Purpose of reports
Progress reports (PRs) are a motivational tool. They do a few things.
- Make time to re-assess and reflect on learning strategies.
- Motivate students to stick to their daily or weekly study goals.
- Encourage re-enrollment for corporate students.
Doing a progress report
The report is written by the student's main teacher. Ideally, reports are done after a check-in.
Here are the guidelines.
- Do reports after your class.
- Keep it short. It should take less than 10 minutes.
- Keep it on point and give practical advice without overwhelming people.
- Use clear, SMART goals —not something wishy-washy like "I want to watch movies without subtitles".
- Clarify goals with the student in class.
- Have recent test scores when applicable.
- If you do not get this information in the lesson, then you may contact the student through the contact form afterwards and ask for it.
Corporate clients
Corporate clients get a progress report at the end of their term. To see when the term ends, check when their points expire—in the top left corner of the profile.
About 1 month before the term ends, we make a spreadsheet with all students and their main teacher. If you are the main teacher, you are responsible for checking in and doing the PR.
- Use the Check-In guide.
- With your student, formulate a study plan.
- Create the PR.
- Make it specific and constructive.
If necessary, get a test result (a pdf) from the student. Upload it to the student's profile. You can ask for this in class.
Grades
This assessment is not a test. Grades are educated estimates of ability.
Be strict with grading. Follow the rubric from GBC: 1=limited, 3=proficient, 5=fluent.
Students can get 4's or 5's for confidence, interaction, effort and communication.
Leave room to improve next term. Ideally, each progress report can result in a little improvement.
Ongoing progress reports for independent students
Conduct a progress report for your independent students about once a year. Ask if they want one. PRs give you both a chance to assess where you are at and where you are going.
Encourage students to periodically test their English. Testing is motivational and helps them realise the progress that they are making. Use a test like TOEFL, IELTS, CASEC etc. that covers all four main language skills.
What to write
Advice and feedback must be specific.
Unhelpful comments include, "Be careful of making mistakes", "Speak faster" or "Use more natural English."
Do give them a recipe. Here is a good example.
"You scored 1 in grammar becuase you still make a lot of mistakes as you speak. You understand the grammar, but you have trouble using it. So speak slowly. Pick one point to focus on (for example, test, and start with present perfect). Use it every class. Notice it when you read and hear it. Keep focusing on it until you can use it effortlessly. You are smart, you learn quickly and you can understand grammar points. Now I want you to use them correctly!"
Zero in on one or two things. Keep students focused on short-term targets.