S a Start on a Positive Note

Always begin each comment with a general statement letting the students know how happy
you are to be teaching them, or how much they are learning and progressing:

It has truly been a pleasure getting to know you as my student for this day.

You have made very good academic and/or social progress these past few days.

Provide Specific Information Across Several Different Areas

Next, include formative evidence that lets the students know how you view them as a
person or just simply as your student.

Personal Attributes

The student . . .

is an enthusiastic learner.

tackles new challenges seriously/eagerly and with a positive attitude.

puts evident effort into his work as he completes assignments with quality in mind.

shows perseverance in all he does.

has many insightful ideas to share with during class.

has a. cheery demeanor that has made the class fun

uses common sense to problem solve independently and in a positive manner.

is respectful of teacher.
Work Habits

The student . . .

always completes tasks in a timely manner.

stays focused on the task at hand.

uses class time constructively.

consistently uses personal best effort on a daily basis.

completes work with quality in mind.

is a self-motivated worker.

demonstrates hard work and produces quality results.

actively engages in working carefully and conscientiously.

pays attention to detail during class.

follows directions.

uses higher level thinking strategies to apply learned skills to new situations.

shows perseverance on challenging activities.

is able to transition easily from one activity to the next. Communication The
student . . .

effectively participates in a range of conversations with teacher.

builds on teachers ideas and expresses her own clearly and persuasively.

asks and answers questions that demonstrate understanding.

asks questions or seeks clarification when needed.

 listens well and shares ideas frequently.

shares appropriate and relevant information.

listens to the ideas, opinions, and comments of teacher without interrupting.

responds appropriately to teachers comments during partner/turn-and-talk time.

Reading

The student . . .

retells events from a story in a sequential manner.

reads closely to determine what the text says explicitly and makes logical inferences
from it.

goes back to the text and cites evidence to support conclusions drawn from the text.

has a good sense of story structure. She's able to identify the setting, characters,
problem, and solution.

describes characters in a story and explains how they impact the story.

analyzes how two or more texts are similar.

uses taught reading strategies well to gain meaning, especially . . .

uses strategies such as making connections, asking questions about the text, and
inferencing to aid their comprehension.

has very good fluency and intonation.

reads dialogue with expression.

Writing

The student . . .

shows strong knowledge and application of writing conventions such as capitalization

and punctuation.

has shown very good/great improvement in spelling and word work over the past
several weeks.

produces writing that has been a joy to read over the past few weeks. I especially
liked [examples of what the student wrote that you felt was well done].

conveys her thoughts and ideas clearly.

writes sentences that are complete thoughts.

writes opinion pieces with well thought-out, supportive reasoning.

shows a strong grasp of organization in her writing. She stays on topic and uses
relevant details.

Set a Goal

While the students may be learning and growing, there is always room for improvement.
Provide at least one specific goal that you will be working on with the student the following
class. Use all of the comments above to help you set your goals. Simply add beginnings
such as:

On our next meeting, we will be working on . . .

I would like to see you improve on . . .

You need to pay closer attention to . . .

One area for improvement is . . .

Closings

Always close on a positive note, giving a boost to your students' confidence. Let them know
how proud you are as their teacher/tutor of what they have been doing, and how you look
forward to what is to come:

I am so proud of all you have accomplished. Keep up the wonderful things you are
doing!

You are an amazing student, and you truly shine!

I can hardly wait to see how you impress me during the next class!

You have had a terrific class, and I am confident the next one will be even better!