WELLINGTON COUNTY – Elementary students in the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) will not receive report cards for the first term.
The UGDSB announced on Jan. 22 that no marks will be distributed “at this time” as a result of strike action by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.
“This job action includes not writing report card comments and not inputting student marks electronically for the purposes of producing report cards,” education director Martha Rogers wrote in a letter to parents.
“As a result, the [UGDSB] will not be distributing term one report cards for elementary students.”
Rogers noted that without comments and proper context, marks wouldn’t be considered fulsome feedback on student achievement.
“I understand that this is disappointing – and I share that disappointment,” Rogers wrote. “At the same time, the report card is not the sole source of assessment data … I am confident that throughout the school year [teachers]have kept you informed on the progress of your child.”
Rogers urged parents to contact their child’s teacher before the end of the school year if they have concerns about their child’s progress.
Education minister Stephen Lecce said report card cancellations are “risking student success and preventing parents from seeing valuable information about their child’s performance in class.”
He added, “it only strengthens our belief that parents want our government to invest in front-line services, not in compensation and other demands, for some of the highest-paid educators in the country.”
UGDSB secondary students, on the other hand, will receive first semester report cards on Feb. 10. Teachers will input the marks electronically, but there will be no comments on report cards.
In addition, UGDSB Grade 12 student marks will be submitted to the Ontario College Application Service and to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre to ensure their post-secondary school applications are not impacted, the board said.
Secondary teachers are represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF).
Wellington Catholic
All students in the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) will receive first term and first semester report cards, but they will not include comments.
“Sanctions vary by union group and, as such, the impact will not be the same as our co-terminus board (UGDSB),” wrote WCDSB education director Tamara Nugent in an email to the Advertiser.
Elementary and secondary teachers in the WCDSB are represented by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association.
“As part of their partial withdrawal of service, students will continue to receive their provincial report card with assigned grades based on assessments and evaluations throughout the term,” Nugent said. “However, additional comments for learning skills or specific subject areas will not be entered on the provincial report card.”
