Parents to have say in student reports

Barbara Roden

The Ministry of Education is asking B.C. parents how they want to see their children’s school progress reported.

Parents of students in kindergarten through Grade 9 are being asked to take part in a public engagement initiative that began last week. It runs through February 28, 2017, and asks parents to share their thoughts on various methods of reporting student progress, including report cards, parent-teacher meetings, and regular student/parent/teacher check-ins.

The move has been occasioned by the introduction of a new curriculum for students in kindergarten through Grade 9. The curriculum aims to teach students the skills they need to succeed in a changing world. Ten community meetings have been scheduled around the province in coming months.

“Parents want to know how their children are doing at school—and our new curriculum is an opportunity to make sure we are giving parents the right information,” says Education Minister Mike Bernier. “We have a real opportunity to make sure we are giving parents the right information. I’m encouraging everyone to fill out the feedback form and take part in their nearest public meeting.”

The meetings will be held between now and February 2017, with the exact dates to be determined. A meeting is scheduled for Kamloops in January, and is open to all parents and groups from surrounding school districts.

The input received from parents, both online and at the meetings, will help shape the information they receive about their children’s progress, and in what form they receive it, starting in the 2017–18 school year. A summary report on the findings will be produced, and posted online, in June 2017.

“Reporting is all about keeping parents informed,” says Bernier. “The ultimate goal of this engagement is to develop a student reporting process that gives families a deeper understanding of their child’s progress at school through timely and comprehensive information.”

The ministry says that there will be an opportunity for parents to give input on progress reporting in grades 10–12 in the future. The current survey can be found online at http://engage.gov.bc.ca/yourkidsprogress.