Brian Cohen
  • Making the Grade Blog
  • About Me
  • Tutoring
  • Press
  • Resources to Share

Are interim reports useless?

11/3/2012

0 Comments

 
Over the past decade there have been massive changes in schools and districts across the country as they relate to technology use. Districts are using their websites to disseminate more information, teachers are engaging their students through multimedia resources on the Internet, and parents and students are able to get help from suggested resources online. At the same time, there are many policy makers who are scared about this substantial increase in speed and ease of access. To be sure, it is important to be conscious of what we do online and how we work with our communities, but to be blind to the fact that communities are demanding more online engagement is silly.

Enter: the antiquated interim report. Briefly defined, these reports are status updates sent to parents about their students. They can inform them of their current grades and any comments from the teacher. The official version from the School District of Philadelphia is located here (please note its revision date is back in 2000).

My gripe with the interim report is that its lack of importance (or, indeed, its lack of detail). Instead, I have an issue with the timing: these reports are generated mid-quarter and they take time to print out, organize, and distribute. During the 1-2 week period in which this takes place tests, quizzes, projects, and more are being demanded from the students and grades are fluctuating. Especially in my own classes where students can retake tests and quizzes as much as they want, these grades may change from a 50 to an 80 over the course of a week.

So why rely on an out-dated, slow system to update parents when we could instead be emphasizing connecting with them online? The School District of Philadelphia already has a system they implemented over the past two years to post assignments and grades online. This system, called Gradespeed, does work (with some flaws) but has the potential to allow parent and student access easily. Personally, I would advocate for another system called Schoology.com because it is more versatile, but the idea is the same: connect parents, students, and teachers so they can all hold the other accountable.

Interim reports take time - unnecessary time that could be spent lesson planning, tutoring, contacting parents, and more. Why not change the requirements to leave them in the era of their last revision - the last millenium.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I am a math teacher in the New York Department of Education. I infuse technology and real-world problems into my curriculum in order to prepare my students for the future. I would love for people across the country to recognize we teachers can't do it alone. If you don't believe me, come visit my classroom!

    Picture

    Contact Me

    Picture

    Email Updates

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    March 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.