How the Work of ESL and ELD Students is Evaluated on the Report Card

Guide Contents

Evaluating the Work of Students Who are Learning English

Students who are learning English will need time and support to develop their English language skills and knowledge in each subject.

In some subjects, a student may do the same school work as other students in that grade. In other subjects, depending on the child's English language skills, the teacher may change what the student is expected to learn. As your child learns more English, the teacher will begin to give him or her more of the same work as the other students.

If the child has very recently arrived in Canada, the teacher may not give a letter grade or percentage mark to the student.

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The ESL and ESD Boxes

If the teacher has checked the ESL or ESD box on the report card, that means;

that the student is not learning all of the same work as other students in that subject in that grade,
that the teacher has changed what the student is expected to learn to suit the student’s English language skills,
that the mark on the report card is based on how well the student has learned the changed work, not how well the student has done the same work as the other students in that grade,
that the teacher will write the following comment on the report card “The (grade or percentage mark) for (name of subject) is based on achievement of the expectations in the ESL or ELD program, which vary from the Grade ____ expectations.”

If the teacher has NOT checked the ESL or ESD box, then the mark on the report card is based on what students are expected to learn in that grade and the student is learning the same school work as the other students.

For more information about how students learn English, see the Ontario Ministry of Education's curriculum for ESL.

At the parent teacher interview, the teacher will explain what your child is learning and how his or her English language skills are developing.

Stages of Learning English

Your child’s teacher may refer to the stages of learning English. Described simply, they are:

Learning to use English for Basic Communication
Learning to use English in Familiar Situations with Support
Learning to use English in New Situations with Support; - the child is developing more independence
Learning to use English at the Same Level as English Speaking Classmates This stage usually takes the longest time.

For more information about the stages of learning English see:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/curricul/esl18.pdf -- page 9
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