, PhD; Sarah D. Lynne, PhD; and Katherine E. Masyn, PhD. The researchers sought an answer to a troubling question. Are school report cards a precipitant to child physical … Continue reading →

Don’t Be Shocked About Grades- Stay Informed

It happens every year all over the country at every school in most every grade. Parents are completely shocked when their children comes home with a failing grade on his/her report card. The shock comes from two persons to blame- the parent and the teacher. There is no excuse for parents not to be continuously aware of how well (or not so well) their child is doing in school on both academic and behavioral terms. However many parents and teachers tend to wait to become educated on the situation until it is too late to be reversed. Once the grade … Continue reading →

Update: Should Kindergarteners Receive Traditional Letter Grades

Last week I wrote a blog about whether kindergarteners should receive traditional letter grades as opposed to pass/fail grades. The idea was spurred by an article in our local paper debating the merits of this new policy here in Mobile. In Sunday’s paper, a retired child management specialist for the Mobile Mental Health Center and a former public school teacher wrote a guest editorial concerning this new policy. The headline was Grading Too Soon, so I knew right away what his opinion was. In the article he wrote that kindergarteners need encouragement not labeling. He went on to say that … Continue reading →

Should Kindergarteners Receive Traditional Letter Grades?

When Tyler came home two weeks ago with his report card I had no idea this was the first time kindergarteners in Mobile County Public Schools were receiving letter grades. I was aware that some school didn’t give the traditional A, B, C, D, F grades but instead received either P (pass) or F (fail) or perhaps S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory). Still I didn’t give much thought to it until Sunday when I read in our local paper that this is actually the first time grades are being given. I also found out that it’s causing somewhat of a … Continue reading →

How To: Respond To Your Child’s Report Card

When I received Tyler’s report two weeks ago, there were no surprises. I knew already that he had made all A’s because the honor’s program was held the day before. But for those parents who don’t know in advance what their child’s grades will be, report card day can be a time of fear and worry. How do you respond to your child’s grades? I subscribe to a newsletter called Family Education and in the current issue they offer these tips on how to respond to your child’s grades. (1) Accentuate the positive- No matter what grades they bring home, … Continue reading →

Fitness Report Cards

Posted on by

2 years ago, the Arkansas schools began sending report cards and letters home to the parents grading not only their children’s academic progress, but also their fitness and weight levels. If you can imagine that receiving those letters were not pleasant – then you are not in the minority. Getting a school letter telling you that your child is fat is not a thing any parent wants to receive. However, these letters did do something. They provided the impetus for parents to take their kids to the pediatrician for talks about weight problems, enroll them in fitness classes and keep … Continue reading →