(For the record, I do believe in report cards. I believe in making them better.)
What "better" looks like is something I will leave to the experts. Who am I to say what math proficiency is? I can barely add when there's a calculator involved, never mind an equation.
My own lack of math skills goes directly to the point in two fundamental ways.
First, perhaps my deficiency in math might have been less severe had there been different diagnostic and reporting tools available at the time. Who knows? Maybe I would have been a mathlete in high school?
But second, and of far greater importance, is that a better reporting mechanism would have also highlighted my strengths.
I knew I was weak in math by the time I left middle school. What I didn't know is what I was good at.
And this is the fatal flaw of letter-based report cards: Human nature is such that people look for the flaws in something rather than the successes. (A good explanation can be found here.)
Have you ever heard anyone jump for joy at getting their report card? Even kids with straight A's are, at best, underwhelmed at receiving report cards. Sure they pay attention to it for a few minutes. But then it's forgotten until the next reporting cycle. This tells me something is wrong.
Conversely, how many people are fascinated with their own psychological profile?
One of the best ways to improve is by using our strengths to shore up our weaknesses. With this in mind, imagine a detailed "learning profile" for every student available to them online. Think psych profile meets report card meets Facebook.
If we want students to succeed, we need to give them information about themselves, including what they are good at. And we need to do it in visually-appealing ways.
Paper report cards were effective in their time. But that time has passed. Now it's time for something better.
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