Report cards in my perception before I came to Singapore, even for kindergarten children, is full of 'A', 'B', 'C' etc. Check this out... you will like this.
You can see that there's no 'A', 'B', 'C' here, but the report card lists down good behaviors that a child should do. Then it grades them by whether they practice the good behavior "often", "sometimes" or "not yet". For example, one goal here is "I know how to read some sentence with understanding", in June, my son could do that "sometimes", but towards end of the year, he did that "often".
Getting the grade "Sometimes" tell parents that our child needs more encouragement. Even if you get a "Not Yet", seeing these words, the thinking is seldom negative. If you get 'C' or 'B', what do you think the parents would think? Or if you see others get an 'A' while you are getting a 'B'?
You can see the break downs of the skill sets even under category "listening". The teacher will also give comments on her observations. Instead of listening 'B', you find "I know how to follow oral instructions", "I can listen and respond to questions"... plus a comment on how my son did in this area.
Check this portion out, rather than merely looking at the result, the report cards also emphasizes on "Approaches to learning" and "Interaction between children".
This is a portion on Mathematics...
and Motor Skills portions... like this?
What do you think? I really feel thankful to the school and the teachers. This report card makes me think about the report cards I saw in Penang. At that time, my first question was, "What does 'A' or 'B' mean?" Naturally, seeing a 'B' on areport card, I asked the teacher, "What did the other kids get? Are they getting 'A' for subjects that my son is getting a 'B'"?
There is no way to run away from the standard report cards that we used to get. The grading of 'A', 'B', 'C' or even marks, average, position in class etc will come some days. But I think at kindergarten stage, the young ones should enjoy learning and not facing pressure due to comparison from "kiasu" parents.
I recommend the following guide. I think it's a must read for parents, if you are getting a report card from your child soon.
Report Card Guide by Slyvan Learning Center
I really feel thankful to all the teachers who had taught my son (Teacher Atika, Teacher Giam from My First School, and also Teacher Michelle, Teacher Oon, Teacher Loh in SuperKids). I do not know how he does compared to his classmates. That does not matter now. He can read story books, he can write some sentences, he can count, what else can I ask for? Thinking back, may be I had been too kiasu to purchase "worksheets" and ask him to do at home for 30 minutes before he plays.
"Well done! YK, you made me proud. Keep it up! YK".
I think kindergarten should not give any exams at all. And their report card and assessment should look like what I have shown. What do you think?
P/S
By the way, why do so many kindergartens in Penang (may be Malaysia) introduce exams and spelling test at the young tender age of 4-5 years old? I think the answer can be found if you ask the top kindergartens "M" and "D" in Penang.
