Montessori preschools bring children ages 3 to 6 together in the same classroom. Montessori teachers guide and encourage preschoolers to learn skills at their own pace, with a focus on individual hands-on learning and practical life experience. Because of the diversity of Montessori classrooms, teachers should develop a versatile progress report that will accurately convey the progress of each student. According to the North American Montessori Center, there are two common formats: the checklist-based report and the narrative report.
Provide basic information at the top of the progress report, including the date, teacher's name, dates covered by the report, and the student's name, age and grade level.
Create a checklist or spreadsheet that lists general topics such as fine motor skills and social development. Under each topic list corresponding skills such as “cutting with scissors” and “learning to wait.”
Develop an evaluation key. Rather than lettered grades, the North American Montessori Center recommends using phrases such as “presented,” “practiced” and “mastered” to evaluate the student’s progress. Indicate next to each skill how the student is progressing in development of the skill.
Include a comments section. Parents value knowing that you really know and care for their child. Praise the child’s good qualities and improvements, and address any difficulties. Keep your language positive.
Provide basic information at the top of the progress report, including the date, teacher's name, dates covered by the report, and the student's name, age and grade level.
List the student's general areas of study such as fine motor skills, social development and language. Write one or two sentences that describe the child’s progress in each area. Include information specific to the child, such as improvements made, new milestones reached and areas of special interest or talent.
Include a comments section for additional praise and issues remaining to be addressed. Narrative report cards are more time-consuming, but can be more meaningful to parents because of the detailed feedback they provide.
Tip
Look at sample progress reports from other teachers to get ideas as you develop your own.