Student Report Cards
Student Achievement
From Our Research Center
Who's the Real Audience for A-F and Numeric Grades? Hint: It's Not the Students
Traditional grading systems help parents—as well as colleges and universities—get a sense of how students are doing, educators say.
Families & the Community
Parents Don’t Know When Their Kids Have Fallen Behind. Report Cards Could Be the Problem
Parents rely on report cards to gauge whether their kids are on track academically. But they might be misleading, a survey shows.
Assessment
Opinion
Grading Has Always Been an Imperfect Exercise. COVID-19 Made It Worse
It’s hard reducing the complexity of each student’s social, emotional, and academic learning to a letter grade. Maybe we’re doing it wrong.
Assessment
Opinion
What Traditional Classroom Grading Gets Wrong
It's time to make grades bias-resistant and fairer, writes Joe Feldman. Four key aspects of equitable grading can help.
Student Well-Being
Is Your Child Showing Grit? School Report Cards Rate Students' Soft Skills
As more schools size up students on nonacademic skills such as grit and responsible decisionmaking, it's a challenge to make the feedback useful—and understandable—for parents.
Assessment
Opinion
Grading Standards Can Elevate Teaching
An accurate and fair grading system empowers teachers and students while also building trust, writes Joe Feldman.
Student Well-Being
New Character Report Cards Rate Students on 'Grit'
The KIPP charter school network and other schools are testing student report cards designed to measure key character traits.
Assessment
Opinion
Why Grades Should Reflect Mastery, Not Speed
Schools need to change their grading to truly reflect students' comprehension of subjects, Ryan McLane writes.
School Climate & Safety
States Use School Score Cards to Target Climate Problems
Under a federal grant program, 11 states are using student surveys and select data to monitor and address issues around safety, discipline, and engagement.
Assessment
Nev. Students Accused of Hacking Network to Change Grades
Authorities in Pahrump, Nev., have arrested 13 people as part of an investigation into students' hacking into a school computer system to change class grades.
Special Education
Letter Clarifies Report Rules for Disabilities
School districts can refer to a student’s disability or special education status on report cards, but should generally not do so on transcripts, new federal guidance says.
Federal
Texas Move to Tighten GPA Formula Sparks Backlash
A formula that all high schools would have to use to calculate GPAs is encountering strong resistance from educators who fear it could discourage teenagers from taking challenging courses.
Assessment
Grade-Fixing Charges Hit Acclaimed School
A nationally recognized San Diego charter school has been hit by charges that school officials improperly changed student grades.
Assessment
Opinion
Grade Inflation: High Schools’ Skeleton in The Closet
Perry A. Zirkel looks at the negative effects of grade inflation, and the No Child Left Behind Act's hand in perpetuating the problem.