Preamble

All of us have grown up with the fear of the dreaded Report Card; the periodical shot from the blue which knocked us out cold!

This Report Card is generally a list of quantitative figures where some give us joy and others the bucket of sorrows; it is also summative – the end of the story; without much of an ado or information about the reason for the joyful 85% or the tearful 45%. The reading normally culminates in a dressing down of “You should have done better” with no indicator/help/guidance of `How to do better?’

The guidance cannot be forthcoming because the evaluation itself is limited and does not allow itself to be converted and/or graduated to guidance. There is no scope of knowing the child’s interest and/or understanding in the subject. You got 65% - period.

Report Card becomes an Aspiration Card

 At LEAP quality-education-practices we strongly felt about the above and decided to do something about it and turned the dreaded Report Card into the looked-forward-to Aspiration Card and called it the Learner’s Comprehensive Profile (LCP).

The LCP provides the data and information about the development and growth of the child in the different learning opportunities provided by the school.

It comprises two parts –

-       Quantitative Report (QR) – giving the marks obtained by the student in each subject in all the tests and examinations conducted by the School

-       Non-Quantitative Report (NQR) – is built on the premise that a student should be accountable not just for his performance but more importantly, for the overall quality of his presence and participation in every learning context provided to him.

The NQRs given by each person interacting with the student on campus, viz., every subject teacher, sports teacher, house parent etc on diverse – but predefined – abilities and attributes that are generally specific to each subject/area and designed appropriately of each class/age - being commented upon and accordingly, reflect where the student stands in each of these aspects.

It indicates, not as an evaluation or judgment tool, but as a timely feedback, the attitudinal and behavioral predisposition of the child in the diverse and interesting learning opportunities provided by the school.

When the QR and NQR are viewed together, in an integral manner, a fairly comprehensive profile of the child would emerge. These reports are then examined closely and interpreted objectively by all – the teachers, the Principal and the parents; which make it possible for the appropriate and necessary guidance to be provided to the child.

Accordingly, parents are requested to go through the Reports thoroughly and discuss the contents and remarks therein with the child and the adults concerned.

The NQR begins with the Self Assessment being done by the child himself on his present status, past trend and future plans on his being in the classroom, dormitory, other areas in the school etc. This was also our way of telling the child that primarily, he needs to take responsibility for himself.

As the child knows All About Himself from a variety of sources in diverse parameters along with the trends of the past, he can decided or ASPIRE to reach higher and go wherever he wants to in terms of the same parameters. The analogical guidance enables the teachers/parents to help him tread the path to in the direction of his Aspiration.

The LCP is compiled every six months and issued to the parents accordingly.

It has been good success and enabled the `result discussion’ to move from just marks obtained to interest, understanding, flair, aptitude etc.

Instead of the Report Card being the The End; the LCP has made it into The Beginning!