Yet traditional grades such as the ones given at Chaparral are not necessarily enough. Educators and academics agree that both systems have their advantages. The right report card is different for every school, depending on the needs of the parents, children, educators and community. Sycamore Elementary School, near Chaparral in Claremont, has not used grades for more than 50 years. When parents want to find out how their children are doing in math, reading and writing, they take a look at the portfolios their children assemble at the end of each year.
Teachers also write narrative descriptions of their students' progress twice a year.
I think it's much more powerful to the parents because then they have something they can work with their children on. The challenge with this type of reporting is making it meaningful to the community and the state-people who want a student's academic progress recorded in universally understood letter grades. Because the community was skeptical about this grading system, Cooper did a study of Sycamore students' performance once they entered junior high school, where traditional letter grades are used. In general, approximately 33 percent of the junior high school's students make the honor roll. The ideal report card should be a collaborative effort between parents and teachers with input from the community.