Assess your child’s report

This term ends on Friday. As a parent, you are probably anxious about your child’s grades. Put anger aside and study the report card carefully, Wagwau Jamesa writes. REBECCA’S face showed the rage she felt as she skimmed through her daughter’s report card. “I am tired of reading a two-digit position every time on your report cards,” she said angrily. When will you ever attain a position below figure 10?” she wondered. Her daughter Brenda gave her mother a quick glance and bowed her head in shame. Like many parents, Rebecca seems to be “a slave of class position.” Most parents fail to read and interpret report forms successfully. Research shows that many parents place a high premium on a child's position and grades more than anything else. Rachel Auvugai, a parent and a teacher at Bugema Adventist SS explains that her assessment of the child’s performance begins with position. “The class position helps me to gauge my son’s performance against other students,” she says. Dressel in his book, Handbook of Academic Evaluation, condemns grading as a biased system which causes “anxiety and uneasiness” among learners. He further states that grades may not provide a reliable and objective ground of assessment since they may depend more on the teacher than on the amount or quality of work done. Although your child’s position may show how well they compete with others, it may not reliably show how well the child has progressed. One way of gauging your child’s progress is by comparing the end-term results with that of the previous term. Did you know that a child may change in position without necessarily improving in performance? This happens when a child attains a “better” position but maintains his total score perhaps due to the overall class performance. Grades (A,B,C,D,and E) are sometimes based on the general performance in a particular subject and may not necessarily show that the child is “poor” in the subject. Hence you should not rebuke your child for failing to score an “A”. Inquire how your child has progressed throughout the term. The class teacher should show you a record of the child’s performance in the continuous Assessment tests. Compare the course work and end-term results in order to assess progress effectively. Recommendations l Always look for improvements first and reward the child for them. I have met several parents who go to school entirely on a fault-finding mission with either the child or the class teacher. l Your child needs encouragement for any slight improvement. Make comments like: “I am happy with your improvement in English this term. However, I would like you to work harder and score higher marks in Mathematics.” l Discuss with the class teacher how your child can be assisted next term. Let the teacher suggest how to help your child during the holidays. l Remember, every child is unique. Children do not learn at the same pace. Encourage your child to work hard and aim higher but do not expect too much too soon. Even a child who scores the lowest mark in class needs love and acceptance. The writer is a teacher and counsellor.