Rachel's report card

I had been wondering if Rachel would receive an end-of-the-year report card. She did, and pulled it out after the block party and -- well, I'll just reiterate some of the comments:

"Rachel's joy for learning has given her great success this year in kindergarten. She has demonstrated excellent skills in reading and writing, and can read many difficult texts in the classroom. Rachel easily picks up new math concepts and is able to build upon previously taught skills quickly. She is willing to participate in group discussions, enters the classroom confidently everyday, and has made many friends in her class. I have had a wonderful time getting to know Rachel this year and know she will have great success next year as well!" (Mrs. Kappert, her main teacher)

"Rachel had a wonderful year in art. She is energetic to start new projects and use different materials. Rachel's fine motor skills have improved this year, and her drawings and paintings have become more detailed. Rachel did especially well with her flower collage. She is eager to help and works cooperatively with other classmates. It is a pleasure having Rachel in my class." (Mr. Bonahoom, Rachel's art teacher)

"Rachel has gained so much confidence this year. She shares her ideas & interacts well with friends. She makes goo choices, follows directions & uses time well. It was a pleasure having her in my class." (Senora Byrne, Rachel's Spanish teacher)

Also included were the scores from the Phonological Awareness Literacy screening (PALS-K), an informal screening done in Virginia that gives teachers information on planning lessons and measures students yearly progress early literary skills. Some of the things tested are rhyme awareness, sound awareness, alphabet knowledge, spelling, letter sounds, word concepts and word recognition in isolation (an optional task).

The kindergarten benchmark is 81 -- meaning that if the student receives this score or higher, she/he is at or above grade level expectations.

The benchmark is 28 at mid-year; Rachel scored a 95.

Again, the benchmark at the end of the year is 81; Rachel scored 102. THAT IS THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORE.

I told her I was so proud of her hard work. Really, I couldn't be more pleased.