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Administrative Procedure 361: Communicating Student Achievement - Appendix A

Purposes for and Methods of

Communicating Student Achievement

Purpose	Possible Methods to Achieve Purpose
Communicate daily concerns/celebrations/ learning (Suggested Time: ongoing)	Agendas: written by student/teacher Phone calls home Notes: written by student/teacher E-mails Student written letter/note informing parents what they learned that day, including evidence of learning
Gather information about students Establishing contact with parents/guardians (Suggested Time: beginning of the year/ semester)	Phone calls home Questionnaires sent home about: student interests, motivations, stresses, social skills, out of school activities, academic strengths and areas of concern Parent/student/teacher meeting at the beginning of the year Meet the teacher night
Share information about program(s), assessment procedures and teacher expectations (Suggested Time: beginning of the year/ semester)	Informational night Introductory letter Program outline letter Class newsletter Class website Student written letter/note informing parents what they learned that week/day
Communicate information about student progress Goal setting Address concerns such as: homework skills, work habits, attendance, social interactions, etc. Discuss strategies for improvement or enhancement (Suggested Time: before report cards)	Teacher/parent/student conferences Portfolio sharing: - parents/guardians come to the school and student shares work collected and reflected upon in portfolio - portfolio or work samples/assignments/ tests with student reflection are sent home for parents/guardians to look at and respond to Student-led conferences Celebration of learning Narrative reports by students Interim mark statements/reports
Provide written affirmation of student achievement (Suggested Time: At the end of designated reporting periods)	Report cards Mark statements Interim mark statements/reports
Clarify questions/concerns resulting from the report card (Suggested Time: after report cards)	Parent/teacher conference by request Phone calls
Discuss program placement for next year (Suggested Time: near year end)	Formal parent/teacher meetings IPP meetings

Purpose

Possible Methods to Achieve Purpose

Communicate daily concerns/celebrations/

learning

(Suggested Time: ongoing)

Agendas: written by student/teacher
Phone calls home
Notes: written by student/teacher
E-mails
Student written letter/note informing parents what they learned that day, including evidence of learning

Gather information about students

Establishing contact with parents/guardians

(Suggested Time: beginning of the year/ semester)

Phone calls home
Questionnaires sent home about: student interests, motivations, stresses, social skills, out of school activities, academic strengths and areas of concern
Parent/student/teacher meeting at the beginning of the year
Meet the teacher night

Share information about program(s), assessment procedures and teacher expectations

(Suggested Time: beginning of the year/ semester)

Informational night
Introductory letter
Program outline letter
Class newsletter
Class website
Student written letter/note informing parents what they learned that week/day

Communicate information about student progress

Goal setting

Address concerns such as: homework skills, work habits, attendance, social interactions, etc.

Discuss strategies for improvement or enhancement

(Suggested Time: before report cards)

Teacher/parent/student conferences
Portfolio sharing:

- parents/guardians come to the school and student shares work collected and reflected upon in portfolio

- portfolio or work samples/assignments/ tests with student reflection are sent home for parents/guardians to look at and respond to

Student-led conferences
Celebration of learning
Narrative reports by students
Interim mark statements/reports

Provide written affirmation of student achievement

(Suggested Time: At the end of designated reporting periods)

Report cards
Mark statements
Interim mark statements/reports

Clarify questions/concerns resulting from the report card

(Suggested Time: after report cards)

Parent/teacher conference by request
Phone calls

Discuss program placement for next year

(Suggested Time: near year end)

Formal parent/teacher meetings
IPP meetings

“The most crucial part of the communication process is to ensure a shared understanding between the person providing the information and the information receiver. Communication of student achievement should be timely and should involve multiple reporting strategies.” (A Framework for Student Learning, Alberta Assessment Consortium, 1997)

A wide variety of communication tools, each with a specific purpose and designed for a particular audience, is essential for effective communication of student achievement. It is crucial to select the tool (method) that best serves the purpose. (Developing Grading and Reporting Systems for Student Learning, Thomas Guskey and Jane Bailey, 2001)