Parents worried about fewer public school report cards

Some Calgary parents of children in public schools say they aren't getting enough information about how their kids are doing under a new report card system.

Kindergarten to Grade 9 students now get two report cards per year, one fewer than before.

Those report cards are supposed to be supplemented with parent-teacher interviews, emails and phone calls.

But Jeff Bowes, president of the Calgary Association for Parents and School Councils, said he is hearing from concerned parents.

Bowes said so far he has only received one email from his own daughters Grade 4 teacher.

A conference in December with no report card until January, and then the next conference after that report card is in March. At least that's the way it is occurring at my daughter's school right now.

Bowes said he doesn't feel he really knows how his daughter is doing at school.

I'd prefer having the report card at this time of year. It provides more information, it provides a starting point of discussion for student conferences, he said.

In September the Calgary Board of Education postponed the introduction of more radical changes.

A pilot project would have seen traditional marks replaced with a new range of learning outcome ratings and report cards sent out twice instead of three times a year.

Students would have been assessed as exemplary, evident, emerging or needs support.

Sheila Taylor, chair of the public board, said she is getting a lot of questions about report cards and work is being done to find the best way to meet the needs of parents and students.