How to Write Report Card Comments for Struggling Students

Honesty Without Discouragement

Writing comments for struggling students is one of the hardest parts of report card season. You need to be honest about where the student is academically, but you also do not want to crush the family's spirit. Here is how to strike that balance.

The Formula

1. Start with a genuine strength. Every student has at least one. It might be effort, kindness, improvement in a specific area, or a non-academic skill. Lead with this.

2. Describe the challenge specifically. Be precise about what the student struggles with, not vague. "Struggles with reading" is not helpful. "Is working to build decoding skills for multisyllabic words" tells parents exactly what the challenge is.

3. Explain what you are doing about it. Parents want to know that you have a plan. Mention specific interventions, strategies, or supports you are providing.

4. Suggest what the family can do. Give one or two specific, manageable actions for home. "Read together for 15 minutes each night" is actionable. "Support your child's education" is not.

5. End with encouragement. Note a specific area of growth or express confidence in the student's ability to improve.

Example Comments

"[Student] brings positive energy and effort to the classroom every day. They are currently working to build fluency with basic multiplication facts, which is affecting their ability to tackle more complex math problems. We are using daily fact practice games and small group instruction to build this foundation. Practicing facts at home for just 5-10 minutes each evening will reinforce the work we are doing at school. [Student] has already shown improvement with their 2s and 5s facts, and I am confident they will continue to grow."

"[Student] is a thoughtful contributor to class discussions and shares creative ideas. In writing, they are working to organize their thoughts into clear paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details. We use graphic organizers to help plan writing before drafting, and this strategy is helping them structure their ideas. Encouraging [Student] to tell you about their writing before they write it down will help them practice organizing their thoughts."

Use the report card comment generator to draft comments, then personalize with specific examples from your classroom.