By Heather Mallows
New Grade 9 report cards that are to be used for at least three reporting periods this school year will be distributed in February by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
Other boards in the province are already using the new report cards, while the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has decided to wait to switch over to the new software the cards require.
“Because our report cards come out a bit early, in mid to late October, we didn’t have time to implement the software and train staff,” says Paul Chislett at the board.
Instead, old report cards were used.
The decision came when the new software arrived just a week before the report cards were set to come out.
Glebe Collegiate Institute vice principal Peggy Lister says the new report cards require schools to use new computer and printing systems.
She says staff would have been rushed to install and test the software.
“We have a set of exams in January,” says Lister. “So our Grade 9 report will be on the new report card format in February.”
Lisgar Collegiate Institute will also use them at that time.
This new software comes after major computer problems in the fall. A new program called Trillium Student Information Management System that was supposed to store student records didn’t work.
When installed, the board faced problems ranging from slow speed to system crashes. And although the Trillium program and the new report card software aren’t related, the board is still being cautious.
“Given the glitches that occurred in other parts of the province, (holding off the report cards) was a wise decision,” says Tony Pearson, District 25 president of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation.
He says he’s wary of the new report card software. “It’s a new, untested system which (the Ministry of Education) attempted to rush in without proper testing.”
Dan Cousineau, manager of business and learning technology for the public board, says although the Ministry of Education provided the template for the new report cards, it was up to the school boards to alter their software to match the template.
The Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board used the new Grade 9 report card for the first time in November.
“We’re one of the few boards in Ontario that actually were able to get the new grade 9 report cards to meld successfully with the former program,” says Terry Shaw, a communications officer with the Catholic Board.
While Immaculata High School principal Bernie Swords says the transition “was not like silk,” no major problems occurred.
“Immaculata has been the pilot for some other of the Ministry of Education’s computerized report cards in the past,” he says. “So we had a bit of a leg-up.”
The new report cards have the usual percentage grade, but they also evaluate student work skills.
The students are judged on their work habits, organization skills, initiative and how they work independently and in groups.
Instead of a percentage or a letter grade, these skills are assessed as excellent, good, satisfactory or needs improvement.
“It’s a very positive addition to the report card,” says Carol Barazzuol, Immaculata’s vice principal.
The report card is designed to give parents a more detailed picture of their child’s school work.
The new card is a result of Bill 160, passed by the Ontario Conservatives in 1997. Bill 160 also included the new secondary school curriculum introduced in September.
Meanwhile, at the public board, Chislett says the software has to undergo some further testing.
It’s expected to be ready in time for the students’ February report cards.
“We do not anticipate any problems,” he says.
“We know it will work.”