TheProvincial Report card

July2012

The report card is an important means by which schools communicate with parents, as it provides them with a portrait of their children’s learning progress throughout the year. In order to carry out the evaluation process, teachers must take into account the Québec Education Program (the curriculum), the “Frameworks for the Evaluation of Learning” (ministerial guidelines), and the format and requirements of the new Provincial report card.

QUÉBEC EDUCATION
PROGRAM / FRAMEWORKS FOR THE
EVALUATION OF LEARNING / PROVINCIAL REPORT CARD
Official ministerial document that defines the pedagogical policies and the learning outcomes that guide the schools’ teaching/learning practices essential for our students. / This document provides guidelines for the evaluation of learning for each subject. It indicates how each competency should be weighted in calculating results in each subject area.. / The provincial report card indicates subject-area results: term marks in each subject area expressed as a percentage, as well as final marks and group (class) averages, both also expressed as percentages.

This document is designed to provide helpful explanations concerning results contained in the report card.

  • How Student Results Are Calculated

First, here are hyperlinks to two MÉLS documents available at the beginning of the school year which provides parents with valuableinformation.

Second, in order to really understand the results printed on the report card let’s take a look at part of another MÉLS document which explains how these results are calculated.

Please note that the weighting percentages appearing in red in the example above are not printed on the report card.

Although the report card presents only the subject mark for certain subjects, teachers always have to enter their evaluations of one, two or three competencies, depending on the subject. Calculations are carried out the same way in all cases except for subjects where there is a MÉLS compulsory examination.

To illustrate how calculations and results printed on the report card are carried out, we will use the subject of Music. This subject is taught at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Each term subject mark is calculated from the competencies results. In the process of calculating results, we may have one or two results depending on the evaluation done by the teacher. In the example below, the first term result is calculated from competency 1 only. The second term mark is calculated from competency 2 and the third term mark is calculated from the results of both competencies.Competencies that are the focus of the teacher’s planning may vary from term to term, which explains whyresults for a particular competency are not always printed on the report card, as you can see from the example below. This is the case for certain subjects, like Music.

Subject marks for all terms are the result of the calculations done using each competency result in accordance with the weighting involved as per the “Frameworks for theEvaluation of Learning” document”.The final mark column is also a calculation carried out in accordance with the weighting given to each term.

Subject: Music / Term 1 / Term 2 / Term 3 / Final
mark
Competency 1
To invent vocal or instrumental pieces - To interpret musical pieces / 64 / --- / 72 / 70
Competency 2
To appreciate musical works, personal productions and those of classmates / --- / 20 / 60 / 50
Subject mark / 64 / 20 / 68 / 64

Example:

This is what appears on the report card. The example belowis for a student in the first year of Secondary Cycle One.

In the example, the final mark result is 64 %. Itis derived from the weighted final mark of each competency result. In the case of “Music”, the first competency is worth 70 % and the second competency is worth 30 %. These final competencies results are also calculated with a weighting of 20 % for the first term, 20 % for the second term and 60 % for term three.

  • Formula for Calculating the Final Result (Final Mark) in a Subject Area

Step 1: Calculating the Final mark for each competency:

Final mark for Competency 1

Final mark for Competency2

StepNumber 2: Calculating the subject areafinal mark

Subject final mark

Usually we would be inclined to take the results that we see and process the results with the term marks in a way which would give us a completely different end result.

Here are 2 examples of a miscalculation that would create an incorrect result.

Adding the three term resultsand dividing by 3:

Using the 20%, 20% and 60% with the three term results:

The two methods of carrying out the above calculation give us a subject final mark which is different from the one calculated by the system. In the case of MÉLS compulsory exams (Mathematics, grade 6), the result is also calculated in the final competency result but not printed on the report card.

The Provincial report card, July 2012Page 1