UNIT 9

REPORTING TEST SCORES

Written By:
Dr. Muhammad Saeed

Reviewed By:
Dr. Naveed Sultana
 CONTENTS
Sr. No Topic Page No

Introduction ...............................................................................................................211

Objective ...................................................................................................................211

9.1 Functions of Test Scores and Progress Reports ..........................................212

9.2 Types of Reporting and Marking ................................................................215

9.3 Calculating CGPA and Assigning Letter Grades .........................................220

9.4 Conducting Parent Teacher Conferences .....................................................223

9.5 Activities ......................................................................................................225

9.6 Self-Assessment Exercise ............................................................................228

9.7 References/Suggested Readings ..................................................................223

 INTRODUCTION
The unit “Reporting Test Scores” is about measuring the performance of students by providing a profile
of their progress and reporting the scores of tests in different ways in context to the different purposes.
There is a long tradition that students‟ skills are measured by some of testing procedures. Invariably, the
product of testing is a score, a „yardstick‟ by which an individual student is compared with others and/or
by which progress is documented. Teachers and other educators use tests, and subsequently test scores in
a variety of ways.
The first major topic of the unit deals with the functions of test scores and progress reports of students
after taking any test. As there are different functions of grading and reporting systems with respect to its
uses like instructional uses, providing feedback to students for administrative use and guidance and
informing parents about their children‟s performance.
The second key topic in the unit discussed is the “Types of Test Scores and Progress Reports”. Here two
types of reporting test scores are discussed. First is Norm-referenced tests which include raw scores,
grade norms, percentiles, stanines, and standard scores. Second is Criterion-referenced test which include
system of pass-fail and the other types of the practices that are used to report the progress of students.
The third major theme is “Calculating CGPA and Assigning Letter Grades” It includes the method of
calculating CGPA and different steps which are concerned with assigning letter grades in reporting test
scores such as combining the data, selecting the proper frame of reference for grading and determining
the distribution of grades etc.
The last major theme of the unit is “Conducting Parent-Teacher Conferences”. This section includes the
information and important preparations for conducting the parent teacher conferences, mentioning the
“Do‟s” and “Don‟ts” of the parent teacher conferences.

OBJECTIVES
After studying the Unit, the students will be able to:
1. understand the purpose of reporting test scores
2. explain the functions of test scores
3. describe the essential features of progress report
4. enlist the different types of grading and reporting systems
5. calculate CGPA
6. conduct parent teacher conferences

9.1 Functions of Test Scores and Progress Reports

The task of grading and reporting students‟ progress cannot be separated from the procedures adopted in
assessing students‟ learning. If instructional objectives are well defined in terms of behavioural or
performance terms and relevant tests and other assessment procedures are properly used, grading and
reporting become a matter of summarizing the results and presenting them in understandable form.
Reporting students‟ progress is difficult especially when data is represented in single letter-grade system
or numerical value (Linn & Gronlund, 2000).
Assigning grades and making referrals are decisions that require information about individual students. In
contrast, curricular and instructional decisions require information about groups of students, quite often
about entire classrooms or schools (Linn & Gronlund, 2000).
There are three primary purposes of grading students. First, grades are the primary currency for exchange
of many of the opportunities and rewards our society has to offer. Grades can be exchanged for such
diverse entities as adult approval, public recognition, college and university admission etc. To deprive
students of grades means to deprive them of rewards and opportunities. Second, teachers become habitual
of assessing their students‟ learning in grades, and if teachers don‟t award grades, the students might not
well know about their learning progress. Third, grading students motivate them. Grades can serve as
incentives, and for many students incentives serve a motivating function.
The different functions of grading and reporting systems are given as under:

1. Instructional uses
The focus of grading and reporting should be the student improvement in learning. This is most likely
occur when the report: a) clarifies the instructional objectives; b) indicates the student‟s strengths and
weaknesses in learning; c) provides information concerning the student‟s personal and social
development; and d) contributes to student‟s motivation.
The improvement of student learning is probably best achieved by the day-to-day assessments of learning
and the feedback from tests and other assessment procedures. A portfolio of work developed during the
academic year can be displayed to indicate student‟s strengths and weaknesses periodically.
Periodic progress reports can contribute to student motivation by providing short-term goals and
knowledge of results. Both are essential features of essential learning. Well-designed progress reports can
also help in evaluating instructional procedures by identifying areas need revision. When the reports of
majority of students indicate poor progress, it may infer that there is a need to modify the instructional
objectives.

2. Feedback to students
Grading and reporting test results to the students have been an on-going practice in all the educational
institutions of the world. The mechanism or strategy may differ from country to country or institution to
institution but each institution observes this practice in any way. Reporting test scores to students has a
number of advantages for them. As the students move up through the grades, the usefulness of the test
scores for personal academic planning and self-assessment increases. For most students, the scores
provide feedback about how much they know and how effective their efforts to learn have been. They can
know their strengths and areas need for special attention. Such feedback is essential if students are
expected to be partners in managing their own instructional time and effort. These results help them to
make good decisions for their future professional development.
Teachers use a variety of strategies to help students become independent learners who are able to take an
increasing responsibility for their own school progress. Self-assessment is a significant aspect of self-
guided learning, and the reporting of test results can be an integral part of the procedures teachers use to
promote self-assessment. Test results help students to identify areas need for improvement, areas in which
progress has been strong, and areas in which continued strong effort will help maintain high levels of
achievement. Test results can be used with information from teacher‟s assessments to help students set
their own instructional goals, decide how they will allocate their time, and determine priorities for
improving skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and problem solving. When students are given their
own test results, they can learn about self-assessment while doing actual self-assessment. (Iowa Testing
Programs, 2011).
Grading and reporting results also provide students an opportunity for developing an awareness of how
they are growing in various skill areas. Self-assessment begins with self-monitoring, a skill most children
have begun developing well before coming to kindergarten.

3. Administrative and guidance uses

Grades and progress reports serve a number of administrative functions. For example, they are used for
determining promotion and graduation, awarding honours, determining sports eligibility of students, and
reporting to other institutions and employers. For most administrative purposes, a single letter-grade is
typically required, but of course, technically single letter-grade does not truly interpret student‟s
assessment.
Guidance and Counseling officers use grades and reports on student‟s achievement, along with other
information, to help students make realistic educational and vocational plans. Reports that include ratings
on personal and social characteristics are also useful in helping students with adjustment problems.

4. Informing parents about their children’s performance

Parents are often overwhelmed by the grades and test reports they receive from school personnel. In order
to establish a true partnership between parents and teachers, it is essential that information about student
progress be communicated clearly, respectfully and accurately. Test results should be provided to parents
using; a) simple, clear language free from educational and test jargon, and b) explanation of the purpose
of the tests used (Canter, 1998).
Most of the time parents are either ignored or least involved to let them aware of the progress of their
children. To strengthen connection between home and school parents need to receive comprehensive
information about their children achievement. If parents do not understand the tests given to their
children, the scores, and how the results are used to make decisions about their children, they are
prohibited from helping their children learn and making decisions.
According to Kearney (1983), the lack of information provided to consumers about test data has sweeping
and negative consequences. He states;
Individual student needs are not met, parents are not kept fully informed of student progress, curricular
needs are not discovered and corrected, and the results are not reported to various audiences that need to
receive this information and need to know what is being done with the information.
In some countries, there are prescribed policies for grading and reporting test results to the parents. For
example, Michigan Educational Assessment Policy (MEAP) is revised periodically in view of parents‟
suggestions and feedback. MEAP consists of criterion-referenced tests, primarily in mathematics and
reading, that are administered each year to all fourth, seventh and tenth graders. MEAP recommends that
policy makers at state and local levels must develop strong linkages to create, implement and monitor
effective reporting practices. (Barber, Paris, Evans, & Gadsden, 1992).
Without any doubt, it is more effective to talk parents to face about their children‟s scores than to send a
score report home for them to interpret on their own. For a variety of reasons, a parent-teacher or parent-
student-teacher conference offers an excellent occasion for teachers to provide and interpret those results
to the parents.
1. Teachers tend to be more knowledgeable than parents about tests and the types of scores being
interpreted.
2. Teachers can make numerous observations of their student‟s work and consequently substantiate
the results. In-consistencies between test scores and classroom performance can be noted and
discussed.
3. Teachers possess work samples that can be used to illustrate the type of classroom work the
student has done. Portfolios can be used to illustrate strengths and to explain where improvements
are needed.
4. Teachers may be aware of special circumstances that may have influenced the scores, either
positively or negatively, to misrepresent the students‟ achievement level.
5. Parents have a chance to ask questions about points of misunderstanding or about how they can
work. The student and the teacher in addressing apparent weaknesses and in capitalizing on
strengths wherever possible, test scores should be given to the parents at the school. (Iowa
Testing Program, 2011).
Under the Act of 1998, schools are required to regularly evaluate students and periodically report to
parents on the results of the evaluation, but in specific terms, the NCCA guidelines make a
recommendation that schools should report twice annually to parents – one towards the end of 1st term or
beginning of 2nd term, and the other towards the end of school year.
Under existing data protection legislation, parents have a statutory right to obtain scores which their
children have obtained in standardized tests. NCCA have developed a set of reports card templates to be
used by schools in communicating with parents and taken in conjunction with the Circular 0138 which
was issued by the Department of Education in 2006.
In a case study conducted in the US context (www.uscharterschools.org) it was found that „the school
should be a source for parents, it should not dictate to parents what their role should be‟. In other words,
the school should respect all parents and appreciate the experiences and individual strengths they offer
their children.

9.2 Types of Test Reporting and Marking

Usually two types of tests are used in schools, criterion-referenced and norm-referenced. Criterion-
referenced tests are used to measure student mastery of instructional objectives or curriculum rather than
to compare one student‟s performance with another or to rank students. They are often used as
benchmarks to identify areas of strengths and/or weaknesses in a given curriculum. Norm-referenced tests
compare an individual‟s performance to that of his/her classmates, thus emphasizing relative rather an
absolute performance. Scores on norm-referenced tests indicate the students‟ ranking relative position to
that group. Typical scores used with norm-referenced tests include raw scores, grade norms, percentiles,
stanines, and standard scores.

1. Raw scores
The raw score is simply the number of points received on a test when the test has been scored according
to the directions. For example, if a student responds to 65 items correctly on an objective test in which
each correct item counts one point, the raw score will be 65.
Although a raw score is a numerical summary of student‟s test performance, it is not very meaningful
without further information. For example, in the above example, what does a raw score of 35 mean? How
many items were in the test? What kinds of the problems were asked? How the items were difficult?

2. Grade norms
Grade norms are widely used with standardized achievement tests, especially at elementary level. The
grade equivalent that corresponds to a particular raw score identifies the grade level at which the typical
student obtains that raw score. Grade equivalents are based on the performance of students in the norm
group in each of two or more grades.

3. Percentile ranking
A percentile is a score that indicates the rank of the score compared to others (same grade/age) using a
hypothetical group of 100 students. In other words, a percentile rank (or percentile score) indicates a
student‟s relative position in the group in terms of percentage of students.
Percentile rank is interpreted as the percentage of individuals receiving scores equal or lower than a given
score. A percentile of 25 indicates that the student‟s test performance is equal or exceeds 25 out of 100
students on the same measure.

4. Standard scores
A standard score is also derived from the raw scores using the normal information gathered when the test
was developed. Instead of indicating a student‟s rank compared to others, standard scores indicate how far
above or below the average (Mean) an individual score falls, using a common scale, such as one with an
average of 100. Basically standard scores express test performance in terms of standard deviation (SD)
from the Mean. Standard scores can be used to compare individuals of different grades or age groups
because all are converted into the same numerical scale. There are various forms of standard scores such
as z-score, T-score, and stanines.
Z-score expresses test performance simply and directly as the number of SD units a raw score is above or
below the Mean. A z-score is always negative when the raw score is smaller than Mean. Symbolic
representation can be shown as: z-score = X-M/SD.
T-score refers to any set of normally distributed standard cores that has a Mean of 50 and SD of 10.
Symbolically it can be represented as: T-score = 50+10(z).
Stanines are the simplest form of normalized standard scores that illustrate the process of normalization.
Stanines are single digit scores ranging from 1 to 9. These are groups of percentile ranks with the entire
group of scores divided into nine parts, with the largest number of individuals falling in the middle
stanines, and fewer students falling at the extremes (Linn & Gronlund, 2000).

5. Norm reference test and traditional letter-grade system

It is the most easiest and popular way of grading and reporting system. The traditional system is generally
based on grades A to F. This rating is generally reflected as: Grade A (Excellent), B (Very Good), C
(Good), D (Satisfactory/Average), E (Unsatisfactory/ Below Average), and F (Fail).
This system does truly assess a student‟s progress in different learning domains. First shortcoming is that
using this system it is difficult to interpret the results. Second, a student‟s performance is linked with
achievement, effort, work habits, and good behaviour; traditional letter-grade system is unable to assess
all these domains of a student. Third, the proportion of students assigned each letter grade generally
varies from teacher to teacher. Fourth, it does not indicate patterns of strengths and weaknesses in the
students (Linn & Gronlund, 2000). Inspite of these shortcomings, this system is popular in schools,
colleges and universities.

6. Criterion reference test and the system of pass-fail

It is a popular way of reporting students‟ progress, particularly at elementary level. In the context of
Pakistan, as majority of the parents are illiterate or hardly literate, therefore they have concern with „pass
or fail‟ about their children‟s performance in schools. This system is mostly used for courses taught under
a pure mastery learning approach i.e. criterion-referenced testing.
This system has also many shortcomings. First, as students are declared just pass or fail (successful or
unsuccessful) so many students do not work hard and hence their actual learning remains unsatisfactory
or below desired level. Second, this two-category system provides less information to the teacher, student
and parents than the traditional letter-grade (A, B, C, D) system. Third, it provides no indication of the
level of learning.

7. Checklist of Objectives
To provide more informative progress reports, some schools have replaced or supplemented the
traditional grading system with a list of objectives to be checked or rated. This system is more popular at
elementary school level. The major advantage of this system is that it provides a detailed analysis of the
students‟ strengths and weaknesses. For example, the objectives for assessing reading comprehension can
have the following objectives.
 Reads with understanding
 Works out meaning and use of new words
 Reads well to others
 Reads independently for pleasure (Linn & Gronlund, 2000).

8. Rating scales
In many schools students‟ progress is prepared on some rating scale, usually 1 to 10, instead letter grades;
1 indicates the poorest performance while 10 indicates as the excellent or extra-ordinary performance. But
in the true sense, each rating level corresponds to a specific level of learning achievement. Such rating
scales are also used by the evaluation of students for admissions into different programmes at university
level. Some other rating scales can also be seen across the world.
In rating scales, we generally assess students‟ abilities in the context of „how much‟, „how often‟, „how
good‟ etc. (Anderson, 2003). The continuum may be qualitative such as „how good a student behaves‟ or
it may quantitative such as „how much marks a student got in a test‟. Developing rating scales has become
a common practice now-a-days, but still many teachers don‟t possess the skill of developing an
appropriate rating scale in context to their particular learning situations.

9. Letters to parents/guardians
Some schools keep parents inform about the progress of their children by writing letters. Writing letters to
parents is usually done by a fewer teachers who have more concern with their students as it is a time
consuming activity. But at the same time some good teachers avoid to write formal letters as they think
that many aspects are not clearly interpreted. And some of the parents also don‟t feel comfortable to
accept such letters.
Linn and Gronlund (2000) state that although letters to parents might provide a good supplement to other
types of reports, their usefulness as the sole method of reporting progress is limited by several of the
following factors.
 Comprehensive and thoughtful written reports require excessive amount of time and energy.
 Descriptions of students learning may be misinterpreted by the parents.
 Fail to provide a systematic and organized information

10. Portfolio
The teachers of some good schools prepare complete portfolio of their students. Portfolio is actually
cumulative record of a student which reflects his/her strengths and weaknesses in different subjects over
the period of the time. It indicates what strategies were used by the teacher to overcome the learning
difficulties of the students. It also shows students‟ progress periodically which indicates his/her trend of
improvement. Developing portfolio is really a hard task for the teacher, as he/she has to keep all record of
students such as teacher‟s lesson plans, tests, students‟ best pieces of works, and their assessments records
in an academic year.
An effective portfolio is more than simply a file into which student work products are placed. It is a
purposefully selected collection of work that often contains commentary on the entries by both students
and teachers.
No doubt, portfolio is a good tool for student‟s assessment, but it has three limitations. First, it is a time
consuming process. Second, teacher must possess the skill of developing portfolio which is most of the
time lacking. Third, it is ideal for small class size and in Pakistani context, particularly at elementary
level, class size is usually large and hence the teacher cannot maintain portfolio of a large class.

11. Report Cards

There is a practice of report cards in many good educational institutions in many countries including
Pakistan. Many parents desire to see the report cards or progress reports in written form issued by the
schools. Although a good report card explains the achievement of students in terms of scores or marks,
conduct and behaviour, participation in class activities etc. Well written comments can offer parents and
students‟ suggestions as to how to make improvements in specific academic or behavioural areas. These
provide teachers opportunities to be reflective about the academic and behavioural progress of their
students. Such reflections may result in teachers gaining a deeper understanding of each student‟s
strengths and needs for improvement. Bruadli (1998) has divided words and phrases into three categories
about what to include and exclude from written comments on report cards.
A. Words and phrases that promote positive view of the student
1. Gets along well with people
2. Has a good grasp of …
3. Has improved tremendously
4. Is a real joy to have in class
5. Is well respected by his classmates
6. Works very hard

B. Words and phrases to convey the students need help

1. Could benefit from …
2. Finds it difficult at time to …
3. Has trouble with …
4. Requires help with …
 5. Needs reinforcement in …

C. Words and phrases to avoid or use with extreme caution

1. Always
2. Never
3. Can‟t )or unable to)
4. Won‟t
Report card usually carries two shortcomings: a) regardless of how grades are assigned, students and
parents tend to use them normatively; and b) many students and parents (and some teachers) believe that
grades are far more precise than they are. In most grading schemes, an „F‟ denotes to fail or
unsatisfactory. Hall (1990) and Wiggins (1994) state that not only grades imprecise, they are vague in
their meaning. They do not provide parents or students with a thorough understanding of what has been
learned or accomplished.

12. Parent-teacher conferences

Parent-teacher conferences are mostly used in elementary schools. In such conferences portfolio are
discussed. This is a two-way flow of information and provides much information to the parents. But one
of the limitations is that many parents don‟t come to attend the conferences. It is also a time consuming
activity and also needs sufficient funds to hold conferences.
Literature also highlights „parent-student-teacher conference‟ instead „parent-teacher conference‟, as
student is also one of the key components of this process since he/she is directly benefitted. In many
developed countries, it has become the most important way of informing parents about their children‟s
work in school. Parent-teacher conferences are productive when these are carefully planned and the
teachers are skilled and committed.
The parent-teacher conference is an extremely useful tool, but it shares three important limitations with
informal letter. First, it requires a substantial amount of time and skills. Second, it does not provide a
systematic record of student‟s progress. Third, some parents are unwilling to attend conferences, and they
can‟t be enforced.
Parent-student-teacher conferences are frequently convened in many states of the USA and some other
advanced countries. In the US, this has become a striking feature of Charter Schools. Some schools rely
more on parent conferences than written reports for conveying the richness of how students are doing or
performing. In such cases, a school sometimes provides a narrative account of student‟s accomplishments
and status to augment the parent conferences. (www.uscharterschools.org).

13. Other ways of reporting students results to parents

There are also many other ways to enhance communication between teacher and parent, e.g. phone calls.
The teachers should contact telephonically to the parents of the children to let them inform about child‟s
curriculum, learning progress, any special achievement, sharing anecdote, and invite parents in open
meetings, conferences, and school functions.

9.3 Calculating CGPA and Assigning Letter Grades

CGPA stands for Cumulative Grade Point Average. It reflects the grade point average of all
subjects/courses regarding a student‟s performance in composite way. To calculate CGPA, we should
have following information.
 Marks in each subject/course
 Grade point average in each subject/course
 Total credit hours (by adding credit hours of each subject/course)
Calculating CGPA is very simple that total grade point average is divided by total credit hours. For
example if a student MA Education programme has studied 12 courses, each of 3 credits. The total credit
hours will be 36. The average of GPA, in all the twelve course will be the CGPA. In the following table
the GPA calculated for astudent of MA Education program is given as example.
Sr. # Course Title Credits Marks Grade GPA CGPA
1. Philosophy of Education 3 85 A 4.0
2. Curriculum and Instruction 3 78 B+ 3.3
Edul. Admin.&
3. 3 72 B 3.0
Supervision
4. Computer in Education 3 77 B+ 3.3
5. Educational Technology 3 77 B+ 3.3
6. Instructional Technology 3 71 B 3.0
Teacher Edu. in Islamic
7. 3 79 B+ 3.3
Pers.
8. History of TE in Pakistan 3 76 B+ 3.3
9. Master Research Project 3 81 A- 3.7
Islamic System of
10. 3 85 A 4.0
Education
11. Research Methods in Edu. 3 86 A 4.0
12. Edul. Assessment & Evalu. 3 75 B+ 3.3
13. Comparative Education 3 82 A- 3.7
Methods of Teaching
14. 3 85 A 4.0
Islamiat
15. Teaching of Urdu 3 80 A- 3.7
Islamic Ideology &
16. 3 81 A- 3.7
Ideology
Student Teaching & Obs.
17. 3 80 A- 3.7
I
Student Teaching & Obs.
18. 3 88 A 4.0
II
19. Education in Pakistan 3 88 A 4.0
20. Teaching of Social Studies 3 81 A- 3.7
21. Total 60
sum of GPA
The average of GPA, will represent (GPA) CGPA 
total course
Assigning letter grades
Letter grade system is most popular in the world including Pakistan. Most teachers face problems while
assigning grades. There are four core problems or issues in this regard; 1) what should be included in a
letter grade, 2) how should achievement data be combined in assigning letter grades?, 3) what frame of
reference should be used in grading, and 4) how should the distribution of letter grades be determined?

1. Determining what to include in a grade

Letter grades are likely to be most meaningful and useful when they represent achievement only. If they
are communicated with other factors or aspects such as effort of work completed, personal conduct, and
so on, their interpretation will become hopelessly confused. For example, a letter grade C may represent
average achievement with extraordinary effort and excellent conduct and behaviour or vice versa.
If letter grades are to be valid indicators of achievement, they must be based on valid measures of
achievement. This involves defining objectives as intended learning outcomes and developing or selecting
tests and assessments which can measure these learning outcomes.

2. Combining data in assigning grades

One of the key concerns while assigning grades is to be clear what aspects of a student are to be assessed
or what will be the tentative weightage to each learning outcome. For example, if we decide that 35
percent weightage is to be given to mid-term assessment, 40 percent final term test or assessment, and
25% to assignments, presentations, classroom participation and conduct and behaviour; we have to
combine all elements by assigning appropriate weights to each element, and then use these composite
scores as a basis for grading.

3. Selecting the proper frame of reference for grading

Letter grades are typically assigned on the basis of one of the following frames of reference.
a) Performance in relation to other group members (relative grading)
b) Performance in relation to specified standards (absolute grading)
c) Performance in relation to learning ability (amount of improvement)
Assigning grades on relative basis involves comparing a student‟s performance with that of a reference
group, mostly class fellows. In this system, the grade is determined by the student‟s relative position or
ranking in the total group. Although relative grading has a disadvantage of a shifting frame of reference
(i.e. grades depend upon the group‟s ability), it is still widely used in schools, as most of the time our
system of testing is „norm-referenced‟.
Assigning grades on an absolute basis involves comparing a student‟s performance to specified standards
set by the teacher. This is what we call as „criterion-referenced‟ testing. If all students show a low level of
mastery consistent with the established performance standard, all will receive low grades.
The student performance in relation to the learning ability is inconsistent with a standard-based system of
evaluating and reporting student performance. The improvement over the short time span is difficult.
Thus lack of reliability in judging achievement in relation to ability and in judging degree of improvement
will result in grades of low dependability. Therefore such grades are used as supplementary to other
grading systems.

4. Determining the distribution of grades

The assigning of relative grades is essentially a matter of ranking the student in order of overall
achievement and assigning letter grades on the basis of each student‟s rank in the group. This ranking
might be limited to a single classroom group or might be based on the combined distribution of several
classroom groups taking the same course.
If grading on the curve is to be done, the most sensible approach in determining the distribution of letter
grades in a school is to have the school staff set general guidelines for introductory and advanced courses.
All staff members must understand the basis for assigning grades, and this basis must be clearly
communicated to users of the grades. If the objectives of a course are clearly mentioned and the standards
for mastery appropriately set, the letter grades in an absolute system may be defined as the degree to
which the objectives have been attained, as followed.
A = Outstanding (90 to 100%)
B = very Good (80-89%)
C = Satisfactory (70-79%)
D = Very Weak (60-69%)
F = Unsatisfactory (Less than 60%)

9.4 Conducting Parent-Teacher Conferences

The first conference is usually arranged in the beginning of the school year to allow parents and teachers
to get acquaintance and preparing plan for the coming months. Teachers usually receive some training to
plan and conduct such conferences. Following steps may be observed for holding effective parent-teacher
conferences.
1. Prepare for the conference
 Review the goals and objectives
 Organize the information to present
 If portfolios are to discuss, these are well-arranged
 Start and keep positive focus
 Announce the final date and time as per convenience of the parents and children
 Consider socio-cultural barriers of students / parents
 Check with other staff who works your advisee
 Develop a packet of conference including student‟s goals, samples of work, and reports
or notes from other staff.

2. Rehearse the conference with students by role-playing

 Students present their goals, learning activities, samples of work
 Students ask for comments and suggestions from parents

3. Conduct conference with student, parent, and advisor. Advisee takes the lead to the greatest
possible extent
 Have a comfortable setting of chairs, tables etc.
 Notify a viable timetable for the conferences
  Review goals set earlier
 Review progress towards goals
 Review progress with samples of work from learning activities
 Present students strong points first
 Review attendance and handling of responsibilities at school and home
 Modify goals for balance of the year as necessary
 Determine other learning activities to accomplish goals
 Describe upcoming events and activities
 Discuss how the home can contribute to learning
 Parents should be encouraged to share their thoughts on students‟ progress
 Ask parents and students for questions, new ideas

4. Do’s of parent-teacher conferences

 Be friendly
 Be honest
 Be positive in approach
 Be willing to listen and explain
 Be willing to accept parents‟ feelings
 Be careful about giving advice
 Be professional and maintain a positive attitude
 Begin with student‟s strengths
 Review student‟s cumulative record prior to conference
 Assemble samples of student‟s work
 List questions to ask parents and anticipate parents‟ questions
 Conclude the conference with an overall summary
 Keep a written record of the conference, listing problems and suggestions, with a
copy for the parents

5. Don’ts of the parent teacher conference

 Don‟t argue
 Don‟t get angry
 Don‟t ask embarrassing questions
 Don‟t talk about other students, parents and teachers
 Don‟t bluff if you don‟t know
  Don‟t reject parents‟ suggestions
 Don‟t blame parents
 Don‟t talk too much; be a good listener (www.udel.edu.)

9.5 Activities
Activity 1:
Enlist three pros and cons of test scores.

Activity 2:
Give a self-explanatory example of each of the types of test scores.

Activity 3:
Write down the different purposes and functions of test scores in order of importance as per your
experience. Add more purposes as many as you can.

Activity 4:
Compare the modes of reporting test scores to parents by MEAP and NCCA. Also conclude which is
relatively more appropriate in the context of Pakistan as per your point of view.

Activity 5:
In view of the strengths and shortcomings in above different grading and reporting systems, how would
you briefly comment on the following characteristics of a multiple grading and reporting system for
effective assessment of students‟ learning?
a) Grading and reporting system should be guided by the functions to be served.
b) It should be developed cooperatively by parents, students, teachers, and other school personnel.
c) It should be based on clear and specific instructional objectives.
d) It should be consistent with school standards.
e) It should be based on adequate assessment.
f) It should provide detailed information of student‟s progress, particularly diagnostic and practical
aspects.
g) It should have the space of conducting parent-teacher conferences.

Activity 6:
Explain the differences between relative grading and absolute grading by giving an example of each.
Activity 7:
Faiza Shaheen, a student of MA Education (Secondary) has earned the following marks, grades and GPA
in the 22 courses at the Institute of Education & Research, University of the Punjab. Calculate her CGPA.
Note down that that maximum value of GPA in each course is 4.

Activity 8:
Write Do‟s and Don‟ts in order of priority as per your perception. You may add more points or exclude
what have been mentioned above.
9.6 Self-Assessment Questions
Part-I: MCQs:
Encircle the best/correct response against each of the following statements.
1. Comparing a students‟ performance in a test in relation to his/her classmates is referred to as:
a) Learning outcomes
b) Evaluation
c) Measurement
d) Norm-referenced assessment
e) Criterion-referenced assessment

2. The first test data on a test is called as:

a) Frequency
b) Numeric
c) Raw score
d) True score
e) Cleaned data

3. A student‟s relative position in the group in terms of percentage is referred to as:

a) Mean
b) Median
c) Mode
d) Standard deviation
e) Percentile

4. A z-score is always negative when:

a) Raw score is smaller than mean
b) Raw score is greater than mean
c) Raw score is equal to mean
d) T-score = 50
e) None of the above

5. The simplest form of normalized standard score is:

a) Standard score
b) Z-score
c) True score
 d) Stanines
e) T-score

6. Grading and reporting works better when:

a) Assessment procedures rarely used
b) Assessment procedures mostly used
c) Assessment procedures properly used
d) Students perform better
e) Awards are given to students

7. Periodic assessment is almost synonymous to:

a) Evaluation
b) Measurement
c) Summative assessment
d) Formative assessment
e) Monthly assessment

8. A student‟s best work is generally compiled by a teacher in the form of:

a) Cumulative record
b) Portfolio
c) Assessment report
d) Comments by the teacher
e) Written comments

9. Self-assessment begins with:

a) Excellent work
b) Any academic contribution
c) Self-monitoring
d) Skill development
e) Knowledge updating

10. Who said that „lack of information provided to consumers about test data has negative and
sweeping consequences‟
a) Hopkins & Stanley
b) Anderson
 c) Linn & Gronlund
d) Barber et al.
e) Kearney

11. Michigan Educational Policy (MEAP) is revised by parents‟ suggestions:

a) Quarterly
b) Biannually
c) Annually
d) Every three years
e) Periodically

12. The system used in our BISEs is based on:

a) Letter grade
b) Pass-fail
c) Checklist of objectives
d) Rating scales
e) Portfolio

13. The contribution to report cards is of:

a) Hopkins & Stanley
b) Hall
c) Wiggins
d) Anderson
e) Bruadli

14. The first stage in parent-teacher conferences is:

a) Start and keep positive focus
b) Planning
c) Implementing/conducting
d) Rehearsal
e) Role play

Part-II: Short Answer Questions

1. How do Z-scores and T-scores differ?
2. Write down two strengths and two shortcomings of test scores.
3. Explain briefly the function of „instructional uses‟ of grading and reporting.
4. What type of grading system is employed in public sector elementary schools of Pakistan?
5. How does „pass-fail‟ system not truly assess students‟ performance?
6. What do you mean by „checklist of objectives‟ in context to a type of grading and reporting?
7. Enlist the activities that a teacher can consider in developing a portfolio of a student.
8. Report cards are a good means of reporting results to parents. Comment.
9. What is the importance of assigning letter grades to assess students‟ assessment?

Part-III: Essay-type Questions

1. Describe the various types of reporting test scores by giving examples from our country context.
2. In what way parent-teacher conferences play significant role in regard to provide feedback to
parents about their children academic growth and development?
3. What should be essentials of a good progress report? Discuss in detail with respect to public
school system in Pakistan.

Key to MCQs

Q. No. Correct Q. No. Correct

response Response
1. D 2. C
3. E 4. A
5. D 6. C
7. D 8. B
9. C 10. E
11. D 12. B
13. E 14. B
9.7 References/Suggested Readings
Anderson, L.W. (2003). Classroom Assessment – Enhancing the Quality of Teacher Decision Making.
London: Lawerence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Barber, B.L., Paris, S.G., Evans, M., & Gadsden, V.L. (1992). Policies for Reporting test Results to
Parents. USA: Pennsylvania State University.
Brualdi, A. (1998). Teacher comments on report cards. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation,
6(5).
Canter, A. (1998). Understanding test scores. Accessible at:
http://www.wyanclotle.org/SpecialEd/Understanding_test_scores.htm
Hall, K. (1990). Determining the Success of Narrative Report Cards. Unpublished Manuscript. (ERIC
Documents No. 334 013).
Hopkins, K.D. & Stanley, J.C. (1981). Educational and Psychological Measurement and Evaluation (6th
ed.). New Dehli: Pearson Education.
Iowa Testing Programs (2011). Reporting results – Interpreting test scores – ITBS: Iowa Tests of Basic
Skills. Iowa: The University of Iowa College of Education. Accessible at:
http://www.education.uiowa.edu/itp/itbs_interp_rpts.aspx
Kearney, C.P. (1983). Uses and Abuses of Assessment and Evaluation data by Policy Makers.
Educational Measurement: Issues and Practices, 2, 9-17.
Linn, R.L. & Gronlund, N.E. (2000). MEASUREMENT and ASSESSMENT in TEACHING (8th ed.). New
Dehli: Pearson Education.
Wiggins, G. (1994). Towards better report cards. Educational Leadership, 52(2), 28-37.
www.uscharterschools.org
www.udel.edu.