The Ontario Ministry of Education and Training has developed Provincial Report Cards for all students in Grades 1 to 8 attending publicly funded schools in Ontario. Beginning in 1998-99, the Provincial Report Card will replace board report cards for all Ontario students in these Grades.
These new reports are designed to give clear, detailed, straight-forward information to parents about their child’s achievement and progress in school. It will include teacher’s plans for the student’s future learning, and what parents can do to support their child’s learning at home.
Schools will use the Provincial Report Card for formal written reports to parents three times a year. The first report should be sent home during the fall. Some schools may have more than three reporting periods. For the extra reporting period(s), you may use another form developed by your board or the ministry’s conference form for student self-assessment.
An exact copy of the student’s completed Provincial Report Card (all three pages) must be placed in the student’s OSR (Ontario Student Record) folder following each reporting period.
Office Responsibilities Outline
Welcome to Maplewood Computing Limited’s answer to producing the Provincial Report Card – Elementary. Preparing, producing and printing the report cards are easy through your Maplewood Elementary Administration System. The Classroom Manager program can be implemented in one of three methods or any combination thereof:
Network – the teachers enter their marks directly into the mark database. There is no distribution/collection of diskettes through the office.
Classroom Manager Take Home at School (stand alone machines at the school) – the office creates Take – Home Disks for the teachers who work at a computer that cannot access the office network. The teachers must check in their diskettes before report cards are to be printed.
Classroom Manager Take Home at Home – similar to the above method, the office creates Take – Home Disks for the teachers who work at home and must check their disks into the office.
Regardless of which method your school chooses, the office is responsible for 4 basic areas:
Initial Classroom Manager Set Up
Correlating the Database
Ensuring that the evaluations have been entered
Printing the report cards
1. Initial Classroom Manager Set Up
The initial set up for elementary schools is a little more complex than it is for secondary. This is true because while there exists standardized Ministry codes for the Secondary courses, no such standardization exists for Elementary Courses.
When you installed the update, and selected to install the Ontario Provincial Report Card (Elementary), the database was automatically installed. You must now assign the appropriate reporting terms and topics to your established homerooms. This outlines assumes that you have set up homerooms for each class (i.e. your school has two grade seven classes and they are in one of two grade 7 homerooms). Simply follow the below steps for the initial setup.
A. Marks, Topic- Based Marks, Define Topics
The office may rename Option 1 and Option 2 to reflect the titles of the options that your school has chosen. However, DO NOT touch the identifier nor the check mark in the reportable box.
B. Marks, Topic- Based Marks, Select Terms
Select the view option of Homeroom. Add all three Terms and then press the Assign to All button.
C. Marks, Topic- Based Marks, Select Topics
For each homeroom select the topics (of evaluation) which are appropriate. For example, a grade 7 homeroom would not have ‘Social Studies’ assigned to it, because the teachers must enter evaluations on History and Geography. Conversely, a grade 2 homeroom would have Social Sciences assigned.
Once you have finished Selecting the topics for all of your homerooms, you are ready to move on to the next step.
2. File, Maintenance, Topic- Based Marks, Correlate Database
This maintenance task must be done before any mark entry can begin. Basically it populates the Classroom Manager database with the relevant homerooms, teachers and student information.
Marks, Topic- Based Marks, Enter Marks
If necessary, or decided upon, the office can enter marks at any given time for any given homeroom. Please do not confuse the Topic-Based mark entry method with the Conventional Mark entry method.
Marks, List of Comments
Your school may wish to create/add to its existing bank of pre-defined comments. An interesting feature is using {} and gender related words, the list of comments can appear to be quite personalized.
Creating a Take - Home diskette - Marks, Topic- Based Marks, Create/Check In Take- Home Disks
Depending upon the method of mark entry, this may or may not be applicable to your school. This feature is also a method of monitoring who is working where – at school or at home. To create or check in a diskette is done through this menu.
3. Mark Verification
Before printing the report cards, you may wish to verify that all students have evaluations entered for all aspects of the report card. In the Print Report Cards, Ontario Provincial Report Cards (Grades 1–8) there is a button at the bottom of the screen called Missing. This is an extremely useful feature. As well the office can print individual mark report lists for students through Students, Print Lists, Topic–Based Reports.
4. Marks, Print Report Cards, Print Ontario Provincial Report Cards
Simply specify the order, semester (if applicable), term, page and date you wish to print.
Final Notes:
There also exist several maintenance features for the database should you require them. It is strongly recommended that you speak with Customer Support before venturing into this area.
Complete manuals can be printed from our web site. As well, you may take advantage of the Manual on your CD updates or the ever-present F1 Help Feature.
How to Access/Print Provincial Report Cards
Since a student’s achievement may be the result of more than one teacher’s evaluations, the report cards are not intended to be printed by the individual teachers. Although this capability is available within Classroom Manager, the final version which is intended for the students and parents needs to be printed by the administration staff using Maplewood EAS.
From the main Maplewood Administration screen, choose Marks, Print Report Cards, Ontario Provincial Report Cards. The official printing of the report card is accessed from this location. Prior to printing the report card, click the Not Entered button to verify if there are any marks or comments missing. Other options consist of print order, print selection, Term/Page specification and report date. All entered marks will be printed, however the comments being printed are based on the selected Reporting Term.
Teaching Staff
There are three locations which contain the option for teachers to view the Ontario Provincial Report Card. From the main Classroom Manager screen choose Reports, View Ontario Provincial Report Card. The other two locations can be accessed through the Achievement(s) menu or buttons. From either the Class Entry or the Individual Student Entry screens choose File, View Ontario Provincial Report Card. This version is identical to the official report, except for the additional title Teacher’s Working Copy.
The Different Versions of the Provincial Report Cards
There are eight different report cards (four in English and four in French). Generally, a school will only use two of the formats (one for Grades 1 to 6 and one for Grades 7 to 8). There is a slight variation between the Public and the Catholic report cards.
Version for Grades 1 to 6
Letter Grades are used for the official report card.
Marks entered in Classroom Manager can be either letter or numerical. The software will automatically convert the grades to the appropriate format for printing of the report cards. Letter Grades are defined by the Office, from within the main Maplewood Administration system. Use of only numerical values is recommended for teachers making use of the Classroom Manager Markbook.
Version for Grades 7 and 8
numerical marks are used, and reflect achievement in terms of percentages.
An additional column indicates the average mark for students of the same grade, within the school, for the same subject (topic). For example, all grade 7 students in the school, in English, Reading, Grade 7.
Classroom Manager allows for marks up to 2 decimal places. The program automatically rounds up or down and prints a final two digit mark on the report card.
Version for Catholic Schools
a section called "Religious and Family Life Education" is added
Version for English and French Report Cards
the four report card formats are translated into French
Similarities Between Reports
student’s achievement is recorded 3 times in the school year
the achievement recorded for the preceding reporting period(s) is shown to provide parents with an overview of the student’s achievement (second and third term reports only)
a section describing "Achievement of the Provincial Curriculum Expectations" (e.g., Marks)
a separate section indicating "Learning Skills" achievement (as demonstrated by the student in all subjects and in behaviour at school)
comment area for teachers to provide more specific information to parents (e.g., strengths, weaknesses, and next steps)
The Ontario Ministry of Education and Training’s Web Site can be found at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca. The Guide to the Provincial Report Card, Grades 1 to 8 can be found at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/forms/report/repguide.html.
Using Classroom Manager to Input Report Card Information
It is the responsibility of the school’s administration staff to maintain the student records in the main administration system (Maplewood EAS). It is this information which determines the students that appear in the homerooms and class lists. A separate set of instructions is available to the administration staff who must set up and assign all topics to class and homeroom teachers.
Entering the Information Required for the Provincial Report Card
The board and school details, including principal’s name are maintained in Maplewood EAS and will automatically be printed on the students’ report cards. With the exception of the board and school name, the remainder of the information can be edited by the main office (File, School Setup, School Information). Click the specific tab to edit the Board or School Information. Contact Maplewood directly if school or board name requires modifications.
The different areas of the Ontario Provincial Report Card are discussed in the next sections (working from the start, to the end of the report card).
Days Absent and Times Late
The Days Absent and Times Late (including the Totals) are automatically printed based on the attendance information stored in the Maplewood EAS. The use of the attendance feature within Classroom Manager automatically updates the administration system at the office.
If Maplewood’s software is not being used to record student attendance, the number of days absent and late and the corresponding totals, will need to be entered directly by the homeroom teacher. To manually record attendance for the Ontario Provincial Report Card choose Edit, Details from either the on screen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry.
Promotion Status
To access, use the onscreen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry. From either of these main screens, choose Edit, Details.
Note: Available in first and second terms only. Edit capability available to the homeroom teacher only.
The "Progressing well towards promotion" button is used in the first and second reporting periods only. When selected, the student’s overall achievement is such that there is no doubt that the student will be promoted to the next Grade at the end of the year.
The "Progressing with some difficulty towards promotion" button is used in the first and second reporting periods only. When selected, the student’s overall achievement is such there is doubt that the student will be promoted to the next Grade at the end of the year. Parents should be involved in Identifying and assisting with effective intervention measures.
The "Promotion at Risk" button is used in the first and second reporting periods only. When selected, the student’s overall achievement may be insufficient to ensure promotion at the end of the year. Parents of these students should be notified as soon as non-promotion is apparent (which may be well before report card time).
Placement Grade in September
To access, use the on screen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry. From either of these main screens, choose Edit, Details.
Notes: Available in the third term only. Edit capability restricted to the homeroom teacher.
In the third term only, select the Grade in which the student will be registered the following school year. If a child is not promoted, the school should involve the parents in extensive consultation before any final decisions about placement are made.
Religious and Family Life Education (Catholic Schools only)
The information to be printed in this area is entered as a comment for the topic Religious and Family Life Education. The school must determine which staff will be assigned this topic.
Check Boxes for IEP, ESL, ESD, FSL and French
To access, use the onscreen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievement, Individual Student Entry. From either of these screens, choose Edit, Details.
Note: Edit capability is restricted to the teacher assigned the topic.
Throughout the report card, check boxes exist to indicate whether the student has special learning needs and, whether the student is in special language programs. The check boxes are:
IEP
If the student has an Individual Education Plan for English, select this box. Indicate in the Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Steps area whether the expectations of the regular program apply or whether the student’s current objectives are those of the IEP.
ESL or ESD
If the student is enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Skills Development (ESD) program, either the ESL or ESD box must be selected. Indicate in the Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Steps area whether the student has progressed sufficiently in developing English proficiency that the expectations of the regular English program apply, or whether the student’s current objectives are those of the ESL or ESD program.
French
If the student is enrolled in an immersion or extended French program and receives instruction in French for this subject.
Not Applicable
The Not Applicable box in the English subject area must be checked if the student is enrolled in an Immersion French program and is not receiving any language instruction in English.
Second Language: French or Native
Check only one (French or Native for this section. For Students taking both, use the space provided for optional subjects to report on the other.
Second Language: Not Applicable
The Not Applicable box in the Second Language subject area must be checked if the student does not yet receive any instruction in French or Native as a Second Language.
The Report Card Notice is for Ontario users. This options lets you enter additional information i.e. informing parents of a special event. It will print in a designated space on the Ontario Report Card. To include the Report Card Notice, choose File, School Setup, School Information. Click the School Information tab and click the Notice button. A text entry box will appear where you can type the notice. Next, select the type of report: Interim or Final. When you have finished the note click OKEntering Marks
To access, use the onscreen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry.
Hint: Double-click a student’s name to automatically open the Individual Student Entry screen, or double-click the class code to automatically bring up the Class Entry screen.
Report 1, Report 2, and Report 3 on the report card correspond to Term 1, Term2, and Term 3 in Maplewood Classroom Manager. These titles can be easily renamed to suit each school. The titles used will not impact the Ontario Provincial Report Card.
Use letter grades (A, B, C, etc) with a plus or minus sign for students in Grades 1 to 6 or enter numerical values and let the software convert to Letter Grades. If you would like to view the marks in Letter format select View, Marks, Letter Equivalent.
Use a numerical mark (82, 77, etc.) for students in Grades 7 and 8.
When subtopics are included (for example the topic English has subtopics Reading, Writing, and Oral and Visual Communication), a Mark is entered for the subtopics only, not for the main topic. The office can restrict entry into any mark or comment areas where marks or comments are not to be entered.
For a student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) record "IEP" if a letter grade or percentage mark would not be appropriate.
For an English as a Second Language (ESL) student, record "ESL" if a letter grade or percentage Mark would not be appropriate.
For schools using a semestered program, leave the Mark blank for subjects not taken during the reporting period and explain in the comment section that the Marks are not applicable.
Grade Average (for Grades 7 and 8 Only)
For the Grades 7 and 8 report cards, the Grade average is automatically printed on the report. This is the average of all students in the school in this Grade for the topic or subtopic (No entry is required). Grade Average is not printed for the optional subjects.
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Steps (Comment Area)
To access, use the onscreen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry. From either of these screens, choose Edit, Comments. For Class Entry, click the + symbol beside the desired term to expand the list of available topics and sub-topics for the term. Highlight and select the topic or sub-topic you wish to enter marks for and begin typing.
Hint: Select the desired reporting column, double-click the corresponding comment box to automatically access the Comments screen and begin typing.
The Suggest button provides access to the list of suggested comments defined by the school (Marks, List of Comments). Click on the suggested comment (hold down CTRL key to select multiple comments) then drag and drop the comment into the Comment box. You can also use the Copy/Paste buttons to insert suggested comments.
The Curriculum button activates the Ontario Curriculum database. Double-click folders to expand the curriculum tree. At the lowest levels, the curriculum text appears at the bottom. Highlight the text you want to insert, then click Copy, followed by Done. Click Paste to insert the text into the comment. The latest Mathematics, English and Science and Technology information have been included. The remainder of the new curriculum will be available by mid September.
The Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Steps area of the Provincial Report Card is for the teacher(s) to provide anecdotal comments about the student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations in each subject.
The comments should:
describe as specifically as possible any strengths and weaknesses in the student’s performance during the term
identify the next steps planned for the student’s learning
provide suggestions for how the parents can support those next steps at home
describe specific remedial measures that are planned and the parental support that will be required for students whose achievement is "R"
provide an explanation for ESL and IEP students whose achievement is "ESL" or "IEP" instead of letter Marks or percentage Marks
Note: Comments are entered for topics as indicated on the Ontario Provincial Report Card.
If IEP, ESL or ESD Programs vary from the regular grade program, the following statement must appear in the Strengths/Weaknesses and Next Steps section. "The (grade/mark) for (strand/subject) is based on achievement of the expectations in the (IEP/ESL/ESD) program that may vary from Grade (-) expectations."
Maplewood Classroom Manager comment capabilities include:
Students whose comments exceed the size limit on the Ontario Report Card can be printed. To access this feature choose Marks, Print Report Cards, Ontario Provincial Report Card, and click the Incomplete button. From here, select the appropriate reporting term.
Note: All other search options (missing comments, etc) must be unselected for the "Comment Exceeding the Limit" option to become available.
Learning Skills
To enter marks, use the onscreen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry.
Note: For the homeroom teacher only.
The Learning Skills area of the report card is based on the student’s overall demonstration of learning skills considering all subjects and behaviour at school. A letter is entered ("E" for Excellent, "G" for "Good"; "S" for "Satisfactory"; or "N" for "Needs Improvement") to reflect the student’s demonstration of each of these skills for the period being reported on.
Learning Skills Comment Area
To access, use the onscreen Achievement buttons or from the menu bar, select between Achievements, Class Entry or Achievements, Individual Student Entry. From either of these screens, choose Edit, Comments. For Class Entry, click the + symbol beside the desired term to expand the list of available topics and sub-topics for the term. Highlight and select the topic or sub-topic you wish to enter marks for and begin typing.
Hint: Select the desired reporting column, double-click the corresponding comment box to automatically access the Comments screen and begin typing.
The homeroom teacher should elaborate on the student’s demonstration of the skills.
Response Form
No entry is required for the third page of the report card. The page is printed the same for all students. It provides the student and parents/guardians a space to record comments about the report card and to request a meeting to discuss the report card. Regardless of whether a comment is written here, the report card must be signed and just this page is returned. Parents should keep pages 1 and 2 for their own records. Parents making comments should request a copy of the third page.