Starting Points: Easy Beginnings for Writing Better Narrative Assessments and Report Card Comments


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Brenda Power and Kelly Chandler-Olcott

Teachers despise cheaters. We want students to do their own work, take pride in it, and stand on their personal accomplishments as learners. We expect the same of ourselves as teachers, and that independent and honest streak has led to many innovations in our profession. But it also gets in the way of teachers learning how to write narrative assessments of students.

We've titled this essay "Starting Points," but it could just as readily be titled "Borrow, Steal, and Cut Corners." We don't think that this more realistic title would sit well with all the honest, hardworking teachers reading these words. Yet we've discovered that teachers who write quality assessments of students are living oxymorons--honest cheaters--as they learn how to budget time, resources, and energy in their evaluation scheme.

To get started, realize it is not cheating to:

1. Write assessments of only one subject area if you are an elementary teacher.

Even though we are responsible for students' learning in all areas, many times the best way to learn to write assessments is to focus on the curricular area you are most confident in (e.g., reading, science, math). Parents will learn about the other subjects through the codes or other information you already provide in the report card, and you'll be starting from your strength.

2. Write assessments of only one class if you teach many different classes of students.

If you work with 150 students a day in a middle or high school setting, it's tough even to imagine how you'll find time to write a cogent paragraph or more about each student, especially when you're beginning to build your narrative writing skills. So don't even try -- pick one class that you will take care to assess in writing for the term. You can then use what you learn from the small group to move toward assessing all students as your end goal.

3. Write a section about class goals and activities for all students, with only a paragraph or two that is tailored to the individual needs and strengths of each student.

Many teachers write an introductory section in their narratives that is the same for all students, detailing the work of the class community over the quarter or year. This allows parents and other readers of the narrative to view the student's achievements within the context of the teacher's aims and purposes for the entire learning community. Teachers take extra care to craft those opening paragraphs to represent the class well. We've seen overviews that range from a few sentences about the essential topics and skills covered in a unit to lengthy summaries of the activities completed during a term.

For example, a team of teachers completing an integrated literacy theme with third, fourth, and fifth graders chose to write this introduction:

Ancient Egypt has been the backdrop for this reading and writing adventure. Our community of eight- to ten-year-old "archaeologists" has learned how and why pharaohs were mummified, how and for what purposes the pyramids were built, some of the ancient Egyptians' beliefs, and how to dig like a master archaeologist. Our primary goal through all these hands-on projects has been to promote a love of and enthusiasm for reading and writing, and to encourage children to see the connections between reading and writing. We have immersed the students in a wealth of print related to ancient Egypt, including nonfiction and fiction texts, poems, charts, posters, and daily letters. The children have been encouraged to read and interact with all of these inviting print resources within the room. We have used audiotapes and videos to meet the needs of other learning styles as well. Some of the vocabulary we have been using includes: archaeology, mummies, pyramids, sarcophagus, hieroglyphics, cartouch, papyrus, novice, and apprentice. Learning has taken place during this journey back in time, and each child has taken a piece of Egypt away with them.

The teachers then wrote individual comments about each child from their class, working within the context of the theme.

4. Write your assessments with a pen instead of typing them. Or type your assessments instead of writing them by hand.

We've worked with teachers who get tripped up because of expectations of what the final product will look like. If you always work at the computer, you can cut and paste your comments into the comment section of the report card rather than writing them. If you like writing in bed with a cup of tea and a stack of student folders, don't feel you're shortchanging your students parents because your comments are handwritten, not typed.

5. Mine a checklist or rubric.

We know some teachers who use checklists as the starting point for their written assessments. Instead of writing a paragraph that stands alone, they write detailed notes in the margins of the checklist or rubric, noting one specific event or observation related to that section of the assessment form for that particular child. For many teachers, this process is less intimidating than facing a blank page, yet it provides far more personalized and precise information than a code or a check in the appropriate box.

Once you've figured out your starting point for writing more detailed narrative assessments or report card comments, you'll also want to think through the best time to write narratives. If your parents conferences are scheduled in October or November and nearly all parents attend, it doesn't make sense to write detailed narratives at this point of the year when you will be in the midst of many time-consuming face-to-face meetings. The end of the school year can also prove to be a difficult time for writing narratives, since this is the time when many teachers are thinking about their classes for the next fall or are busy determining placements and plans for students who haven't met academic goals for the year.

Many teachers who have a goal of improving their written assessments find the winter months are best for tackling the goal, after gathering observations and materials in the fall. Teachers know their students well enough by December or January to do some good writing, and there is still time to use what you've learned from the written assessment to make adjustments to your curriculum and plans for each student.

This essay is adapted from the book Well-Chosen Words: Narrative Assessments and Report Card Comments.