Frequently Asked Questions: Elementary Student

Report Cards
Q1. Why is my child not receiving a report card?
A1. Elementary teachers are taking part in a province-wide strike action (work-to-rule) that includes not
recording student marks electronically for the purpose of producing report cards.
Q2. Will parents/guardians be given any information on their childs progress at the end of the school
year?
A2. Yes. Instead of a report card, principals will provide a letter that confirms a students grade
placement for the upcoming school year. This letter will be shared during the week of June 22.
Q3. My child is in Kindergarten and most of their assessments are through reflection by their teacher.
Will they still get a report card?
A3. No. Like students in Grades 1-8, parents/guardians of children in Kindergarten will receive a letter
indicating their childs placement for the upcoming school year.
Q4. Will I get this report card at a later date?
A4. No. The placement letter replaces the Term 2 report card.
Q5. Can I contact the school to see my childs marks?
A5. Yes. After June 22, parents/guardians may contact the principal of the school to arrange to see their
childs marks. No written marks will be provided as the promotion letter replaces the Term 2 report
card. Our principals and vice-principals will do all they can to provide this information, on request. Due
to volume of demand, size of school and other circumstances, however, there may be cases where that
information will not be available until the fall.
Q6. What if my child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP)?
A6. For children who have an IEP, the IEP will be retained in the school and parents/guardians can
review it in the fall.
Q7. I rely on my childs report card to track their progress and know how they are doing throughout
the school year. What should I do now?
A7. A final report card should contain no surprises. Parents/guardians have knowledge about their
childs ongoing progress through regular classroom assessments and parent-teacher meetings that took
place throughout the school year.
Q8. What is the TDSB doing to ensure that my childs progress is noted and recorded?
A8. The placement letter will be kept in the childs Ontario Student Record as a replacement of their
report card. This does not mean that all assessment and achievement data previously recorded no
longer exists, it just isnt documented in a report card.

Q9. How are principals making a decision regarding grade placement for next year?
A9. Principals will be making their decision based on all previous marks, assessments and achievement
data recorded throughout the school year.
Q10. Why cant you make teachers complete a report card? Isnt it part of their responsibilities?
A10. Completing a report card is one of many duties that teachers are usually expected to do. Since
teachers are taking legal strike actions across the province, they can legally restrict any and all services.
Q11. Why cant other staff assist in the production of report cards?
A11. Normally, over 10,000 elementary teachers are responsible for this. The TDSB has over 170,000
elementary students with over 20 entries that are included in each report card. This means that at least
3.4 million entries would have to be inputted with a fraction of the staffing resources this is simply not
possible. It is estimated that this would cost over $1M to train and hire additional staff, and the TDSB
does not have the funding to pay for that in our already extremely tight budget.
Q12. What if my child changes schools or school boards in the future? Will the placement letter put
them at a disadvantage?
A12. No. The placement letter a replaces the final report card will be kept in the childs Ontario Student
Record. This will be the case at many Ontario school boards. The Ministry of Education has indicated
that the placement letter will be an official record of grade promotion.
Q13. Who should I speak to if I have questions about my childs progress?
A13. We know that our elementary teachers are skilled professionals and we are confident that
throughout the school year they would have kept you well informed on the progress of your child. As
always, if you have any questions, we encourage you to contact your childs school.