How's My Kid Doing? A Parent's Guide to Grades, Marks, and Report Cards - Softcover

Guskey, Dr Thomas R

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0787967351 ISBN 13: 9780787967352

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2003

Synopsis

In How's My Kid Doing? noted educator Thomas R. Guskey has created a practical handbook for parents who have trouble understanding their school-age children's grades, report cards, and test scores. This down-to-earth guide will help parents make sense of school reports and offers a helpful resource that can open communications between parents and teachers.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"Here's everything you have ever wanted-- or not wanted-- to know about grading. Definitely a must read for parents, teachers, and students." --Harry K. Wong, educational consultant and author, The First Days of School

"Over the years, Tom Guskey is the teacher from whom I have learned the most about the principles of effective communication. He has consistently analyzed and articulated our communication options with immense clarity. He's done it again, this time for parents." --Rick Stiggins, president, Assessment Training Institute

"The books is so eminently clear and sensible, it should be required reading for all educators and policymakers, not just parents. In jargon-free prose, Guskey strips away the murkiness surrounding grading and reporting, while never falling into oversimplification. There are many concrete suggestions for both writers and readers of reporting systems. A must for the faculty room as well as the family library." --Grant Wiggins, president, Learning by Design

From the Inside Flap:

You have just reviewed your child's report card. It's clear she is excelling at language arts and history and needs help in mathematics.
Or is it?
How do new standards affect grades? Do plus and minus grades matter? Is a kid in an "honors" class at a disadvantage when grading is on the curve? While parents want clear and explicit information about their child's growth in the classroom, many schools offer progress reports that are vague, inconsistent, and presented in unfamiliar formats.
How's My Kid Doing? is a down-to-earth guide for parents of school-age children who are tired of wading through the confusing array of grades, report cards, and test scores. Written by seasoned educator Thomas R. Guskey, this practical resource helps make sense of school reports and contains an overview of the advantages and shortcomings of various methods of reporting. How's My Kid Doing? also includes vital information about what constitutes an effective reporting system.
Throughout the book, Guskey offers strategies for working with teachers-and children-to improve the grading system. He recommends that parents lobby for a reporting system that is understandable, instructive, and includes specific suggestions for helping a child who isn't doing well. Guskey also explains how newsletters, web pages, phone calls, open houses, and other school-home interactions can become effective tools for better communications between parents and teachers.
Using the information and suggestions outlined in this book, parents and educators can work together to become true partners in guiding a child's journey through the classroom.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0787967351
• ISBN 13: 9780787967352
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176