Academics · Subject Resources

Two report cards.
What actually moved?

A new report card arrives and the first question is whether things are better or worse. Copy each subject’s grade from the last card and this one. The tool reads letters, percentages or standards levels, shows every change side by side, works out both averages and points to the subject to ask about first.

Compare two report cardsWhat you get

Report card comparisons

The worked example is made up: a seventh grader on letter grades, a fourth grader on a standards card and a tenth grader on percentages. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per pair of report cards: the student’s code, both terms, the grading scale and every subject’s earlier and later grade, plus four questions for the teacher. Works out each change, both averages, how many subjects went up, down or held and the biggest drop; flags a full-step drop, a failing grade and a lower average.
Who it is for
Parents and caregivers of students in elementary, middle and high school, and students who want to see their own trend.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per comparison. Prints one comparison, every comparison in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick how the school grades.
  2. Copy each subject from both cards.
  3. Read what went up and down.
  4. Start with the biggest drop.
  5. Ask the teacher the four questions.

Compare two report cards

Reading a grade change

Three ways a report card can be gradedScaleA full step down isRead it asLetters, 4.0 scaleB+ (3.3) to C+ (2.3)Average of the pointsPercentages10 points, such as 88 to 78Average of the scoresStandards, 1 to 4One level, such as 3 to 2Progress toward year-end goalsThree ways a report card can be gradedLetters, 4.0 scaleA full step down is: B+ (3.3) to C+ (2.3)Read it as: Average of the pointsPercentagesA full step down is: 10 points, such as 88 to 78Read it as: Average of the scoresStandards, 1 to 4A full step down is: One level, such as 3 to 2Read it as: Progress toward year-end goals
The tool reads each scale the way most schools print it. Your school’s key on the back of the card has the last word.

Letters become points

Letter grades are converted on the common 4.0 scale: A is 4.0, A minus 3.7, B plus 3.3, B 3.0 and so on down to D minus at 0.7 and F at 0. An A plus counts as 4.0, as it does at most schools. If your school uses another conversion, the change still shows the direction.

Standards cards are different

A standards-based report card rates progress toward goals for the end of the year, often 1 (beginning) to 4 (exceeding). A 2 in the fall can mean the student is right on track. Ask the teacher what level is expected at this point in the year before reading a 2 as a problem.

Sources

  1. National Center for Education Statistics. High School Transcript Study: conversion of letter grades to a 4.0 scale (nces.ed.gov).
  2. Guskey, T. R., and Brookhart, S. M. (2019). What We Know About Grading. ASCD.
  3. Brookhart, S. M., and others (2016). A century of grading research: meaning and value in the most common educational measure. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 803 to 848.
  4. U.S. Department of Education. Family engagement: questions to ask your child’s teacher (ed.gov).

The worked example is made up. Grading scales and conversions differ by school; the key printed on your school’s report card is the one that counts. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.