Board Chair Column: Report Card
WCPS implementing common report card throughout K-6 grades
The Education Services Department in Wolf Creek Public Schools has been busy with a changeover that will allow families to see one common report card for K-6 students, no matter the Wolf Creek school their child attends.
Previously, as in many school divisions, report cards and assessments that go into reporting can vary from school to school, or even grade to grade. WCPS felt it was an important step to implement a common report card, starting with Kindergarten to Grade 6. What a common report card does is allows for families to have a common look and understanding of the report card they receive for their child. In communities where we have multiple schools, families would have the same language used to communicate assessment, grading scale to show student progress and allow for better understanding and dialogue between teachers and families.
This doesn’t happen in a short period of time. This is why it is a year-long implementation with professional development and training for teachers, as part of the implementation process.
Grading scales for achievement and growth as a learner were developed based on conversations and feedback with all K-6 administrators throughout the 21/22 school year. An environmental scan of all the division’s K-6 report card templates was undertaken, research of other divisions was done, and feedback opportunities were provided to schools and administrators in the late spring and early fall of 2022. Some suggestions came forward about the grading scale, but overall the feedback was positive and supportive of moving forward.
This is an exciting change that better serves the student and the family, and is one that parents and guardians will notice slowly being implemented going forward. Additional communication has gone out to parents and guardians from Wolf Creek’s Education Services Department explaining these changes. Over the school year, schools will plan for regular reporting and communication of progress to parents and guardians.
The vision is that by September 2023, the school division will be ready to activate the Parent Portal in our K-6 schools that will allow parents and guardians to have real-time access to achievement data and information about their child.
As a Board we are excited about the work being done by Education Services to bring about a common report card. It is something we know will be a welcome change for families and teachers, and will be implemented with care and support for teachers, schools and families.
Luci Henry, is the Board Chair for Wolf Creek Public Schools. Wolf Creek Public Schools Board is served by Trustees representing the communities and rural areas of Alix, Bentley, Blackfalds, Bluffton, Clive, Eckville, Lacombe, Ponoka, and Rimbey. Serving approximately 7,300 students, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, WCPS employs approximately 412 teachers and 350 support staff in 30 schools, including five colony schools, throughout the Division.
