Quadrant-I (e-Text)

Details of Module and its structure

Module Detail

Subject Name Education

Course Name Assessment for Learning
Course Code EDU503
Module Name/Title Reporting student performance: Progress reports,
Cumulative records, Profiles and their uses.

Module Code AFL019

Pre-requisites ………
Learning Outcomes After going through this lesson, the learners will
be able to:
1. Write down the meaning and uses of
progress reports.
2. Discuss the purpose of reporting student
performance.
3. Explain different types of the records.
4. Explain the principles and limitations of
cumulative records.
5. Elaborate the process of creating learner
profiles.
Keywords Reporting student performance: Progress reports,
Cumulative records, Profiles and their uses.

1. Development Team

Role Name Affiliation

Principal Investigator Central University of

Dr S K Bawa
(PI) Punjab
Subject Matter Expert Dr. Anjali Shokeen GGSIP University, New
(SME) Delhi
Contents
1.0 Introduction...................................................................................................... 2
2.0 PROGRESS REPORTS....................................................................................... 3
3.0 CUMULATIVE RECORDS .................................................................................. 4
4.0 PROFILES ......................................................................................................... 6
5.0 Summary .......................................................................................................... 8

1.0 Introduction
In the present times, one of the greatest concerns of teachers is to determine
and report student performance. The fundamental objective of any method of
reporting student performance from beginning to class 12 is to exhibit a flow
of communication among the school, the student and the parents. The
purpose behind the communication is to provide feedback and guidance so
that all students may achieve their goals. Therefore, it affects all persons
involved in a positive, compatible and concise manner. Reporting is the
process of communicating knowledge gained from assessing student learning
to parents, teachers, and students.

One of the duties of a teacher is to maintain student performance records.

These records provide insight about the progress of the students and further
assists teachers and parents in making important decisions about students
learning needs. The main purpose of reporting student’s performance is to
support student learning by providing information about achievement and
progress and to indicate the areas for further development. Reporting of
students is based on assessments and these assessments are based on
written, oral and performance tasks which are designed to improve the
learning of the students.

The reporting student performance encourages a positive self-image for the

students and that should be both regular and spontaneous including report
cards, telephone calls, progress reports, etc. should report social development
and take into consideration the individual differences. Reporting student
performance also reinforces students’ accomplishments, encourages student
self- evaluation, provides periodic profiles and makes parents, teachers and
students aware of the area where additional efforts are needed. The
information is also very significant for professionals in planning and in
providing appropriate education programs and for enabling teachers to have
better understanding about the student’s strength. The records are also
valuable for assisting in successful transition of students to another school.
The use of records is highly essential for the education and guidance
programs in the schools. A proper system of records should be maintained for
all students which indicate their work done in school—in a day, in a month,
in a term and in a year.
2.0 PROGRESS REPORTS
An outstanding student, sincere efforts, Keep it up, more effort needed, Pull
up your socks, Balance your efforts, you could have done better if it was not
for the bad company, it is not too late to improve, Show sincere efforts…..
These are some of the common remarks given by teachers on the report cards
of the students at the end of each school term. A report card is a document
that communicates the performance of student against set grades. Mostly,
these grades are used to decide whether a student promoted to the next class
or not. In this report card, the teacher also makes remarks based on discipline
and co-curricular activities.

A progress report serves as a communication link among students, teachers,

and parents, it is a feedback which helps the students in knowing actually-
where they stand academically mid of the session. The main purpose is to
provide relevant information about student’s progress. Progress reports plays
a significant role in allowing students, parents and teachers to know the
performance of students throughout the year so that students can modify
their behaviours and can correct their study habits if required or
recommended. Parents should review the progress reports with their child
thoroughly if there are some concerns or questions. Report cards provide the
final representation of the student’s grade for a class.

Uses of progress reports

 Parent involvement: Teachers can keep parents involved by sending

progress reports of their children to home for review and sign. By sending
progress reports to home, parents are informed about the academic
achievement and in class behaviour of their children. This will facilitate
parents in making changes at home schedule by devoting more study time
for their children. Further they can also appreciate by rewarding their
children for doing well. This will ultimately help students to get back on
track academically.
 Student awareness: Progress Reports help the students in knowing – how
well they are doing and what is the perception of teachers in the class
towards them. This helps in minimising the shock- which they get at the
end of the quarter or year report card. Students have the chance to identify
the areas of improvements and they can make changes in their grade
before the final report cards are released.
 Teacher tracking: Progress reports help the teachers in knowing- how well
their students are doing in class. They are forced to review the strengths
and weaknesses of students on a regular basis. Moreover, the teachers
have to reach the classroom standards; progress reports help them to see
whether the class is meeting those standards e.g. academic expectations.
Report card sometimes called Progress reports; provide the records of
student’s performance based on curriculum outcomes over a period of time.
It is the document that should provide straight forward information about
what a student knows and can demonstrate. Progress reports are issued to
students in every four to six weeks while Report cards are issued at the end
of each term i.e. two or three terms in a year.
3.0 CUMULATIVE RECORDS
A cumulative record contains factual and objective information about the
students’ academic progress, attendance and midterm and final marks. These
are valuable for teachers to know the students strength and weaknesses.
Teachers maintain cumulative records of all students when they enters school
and continues till they leave the school. These records are also valuable for
helping in smooth transition of students to another school. The cumulative
records are the document in which useful and reliable information about a
particular student is recorded at one place. It gives the complete picture of
the student during his/her stay at school. When the student leaves the
schools, these records are very important in solving the manifold problems
like personal, educational, vocational and social which are required for the
overall development of the students. A Cumulative Record is a compilation of
information about a particular student which school considers important to
collect and record for further use. It provides complete information regarding
all aspects of the child’s life like -physical, mental, social, moral and
psychological. According to Jones,” Cumulative record is a permanent record
of a student including the information about his/her achievement, health,
test scores, attendance which is kept up to date by the school.

Teachers gather information periodically using various techniques-

observation, test, inventories, questionnaire, observation, interview, case
study etc. It seeks to give comprehensive picture of student’s personality.
Student’s information regarding enrolment, attendance, participation,
progress and achievement are recorded in cumulative record. The term
‘cumulative’ implies information is added to the record each year as the
student progresses through the grades therefore when student move from one
class or school to other it follow the student. The record should also be
transferred with the student.

The main objective of collecting, recording and updating information is to

guide students for success in education and wellbeing. The information is
collected in a systematic and organized way so that it can be used by parents
and other stakeholders. Cumulative Records are a key tool to promote student
achievement and wellbeing of all the students. These records are very valuable
for professionals as these facilitates in planning and in delivering appropriate
educational programs. Traditionally, cumulative record consisted of only
basic information in a folder. But these days schools records and review
student’s information regularly and covers wide range of information which
not only record educational history but also student’s health records,
emotional status, participation in co-curricular and cultural activities.
Characteristics of Cumulative Records
 It is permanent record of student’s performance.
 Cumulative records are regularly updated by entering all the new
information obtained by the students.
 It presents a holistic picture of student’s learning, progress and
attainment.
 It provides clear, concise, accurate and reliable data for further use by
the professionals.
 It presents a comprehensive data of student’s personality.
  It is updated regularly.

Uses of the Cumulative Records

Cumulative records have no value unless these are not used by teacher and
other professional experts in providing educational, vocational and personal
guidance for the students. It helps the professionals in planning and
delivering appropriate educational programs. Cumulative Records are useful
for guidance workers and counsellors as these records provide a complete and
comprehensive picture about the strengths and weaknesses of students
which further facilitates in making vocational choices and also in making
adjustments with peers, teachers and family. The school authorities can make
recommendations to the admission officers of the colleges and universities
where they take admission for further study, on the basis of these cumulative
records.
When student moves from one school to other these cumulative records helps
student in smooth transition as it provides comprehensive information about
student’s performance in past years. Teachers get information about student’s
performance and learning in a particular subject and area. It also helps a
teacher to understand why students have difficulty in learning. From the
information provided in the cumulative record a teacher can identify slow
learners without wasting much time. Cumulative record gives evidences of
child’s progress across different subjects. A teacher can analyse student’s
performance time to time using cumulative record. On the basis of student’s
performance a teacher can diagnose students need and make special effort
for the same. These records act as an aid in search for talents among
students. Cumulative records are of no use if they are not used properly by
the teacher. Teacher can also take help of professional expert in order to
provide guidance and counselling to the students. We can say that these
records serve as a link between the teacher and the parents.

What to include in the Cumulative Records?

Cumulative records are updated by the schools every year and maintain
cumulative files which include:
Basic information of Student
 Name and class of the student(with section)
 Birth date and Gender of the student
 Admission number
 Name, address and telephone number of the guardian(s)
 Language used in home
 Family information like name and profession of father, Mother and
sibling(s)
 Educational and Economic status of both the parents
Summary of Annual attendance
Students Attainment
 Student’s attainment in particular session
 Student’s attainment in different subject
 Summary of student’s attainment in elementary/ secondary/ senior
secondary
Students record of participation in co-curricular activities
 Students Health Records(annually)
 Detail of any disease
  Family history of disease (if any)
Emotional status of the students
Learning disability (if any)
 Type of disability
 Services provided by school
Social behaviour --Apart from above, it also includes the programmes a
student has attended and services which student was provided with in a
particular year. For example if student has attended a special training
programme for reading and writing it would be mentioned in cumulative
record.

Principles of Cumulative Records

 Continuous, Complete and Comprehensive - Cumulative record should
provide complete and comprehensive data about a student in an
academic year and should be updated regularly. It is continuous as it
provides information even from kindergarten to upper levels.
 Objective - Cumulative record should provide objective data about the
student and it should be not influenced by personal feelings or opinions
in considering and representing facts.
 Accurate - Cumulative record should present accurate information
about student’s performance, progress and achievement.
 Valid and Reliable - Information provided in cumulative record should
be valid and reliable for use as wrong and unreliable information may
leads to wrong decision making by the professionals.
 Usable - The most important function of cumulative record is its
usability. Cumulative record is used by teachers and other professional
experts for better understanding of student’s academic, social and
emotional life.
 Confidentiality - Confidential matters or records should be kept at a
separate place.

Limitations of Cumulative Records

The limitations of cumulative records are as follows:
 The cumulative record is of little use if information is not collected
accurately and objectively.
 Making and maintaining of Cumulative record is a lengthy process
which needs much time to be worked out.
 Cumulative records are prepared by different teachers therefore
interpretation may differ.

4.0 PROFILES
A student profile is a document that helps teachers to know the details about
their students. A learner profile may include the information, such as: likes
and dislikes, how the student likes to learn, life experiences, aspirations and
passions, skills, strengths and interests, struggles or potential barriers to
learning or it may include anything that student or teacher seems important.
Teachers may use learner profile to develop an inclusive classroom, to build
effective relationships to understand what technology or adaptations can be
needed for individual students. As the learner profile highlights the potential
barriers to learners, it helps in making recommendations about what is
needed for support learning.

Learners profile includes original and first-hand information prepared by

students and teachers. It is a dynamic document updated on daily basis. This
helps the teacher in understanding their students individually and to come
up with the expectations of the curriculum. Individualized teaching strategies
can also be selected appropriately to meet the diverse needs of the students.
We can say that, it is the statistics of the class as it helps the teacher to sort,
categorize and summarize the classroom data. It is the mapping of entire class
in a nutshell.

Uses of the Learner Profiles

Uses for the Students: A learner profile gives an opportunity to students to

express who they are, express their aspirations and passions. As the learners
profile is created by students, they develop a deeper understanding about
themselves as learners i.e. they can reflect on what motivates them and also
in knowing the challenges which they face while learning. It also helps in
creating an opportunity for self-advocacy: in identifying the tools and in
optimising the learning experiences through best learning materials and
presentation.

Uses for the Teachers: A learner’s profile helps the teachers and other
stakeholders in knowing the interests and strengths of the students and also
in knowing that how to build effective relationships with them. A learner
profile assists teachers to recognise and remove potential barriers to learners.
It offers a range of options for demonstrating thinking and learning. It support
in positive transitions to new environments as it provides information from
the students perspective.

What to include in Learner Profile?

A learner profile (whether it is an official document or simply an inquiry by

the teacher) can include:

 Important people in their lives

 Likes, dislikes, interests, hopes, dreams and things they avoid
 Things they are good at
 Life experiences (places, activities, kind of people they like)
 About their support team
 Things that makes it difficult for them
 How they describe and experience school
 Examples of support that have worked in the past
 How they like to learn and what helps
 What makes them excited
 What makes them frustrated and how they express this
 What they do when they need help
How to create Learner Profile?

Learner profile can be created by the students or collaborating with teachers

and parents. Before creating a learner profile, the purpose and the format of
the profile should be discussed with the students and their parents. Various
tools can be used for creating a learner profile such as word document,
PowerPoint with images and videos, blogs, stories, pictures, diagrams, voice
threads, discussions with a teacher taking notes, etc.

The most effective way to create learner profile is that-the students create
their own profile. The students who create their profile can make use power
point presentation, videos, letters, poems, etc. Both words and visuals can be
incorporated in these profiles to describe the student. A variety of choices can
be provided to students for getting the complete information about their
learning style and preferences. Teacher gives a list of questions to students
and then they respond to those questions by using a variety of tools like
Google slides, Google forms, windows movie maker, piktochart (allows
students to create infographics) etc. The responses through Google forms are
collected in spread sheet which allows viewing individual responses too. Then
this information can be used by teachers and students to know the strengths
and weaknesses. While creating lessons, various learning styles can be
considered and even the students can be grouped strategically. This will
ultimately enhance the students learning and boost up the achievement level.
Moreover, learning profiles are dynamic too; they change in response to on-
going experience. Teacher has to create an environment and provide such
learning experiences where there is enough flexibility and students feels
engaged, welcomed and productive.

5.0 Summary
These records can be the cause of excitement and pride as well as
disappointment and frustration for children as well as their parents. These
records may suggest that a child needs improvement in certain areas of study
or in some instances; it may indicate a complex problem with learning.
Parents and teachers need to understand that children have problems in
school at one time or another e.g. some have trouble with a certain style of
teaching while some struggle with a specific subject, some grades and
transitions are tougher than others. Teachers have to make sure that the
assessments are accurate and current reflection of students learning.
Sometimes, certain students could not able to perform well which resulted in
reduced grades. During that time, the teachers and parents should motivate
children to obtain higher grades moreover their feelings needs to be respected.
This is a team effort and all children should be benefitted by all the players
working together.
 Quadrant-III

Course Name: Assessment for Learning

Course Code: EDU503
Module Code: AFL019
Module: Reporting student performance: Progress reports,
Cumulative records, Profiles and their uses.

Website links:
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/guidance-in-
schools/cumulative-record-card-meaning-need-and-other-
details-with-specimen/63713
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.612.2
24&rep=rep1&type=pdf
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED542797
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/india-2/education-india-
2/cumulative-record-card-by-teachers-education/90049
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111011/chapters/Kno
wing-Our-Students-as-Learners.aspx

https://www.theedadvocate.org/heres-everything-need-know-
learner-profiles/

https://eleducation.org/resources/helping-all-learners-learning-
profile

https://edpd593finalproject.weebly.com/

PPTs:
https://www.slideshare.net/SudhirSingh46/presentation-on-
cumulative-record-non-testing-technique

http://www.academia.edu/10101883/CUMALTAIVE_RECORDS_
presenatation
Quadrant-IV (Self- Assessment)

True & False Statements

1. Cumulative record is the educational history with information about his

school achievement, attendance, health, test scores and similar pertinent
data.

2. The progress report is a monitoring tool that helps you to reflect on your
progress.

3. Cumulative record is a complete record which includes student’s

educational progress covering students past achievement and present
educational standard.

4. Progress report is an assessment that takes place at the end of a project

or process, that conveys details

Answer-1-True, 2-False, 3–True, 4-False

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Learner profile is most effective when prepared by

a. Teachers

b. Own

c. Parents

d. Peer group

2. What is not included in Learner Profile?

a. Important people in life

b. Life experiences

c. Religion and race

d. About support system

3. Learner profile helps the teacher, except

a. To develop inclusive classrooms

b. To find out what technologies needed

c. Need of the student

d. Activities for social welfare

4. Cumulative records are useful for, except

a. Guidance workers

b. Counselors

c. Administrators

d. Teachers

5. Following are the principles of cumulative records, except

a. Valid and reliable

b. Subjective

c. Continuous

d. Confidential

6. Progressive records provide following, except, of the student

a. Insight of progress

b. Individual need

c. Important decisions

d. Past performances

Answers –1-B, 2–C, 3-D, 4–C, 5–B,6-D