School reports: formulations and their meaning

Vocabulary report as a school certificate

The school report for the first two or even three years of elementary school is often structured differently than later reports. Instead of the classic numerical grading, your child’s achievements and progress are described in a verbal report. The wording in the school report is deliberately kept positive by the teachers so that even small progress is recognized and the children’s eagerness to learn is not slowed down.

Nevertheless, the expressions chosen in the school report cannot always be classified correctly and many parents need clarification after reading their children’s reports. For example, a good performance in mathematics can be described in the school report as follows: “Nadine calculates in the developed number range without any aids.” Poorer performances could be expressed as: “Marie can usually solve intensively practiced tasks in the number range up to 10 correctly”. If you have any questions or are unclear about the school report, you should therefore contact the class teacher.

School report card with grades

In the last years of elementary school and at secondary schools, apart from Waldorf schools , your child usually receives a school report with grades that can range from one (very good) to six (insufficient). This way you can quickly and clearly see in which subject your child’s strengths and weaknesses lie. In addition, the school report with grades makes it easier to compare his performance with that of other students, which arouses the children’s ambition and can therefore be motivating.

Top marks in school reports

In addition to the subject grades in the school report, there are in some federal states, such as Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, the so-called “head grades”, which are at the top, in the head of the report. They provide information about your child’s work and social behavior. For example, your child’s cooperation, independence, diligence and ability to cooperate are evaluated under “work behavior”, while information about your child’s ability to deal with conflict, responsibility and willingness to help is given under “social behavior”.

School Report: How to deal with it

When your child brings home their school report, the question often arises as to how you, as a mother, should deal with it. Should good grades be rewarded? And what if the school report is not so good? It is important that you always support your child and that it does not need to be afraid to come home on the day the certificate is issued.

Properly reward good school reports

A good school certificate looks a little different for every child. Some children find it particularly easy to understand the subject matter, while others have to work harder. A three or four on the school report card can also be a good grade if your child makes an effort or has perhaps improved compared to the previous year.

You should definitely recognize and praise your child’s achievements , for example by telling them how great you think they’ve made such an effort at school. In this way, it learns that good grades also have something to do with diligence and effort. In addition to the praise and a hug, you can of course also reward your child for their good school report.

Many parents and grandparents reward a good school report with money, but this is not entirely unproblematic. The performance behind the school grades can often not be measured in monetary terms, and comparisons between siblings can quickly become a nuisance. For example, the sister feels belittled when her brother gets more money with all A’s than she does, who has learned more but only has three on her school report card.

An alternative to money as a reward for a good school report are joint activities such as going to the cinema or an invitation to eat ice cream. You can also reward your child’s achievements with small gifts that further encourage interest in a specific school subject. If you get a good grade in biology, you can reward your child with a visit to the zoo or aquarium, for example, while children who are good at German can look forward to a diary, for example.

Bad grades on the school report card

Bad grades on the school report are not the end of the world and can happen to anyone. Even if you feel disappointed or angry, try praising your child’s good grades on their school report and improvements first to build their self-confidence and confidence in their abilities. Ask how they rate their own performance this school year. Is he happy or are his bad grades eroding his self-confidence? Most children themselves are disappointed when their school report is not so good. Then try to talk to your child and comfort them.

Then, together with your child, think about the reason for his bad grades on the school report card. Is the learning material still incomprehensible for your child? Does it take more time for the tasks? Having trouble concentrating? If necessary, ask the relevant subject teacher where there are still difficulties and what ways there are to help your child.

School reports: tips for parents

No matter what your child’s school report turns out to be, with these tips your child need not be afraid on the day the certificate is issued.

• No lectures: If you scold your child for bad grades, you risk your child closing himself off to you and no longer wanting to show a school report with bad grades.
• Praise: Good grades on the school report should always be praised, taking into account your child’s individual effort and achievement.
• Activities are better than money: instead of giving a certificate, you should better reward your child’s achievements with joint activities.
• Comfort: If the school report is not so good, you should comfort your child and motivate it again.
• Stay informed: Pay attention to your child’s level of performance during the school year and find out about it at parents’ meetings. This way there are no surprises on the day the certificate is handed over and you can help your child with problems at an early stage.