Midyear Report Card Tips For Parents & Families

JANUARY 6 2017
BY: Natalie Dean, Center Director, Huntington Learning Center, San Ramon/Danville

Hello Parents!! A very Happy New Year from our Huntington Family to you and your families. Now that the New Year is upon us, it means that it’s also time for midyear report cards. For many families, report cards can stir up stressful emotions, particularly if their children are struggling with one or more school subjects.

I always like to remind my parents that the midyear report card should be used as a tool to identify issues and seek help to address them during the remainder of the school year. If your child’s report card highlights new areas of concern or problems
that troubled your child last year as well, the key is not to dwell on the weaknesses, but rather, develop a plan of action.
As for what to look for, I suggest paying attention to the following items:

Progress (or lack thereof) – When comparing your child’s current report card with the end-of-year report card from last year, take note of any areas where your child’s performance has declined significantly. Similarly, look for areas where your child has made slight or notable gains. Make sure to arrange a time to talk with the teacher about these changes and how you can support your child.

Grade-level benchmarks – Most report cards measure students’ acquisition of grade-level standards throughout the school year. Pay attention to the growth
indicators and how your child is performing this point in the school year. There might be new expectations that did not appear on the first midterm report card of the year.

Higher-order thinking skills – Today’s education system emphasizes not just fundamental academic skills, but also the thinking skills that are necessary to learn effectively: reasoning, problem solving and application skills, for example. Take note of all such measures and seek the teacher’s input on the best ways for you to help your child practice and strengthen these aptitudes.

Study skills – It’s so important for students to be equipped with strong study skills, which foster effective learning. Look for remarks about and assessments of your child’s attitude, time management skills, organizational skills and other executive functioning aptitudes. Take note of any areas that address your child’s persistence as well, as the combination of good study skills and hard work should yield positive
results.

Teacher remarks – If the teacher included any specific comments about your child’s efforts, behavior or progress, read these comments carefully and compare them to your own observations about your child’s school performance.

The midyear report card is a critical progress check on children’s growth and success in school, and parents should give it the attention it deserves. By now, children should be making major strides toward the goals and standards set for them and it’s important to intervene if they are not. If your child’s midyear report card brings problems to light—new or longstanding—please seek help of a Tutoring program that can pinpoint your child’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a customized program of instruction that will get him or her back on track this spring.

I wish Happy Learning to all my current and prospective students in 2017 and beyond.

ABOUT HUNTINGTON:
Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington’s mission is to give every student the best education possible.

Learn how Huntington can help at www.sanramon.huntingtonhelps.com(San Ramon/Danville)

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