What Is a Student Report?

A student report is a comprehensive report that evaluates the performance of a student. It can also assess a particular situation that involves a student (e.g., student incident report). A student report can cover several different areas and may not be limited to merely academics.    

According to an article by the National Center for Education Statistics, around 4.7 million students attended private schools for the academic year of 2019-2020. The number of students who went to public schools reached close to 50 million. Further, around 43% were enrolled in remote or distance learning.     

Types of Student Report

As previously mentioned, a student report can involve various aspects of student life. From academic performance to behavioral deportment, the purpose of a student report is to judge or measure a student’s conduct in order to help them improve. The following examples below describe just some common types of student reports. 

Report Card. Arguably the most commonly understood type of student report is an academic report card. All students have received a report card over the course of their formal education. And it is not just one report card, a student is generally given more than one within a given academic calendar year. Teachers and school administrators have to produce a report for each student on a regular basis. It can be quarterly or semestral, depending on the needs of the school. A typical report card not only measures a student’s academic performance but also their deportment or non-academic conduct. Academic performance covers basic curriculum and general subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Reading. Deportment grades the student on how they conduct themselves as individuals and in relation to those around them. For example, a student’s deportment will indicate how respectful or courteous they are to those around them. Incident Report. Another common type of report is a student incident report. Just like in the workplace or other professional environments, furnishing a report is standard procedure if an accident or injury has occured. An incident report helps to explain, inform, and make sense of a situation so the appropriate remedy or resolution may be applied. What then makes a good incident report? Ideally, it ought to be thorough and detailed. It should be both narrative and descriptive in nature. The point of creating one is to provide important details and help other people gain a better understanding of the incident. At its core, an incident report should be able to aid in the uncovering of the truth. Uncovering the facts should be the priority when crafting an incident report- not painting the incident with biased views and judgments. Progress Report. A progress report is similar to an academic report card because in a way, it monitors a student’s performance over a period of time. But a progress report is mainly used to help chart a student’s development and growth. The aim is to help the student improve the areas where he or she may be lacking or insufficient. Academic progress and development is necessary if the student is to learn or gain anything in the long-run. By publishing a progress report, you will be able to assess whether or not a student is heading in a positive or negative direction. Lastly, you need to have measures or indicators of progress put in place. These indicators should serve as a guide in determining whether there is sufficient progress or lack of it. Make sure your progress indicators are measurable and realistic as well. Book Report. For students who have taken general subjects like English and Reading, coming up with a book report was usually a common assignment. It is perhaps one of the most common academic requirements for a reading comprehension course. A book report tests and measures how much a student understands the text or plot of an assigned book. The format of a book report may vary depending on the requirements and mechanics of the teacher. But usually, students are asked to summarize, analyze, and interpret the book’s characters, themes and other relevant aspects. For the student, creating a book report can help them better understand the story and allow them to dive deeper into the meaning of the text. For the teacher, it helps them determine if the student is able to comprehend the text and intention of the author.

Tips For Becoming a Better Student

Being a better student means more than just getting high academic scores every semester. A good student is well-rounded and is more concerned with learning than merely obtaining perfect grades. The following examples are some practical and effective tips on how you can become a better performing and more well-adjusted and well-rounded student.

Learn the art of balance. As mentioned above, being a good student transcends mere academic performance. It is important to understand that student life involves other aspects as well. Aside from cognitive abilities, emotional and social skills also come into play. What typically happens when a student is too focused or narrowly obsessed with pure academics, they run the risk of experiencing burnout from too much work and pressure. Thus, learning how to balance all aspects of student life is key. Whether it is academic requirements, co-curricular activities, social engagements and even mental health, a well-rounded student understands that all these are important for a balanced life. This also means knowing or learning how to say no and setting the appropriate boundaries. The student who does not know how to say no, even when there is a mental and emotional cost, is at risk for experiencing burnout and other serious consequences. Ask for help. Another vital tip to keep in mind is to ask for help when you need it. In this day and age where everything seems to be fast-paced, it’s important to understand that it is perfectly normal to feel like you cannot keep up. If you are feeling overwhelmed by academic requirements or other pressures, do not hesitate to ask for help. Turn to people you trust such as family members, teachers or even peers. Having a support system that you can rely on is critical. Believing that you can handle all your problems on your own is an unsustainable and flawed belief. You need to have the humility and wisdom to seek help, especially when things get overwhelming. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, there is strength in acknowledging that you cannot do everything yourself and opening yourself up to others. Capitalize on your strengths. If you want to do better in school, self-awareness is key. This is not something that’s easy to do, but you can get better at it with practice. Practicing self-awareness helps you become a better problem-solver and it allows you to work on the areas that need improvement. But it’s not just the areas in which you lack, an essential component of self-awareness is recognizing your strengths as well. Especially for young students who are still in their formative years, knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a crucial part of the journey. Capitalizing on your strengths can help build confidence and self-esteem. If you are good in numbers, don’t shy away from challenges that showcase your abilities. In the same way, if you are not particularly gifted in a certain area or subject, don’t let it discourage you from learning and don’t hesitate to ask for help either.

How to Create a Student Report

To create a student report, it is necessary to exercise objectivity and fairness. If you are looking for quick and convenient templates to use as a reference guide, choose a template from the broad collection of sample reports above to save time. Once you’ve selected a report template that suits your needs, follow the basic steps below.  

Step 1: Objective

The first step in creating a student report is establishing a clear objective. As discussed in the previous sections, a student report can serve multiple purposes. It is imperative to determine what your purpose is for creating a student report. Whether it is to report an incident that happened on campus or to gauge the academic performance report of a student, having a solid objective will keep you focused and centered on what’s truly important. If your report has no clear objective, it can be quite easy to veer off or digress onto topics of lesser importance. Keep your objective brief and direct. Try to avoid writing a statement that’s too vague or long. 

Step 2: Rubric 

This section is crucial because it will lay the foundation for your subsequent evaluation. You need to have a reliable mechanism or method for determining whether it is a positive or negative evaluation. For example, academic report cards have a standard criteria to base their judgment or evaluation of students. Even book reports, for instance, need a standard rubric for grading. Having a rubric in place helps to ensure that fair and impartial grading is applied. A standard grading system helps promote objective judgment and fair self assessment.   

Step 3: Objective Assessment

The next step is the actual evaluation of the student. In the case of an incident report, the details of the report are provided. When evaluating and assessing, it is important to exercise objectivity. Doing so is the only way you can assure that the student is given a fair assessment. Subjective and biased evaluation is based on opinion rather than fact and evidence. Whether it is a student report card or an academic progress report, grading should be based on the given criteria or rubric stated in the previous section.  

Step 4: Recommendations  

The last step in creating a student report is offering the appropriate recommendation reports. It is not enough to merely give the student a score or grade. You need to provide helpful comments and suggestions to help the student address areas of improvement. Recommendations can either be positive or negative. But if it’s the latter, make sure it is constructive criticism. Purely negative comments that’s absent of any intention to help will not be useful at all. As much as possible, keep your recommendations objective and relevant to the situation at hand.     

FAQs

What is a student report?

A student report is a formal report that aims to measure a student’s performance or evaluate a student-related incident. It is a report that is meant to inform, educate, and aid in decision-making.


How do you write a student report?

To write a student report, you need to start with a clear objective in mind. When assessing the student or scenario, exercise due diligence and responsibility at all times. Ideally, the report should always be based on objective judgment and fairness. Refer to the step-by-step instructions above for a complete guide on how to create a basic student report.


What is the best comment for a student?

Comments for students would depend on individual cases and circumstances. But generally, a good comment is constructive, helpful, and honest. It is not sugar coated, nor is it offensive or excessively negative.

A good student report is helpful and useful to the student. Ideally, it is supposed to help the student develop and improve their performance. Browse the wide selection of sample templates above and start customizing your own report now!