Writing Progress Report Comments

In reviewing some high school progress report comments, I noticed that some comments did not align with the tone of others.  So, here are three thoughts to get us all on the same page.

1. Opening

Always open with a positive statement about something the student is doing well or clearly working hard on.  The opening sets the tone and communicates that no matter how rough a report this is, the teacher can see beyond the surface to the positive potential that is within every student.  It could just be the answer to one of two questions: "With which work has the student really done well or demonstrated deep engagement;" or, "What quality does the student demonstrate that supports their success?"  A more positive tone at the start makes the rest of the comment 'heard' with more open ears, especially the parts of the comment in which the teacher is communicating about areas of weaker observed proficiency.  

2. Phrasing

Phrase 'bad news' in a clear and compassionate way that focuses on what is observed.  Semester comments should be hopeful or optimistic about the student's positive growth and should convey the teacher's sense of the nobility of the student (even if it's presently only an internal nobility). Phrases like, "Tom's big issue is..." have a great potential to be triggers for negative response (consider avoiding the word 'issue' altogether).  Some alternatives:  Tom is still working on...; Tom appears to struggle with...; Tom is still working to perfect....

3. Closing

Wrap up with a forward-looking, optimistic comment that helps the student and parent to have a sense of your own hopes for the student.  This sentence will be the final thought from you in the student's and parents' minds.  A positive closure shows that struggles can be temporary and the student has positive things to look forward to.  Rather than, "She sometimes struggles with the equations we are using in our experiments" as the closer for Tina, shift that to the middle and close with one of the more complimentary sentences from the middle like, "Tina understands how to find good resources and to use them for research." It again highlights the teacher's ability to see beyond present challenges and convey how clearly he/she can see the the positive potential (nobility) within each student.