Communication between school and home encompasses a range and variety of reporting strategies, both formal and informal. These strategies include anecdotal reports, conversations, conferences, telephone calls, notes, and visits. One aspect of communicating a child's progress to parents is the written report of a child's profile. This type of reporting consisting of anecdotal comments describes the child's learning in the context of the goals of the primary program. The reports may also include specific recommendations and suggestions that invite parents to take an active role in their child's education.
Anecdotal reports describe what children can do.
Comments and descriptions of observable behaviors demonstrate how and what children are learning and provide information which facilitates continuous learning. Checklists, while useful for gathering information, are inappropriate for reporting purposes. Comparison with other children, or the assigning of letter grade symbols and pseudo-letter grades, are also inappropriate.