Are Parents Getting a Full Picture Of Their Child’s Performance From Report Cards?
A recent Gallup poll by Learning Heroes highlights a discrepancy between parents' perceptions of their children's academic performance and standardized test scores. Despitestandardized test results indicating a lag in performance compared to previous years, mostparents believe their children are performing at or above grade level. This discrepancy mayarise because parents use report cards to assess their child's achievement, equating goodgrades with grade-level performance. The survey, involving 2,000 public school parents, revealed that 90% of parents believe their children are performing at or above grade level in reading and math, with nearly 80% saying their children are mainly earning Bs or better. These perceptions have persisted since before the pandemic, despite declining scores in standardized tests like the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), whichshowed historic drops in math and reading for grades 4 and 8 in most states last year.
Learning Heroes warns that relying solely on report cards might prevent parents fromrecognizing the need for interventions in their child's academic progress. The report suggeststhat providing a wider variety of achievement measures, including standardized test scores, could help parents better understand their child's academic standing. This mismatch alsohighlights the need for better communication and understanding between parents, educators, and testing experts regarding student performance metrics.
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