Search Strategy:
Narrative Report Cards [as an ERIC Identifier or title phrase]

  EJ555454  EA534122
  A Celebration of Learning.
  Dennis, Mary Beth
  School Administrator, v54 n11 p26-28 Dec   1997
  ISSN: 0036-6439
  Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080);  PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141)
  Describes a nontraditional approach to reporting student progress 
via narrative report cards.  The teacher-developed form used by three 
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, elementary schools is practically blank, 
allowing teachers to put student information into list or paragraph 
formats at nine-week intervals.  Success depends on keeping 
communication and feedback channels open, informing teachers, 
reassuring parents, offering parents opt-out choices, stressing 
flexibility, and staying committed.  (MLH)
  Descriptors: *Change Strategies; Elementary Education; *Parent 
Participation; *Report Cards; *Student Evaluation
  Identifiers: Alternative Assessment; *Narrative Report Cards; 
*Tuscaloosa City Schools AL

 
  EJ472825  HE531855
  Grading by Narrative Evaluation: Present Tense.
  Quann, C. James
  College and University, v69 n1 p22-31 Fall   1993
  ISSN: 0010-0889
  Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143);  JOURNAL ARTICLE (080)
  Target Audience: Administrators; Practitioners
  A survey of 17 registrars in colleges and universities using 
narrative evaluation of students instead of traditional grading 
investigated the types of institutions using the method, number of 
narratives generated, variations in form of narrative, history of the 
systems, methods of collecting and processing, control and 
limitations, costs, and satisfying special evaluation needs.  (MSE)
  Descriptors: College Administration; Educational History; 
*Evaluation Methods; *Grading; Graduate Study; Higher Education; 
*Holistic Approach; Institutional Characteristics; Program 
Administration; Program Development; Registrars (School); *Student 
Evaluation; Surveys; Undergraduate Study
  Identifiers: *Narrative Report Cards


  
  EJ456272  PS519875
  Reporting Children's Development; The Narrative Report.
  Horm-Wingerd, Diane M.
  Dimensions of Early Childhood, v21 n1 p11-16 Fall   1992
  ISSN: 0160-6425
  Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080);  POSITION PAPER (120);  
TEACHING GUIDE (052);  PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141)
  Discusses the narrative report, which is an alternative to the 
traditional report card for reporting children's development and 
progress to parents.  Examples of entries in a narrative report are 
included.  (BB)
  Descriptors: Behavior Patterns; Classroom Observation Techniques; 
Evaluation Criteria; *Parent Teacher Cooperation; *Preschool Children; 
Preschool Education; *Preschool Teachers; Program Descriptions; 
*Report Cards; Student Development; *Student Evaluation; Teaching Guides
  Identifiers: *Developmentally Appropriate Programs; *Narrative 
Report Cards

 
  ED334013  PS019720
  Determining the Success of Narrative Report Cards.
  Hall, Kristy
  [1990
  54p.
  Document Type: EVALUATIVE REPORT (142);  TEST, QUESTIONNAIRE (160)
  This study examined the success of narrative report cards, an 
alternative method of reporting student progress, at an elementary 
school in Virginia.  Surveys about narrative reports were sent to 
parents of first and second graders, and two teachers at each grade 
level were interviewed about the reports.  Results indicated that 
both parents and teachers preferred narrative reports to grades 
because they were more personal, less competitive, and conveyed more 
information to parents about their children's progress.  A series of 
appendixes includes: (1) a list of alternatives to traditional 
grading reports; (2) a set of sample narrative report forms; (3) a 
copy of the parent survey used in the study; (4) results of the study 
presented in graph format; and (5) transcripts of the interviews with 
each of the four teachers.  A list of nine references is included. (BC)
  Descriptors: *Academic Achievement; Competition; Elementary School 
Students; Elementary School Teachers; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grades 
(Scholastic); *Parent Attitudes; Primary Education; *Report Cards; 
*Student Evaluation; Student Motivation; *Teacher Attitudes
  Identifiers: *Alternative Grading; *Narrative Report Cards; 
Virginia (Albemarle County)

Search Strategy:
Narrative AND Report? AND Student Evaluation [as free-text words/ERIC Descriptor]
NOT
Narrative Report Cards [as an ERIC Identifier]

 ED416955  PS025924
  How Will Implementing Authentic Assessment Procedures during Choice 
Time Affect Teacher/Parent Communication?
  Hannon, Jean
  1997
  17p.
  Document Type: PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141)
  A kindergarten teacher used authentic assessment--assessments 
carried out during creative learning activities that document growth 
and support further learning--to evaluate the social and emotional 
growth of students.  Prior to the implementation of authentic 
assessment, the teacher had not used any form of systematic 
observation, recording, or analysis of student behavior or skills in 
the area of social and emotional growth.  Consequently, the teacher 
had to rely on generalized memories when completing each student's 
quarterly checklist and narrative report.  Through the implementation 
of systematic observation and notetaking during the daily "choice 
time" in the kindergarten classroom, followed by analysis, the 
quarterly report card and other types of teacher-parent communication 
became not only more detailed and verifiable, but also more useful 
for the support and extension of each individual student's learning.  
The case of one student with social and emotional difficulties 
illustrates the effectiveness of the new assessment system.  
(Contains 29 references.) (MDM)
  Descriptors: Classroom Observation Techniques; *Emotional 
Development; Evaluation Methods; *Informal Assessment; *Kindergarten 
Children; *Parent Teacher Cooperation; Primary Education; Report 
Cards; Social Development; *Student Evaluation
  Identifiers: *Authentic Assessment


  ED381230  PS022887
  What Parents Think about Alternative Assessment and Narrative 
Reporting: One School's Findings.
  Diffily, Deborah
  Oct 1994
  16p.
  Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143)
  This research project was designed to help the faculty at a 
southwestern, urban elementary school better understand what parents 
thought about the school's alternative assessment methods and 
narrative reporting to communicate with parents.  Assessment methods 
were defined as the ways teachers learn about students' 
understandings, and communication methods were defined as narrative 
reports by teachers; parents did not make this distinction.  With few 
exceptions, when parents used the term assessment, they were 
referring to the narrative reports they received.  Subjects were 192 
parents who responded to a questionnaire on their perceptions of 
assessment methods and the narrative reports.  Results indicated that 
parents were generally pleased with the detail of the narrative 
reports.  They believed they were receiving more information about 
their children than they ever had with any other reporting system, 
but were unsure about the specific methods being used to assess their 
children's progress, and could not always determine from the 
narrative reports how well their children were performing.  Some 
parents wanted more information about children's ranks, grade levels 
in class, and a specific test performance on national college 
admissions tests.  As a result of the study and based on their 
teaching experiences, the faculty at the subject school scheduled 
more frequent parent conferences, drafted grade-level standards, and 
developed "exemplar booklets," which provide student work samples 
demonstrating varying levels of achievement for each standard.  (WP)
  Descriptors: Elementary Education; *Evaluation Methods; Grading; 
Nontraditional Education; *Parent Attitudes; *Parent Conferences; 
Parent School Relationship; Parent Teacher Cooperation; *Student 
Evaluation; Urban Education
  Identifiers: *Alternative Assessment


  ED368494  PS022252
  Developmentally Appropriate Practices in the Primary Program: A 
Survey of Primary School Teachers.
  Addington, Brenda Burton; Hinton, Samuel
  Nov 1993
  20p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South 
Educational Research Association (New Orleans, LA, November 10-12, 
1993).
  Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143);  CONFERENCE PAPER (150)
  Under the Kentucky Education Reform Act, public schools in Kentucky 
were required to restructure the traditional kindergarten through 
third-grade classes into a multi-age and multi-ability level, 
ungraded primary program during the 1993-1994 school year.  
Classrooms that once contained children at relatively the same age 
have been replaced with groups of children of varied ages and 
abilities; sedentary seat work has been replaced by concrete learning 
activities and cooperative learning opportunities; report cards have
been replaced by narrative progress reports, portfolios, and more 
frequent teacher conferences with students and parents.  A study 
assessed teacher perceptions about the effectiveness of the ungraded 
primary program as a strategy for educating young children.  It was 
hypothesized that the program would be perceived positively by a 
majority of the primary teachers in one county-wide district.  A 
total of 37 teachers from 27 schools were surveyed using likert-scale 
questions about implementing developmentally appropriate practices 
with multi-age and multi-ability groups.  Results showed that the 
majority of teachers did not appear to have difficulty allowing their 
students to learn in a developmentally appropriate manner, and that 
they thought the program provided an enjoyable atmosphere for 
teachers and students, where both were excited about learning.  Some 
commented that teaching split grades was more difficult than teaching 
in a traditional classroom.  Most indicated that the number of 
students was too high to successfully implement working with the 
students in small groups and in teaching to the whole group.  
Subjects were also divided on the use of computers and other 
technologies in their classrooms.  (HTH)
  Descriptors: Educational Change; Educational Innovation; 
*Elementary School Teachers; Grouping (Instructional Purposes); 
Instructional Effectiveness; *Nongraded Instructional Grouping; 
Primary Education; *Program Effectiveness; Student Evaluation; 
*Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Methods
  Identifiers: *Developmentally Appropriate Programs; Kentucky; 
*Mixed Age Groups; Program Characteristics


  ED362887  CS214073
  Student Portfolios and Teacher Logs: Blueprint for a Revolution in 
Assessment.
  Calfee, Robert C.; Perfumo, Pam
  Center for the Study of Writing, Berkeley, CA.; Center for the 
Study of Writing, Pittsburgh, PA.  Apr 1993
  16p.
  Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement 
(ED), Washington, DC.
  Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143);  POSITION PAPER (120)
  A study examining portfolio practice in selected elementary 
programs throughout the United States is reported in this paper.  The 
survey covered 150 "nominated" contacts, including states, districts, 
schools, school teams, and individual teachers.  Respondents worked 
from a largely blank sheet of paper, which they used to "brainstorm" 
and "cluster" their ideas about student portfolios.  A group of two 
dozen respondents participated in a 2-day working conference where 
they documented and analyzed their collective experience with the 
portfolio concept.  Group sessions were videotaped and analyzed.  
Results found three themes that appeared to capture the essence of 
contemporary practice: (1) teachers in the portfolio movement convey 
an intense commitment and personal renewal; (2) the technical 
foundations for portfolio assessment appear infirm and inconsistent 
at all levels; and (3) portfolio practice at the school and teacher 
level shies away from standards and grades, toward narrative and 
descriptive reporting.  Based on these preliminary findings, a 
"Teacher Logbook" was designed to support and effectuate the 
portfolio approach, and to connect portfolios to other facets of 
teacher professionalization.  The Teacher Logbook accomplishes 
several interrelated tasks: journal documentation by the teacher of 
evidence bearing on student performances; summary judgments of 
student achievement; and a complementary record of curriculum events 
supporting student learning.  For the portfolio movement to succeed 
it must be connected to the other supporting components in a manner 
that continues to meet internal classroom needs while satisfying 
external policy demands.  (A figure illustrating the Teacher Logbook 
is included.  Contains 19 references.) (RS)
  Descriptors: Educational Innovation; Elementary Education; National 
Surveys; *Portfolios (Background Materials); *Student Evaluation; 
*Teacher Behavior; Writing Research
  Identifiers: *Alternative Assessment; *Portfolio Approach; 
Professional Concerns


  ED361394  TM020496
  Assessment Practices in the Elementary Classroom: Perspectives of 
Stakeholders.
  Anderson, John O.; Bachor, Dan G.
  Apr 1993
  23p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council 
on Measurement in Education (Atlanta, GA, April 13-15, 1993).
  Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143);  CONFERENCE PAPER (150)
  Assessment practices used in elementary school classrooms in 
British Columbia (Canada) were explored through a survey that also 
considered the perspectives of the people directly affected by 
assessment: students, parents, teachers, and administrators.  Data 
were collected through focus group interviews with each of the 4 
respondent groups from 10 school districts.  Each group consisted of 
three to eight participants.  The study clarifies characteristics of 
classroom assessment and shows that a number of issues should be 
addressed.  Observation and the review of work samples are the main 
kinds of information collection procedures used in the schools 
studied, and narrative reports are the main form of formal
communication with parents.  The purpose of assessment is locating 
the student within the instructional program, to devise and implement 
appropriate learning strategies for the child, to inform the child 
and parents of progress, and also to fulfill the reporting 
requirements of the school and district.  While teachers often saw 
shortcomings in the grading process, parents and students were more 
likely to see grades as more accurate than other forms of reporting.  
Aspects of assessment practice that could be improved include a need 
for more explicit description of the learning and development 
pathways and a more concrete explanation of the evaluation process.  
An appendix contains the focus group questions.  (SLD)
  Descriptors: Achievement Rating; *Administrator Attitudes; 
*Classroom Techniques; *Educational Assessment; Elementary Education; 
Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Foreign 
Countries; Grades (Scholastic); *Parent Attitudes; Report Cards; 
School Surveys; *Student Attitudes; Student Evaluation; *Teacher 
Attitudes; Test Use
  Identifiers: *British Columbia; Focus Groups Approach; Stakeholders

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