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Wednesday, October 03, 2007 NAMC's Montessori Teacher Training blog
How Progress Reports Work in the Montessori Classroom provides the latest information and
developments in Montessori education
techniques and the Maria Montessori
method. NAMC strives to produce
content that will support and inform
students enrolled in diploma programs, as
well as Montessori educators worldwide.

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Begin your Montessori

I know I’m not alone when I say that one of my least favorite tasks is writing progress reports. Montessori GO
teachers take extra time to personalize each child’s progress report. If we are following the child, our
journey today!
progress reports must re ect the individual child’s progress. Many parents and teachers alike are unsure of
how progress reports actually work in the Montessori learning environment.
Montessori Collections
Why write a progress report? How does the Montessori progress report differ from a traditional school's The Outdoor Environment and Play
report card? NAMC has compiled some helpful information for the Montessori parents and teachers who The summer is a great time to take
advantage of beautiful weather and
want to know more about  progress reports in the classroom. explore Montessori activities outdoors.
This collection of articles features tips on
preparing the outdoor environment, as
How Progress Reports Work in the Montessori Classroom well as activity ideas.

Purpose of a Progress Report

Progress reports record and assess each student’s academic and social development, as well as clarify
goals.

Types of Progress Reports

There are two basic types of Montessori progress reports: the checklist format and the narrative-style
report. The checklist format is a checklist of important work, skills, and lessons that the child could receive.
The curriculum is broken down into speci c areas, which are assessed by an evaluative key. These keys Browse the Articles
vary, but convey the sense that the material has been 1) presented, 2) practiced, and eventually 3)
mastered. For the parent, a checklist seems to focus the attention on the key or “grade”, rather than on the
child’s personal qualities and development. These record sheets are important for the Montessori teacher
as she is able to record her observations and follow the progress of each child.
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The Three-Period Lesson: A Key

The narrative progress report is the most demanding for teachers, but as parents have shared with me time
Part of the Montessori Method
and time again, it’s the most rewarding for parents as they really gain a true feeling as to what their child is
Explained
learning. The narrative progress report recognizes that each child is unique and whose development Montessori teachers use the term three-period
cannot fully be understood or assisted by using a checklist approach. It gives a more detailed description of lesson so often it becomes second nature. We
forget that there are others who may not underst...
the child’s work and choices of work. For both the parent and child, a narrative report assures them that
“My teacher really understands and cares about me/my child.” The Montessori Teacher and Her
Role: Learning More About The
The narrative progress report also allows the Montessori teacher to address character development, Method
something which is nearly impossible to do with a checklist. The development of independence, initiative, The teacher, when she begins to work in our
schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will
responsibility, con dence, social awareness, cooperation, concentration, helpfulness, and commitment to reveal himself through work. She must fre...
work is a crucial element of Dr. Montessori’s curriculum and ones that need the well-thought out use of
words to convey. The Six Principles of the
Montessori Prepared
Environment Explained
The Language of Progress Reports: Keeping it Positive The rst aim of the prepared environment is, as far
as it is possible, to render the growing child
Begin the report with positive comments. It is important for teachers to re ect upon and remember that independent of the adult. —Maria Montes...

each child, no matter how challenging, has good qualities. These qualities need to be brought to the
Montessori Education for
forefront of the progress report. Parents are always happy to know that you think well of their child and it
Nurturing the Authentic Child:
also helps “soften the blow” if there are some dif cult situations to be addressed.
Development and Success
What is the meaning of Authentic ? Etymologically
The language of progress reports should also model the language we use in our Montessori classrooms. speaking, it is derived from the Greek root
authentiko , which means “author”. The Authen...
Instead of saying “Don’t run!”, Montessori teachers say “Please use walking feet.” The same is true in
progress reports. Instead of saying “Magda talks to her friends all the time”, we say “Magda is very social”. Parent Education Beyond
Instead of saying “Kevin consistently interrupts during lessons”, we say “Kevin is learning to focus his Orientation: Tips for Teachers -
attention and listen during lessons”. Montessori Community
In an earlier blog ( The Importance of Educating
the Montessori Parent , January 13, 2008), I wrote
As a new Montessori teacher, this was the most dif cult part of writing progress reports. Over time, it that “Educating parents, both current a...
became second nature, but there are still times when I will ask a fellow Montessori teacher to help me re-
phrase a delicate statement. I’ve put together some useful phrases to help you when it comes time to write The Stages of Montessori
your own progress reports.
Curriculum - Educating the Whole
Child
Born with potential, babies arrive in this world as
incomplete beings. They do, however possess an

Instead of Saying... Montessori teachers use...

amazing ability to construct themselves...

Wanders from task to task/wastes time Is learning to occupy his time more constructively

Short attention span Is becoming more dependable during work periods

Not working to full potential Has great potential and is working toward achieving it

Doesn’t follow directions Is learning to listen to directions more carefully

Doesn’t maintain a clean Is learning to take care of her workspace and classroom
workspace/materials materials

Clingy/needy Is continuing to grow in independence

Is easily distracted Is learning to concentrate on her work

Irresponsible Is developing his sense of responsibility

Doesn’t play fair Is learning to be more cooperative, careful, and fair

As each progress report becomes part of the student’s formal school record, and will be read by parents
and future teachers, it is important for the teacher to treat progress reports as important documents. The
most effective progress report is thorough and has a friendly feel to it. It discusses the student’s progress
and personality in a way that only someone who truly knows and understand the student could convey.

347 90 Michelle Irinyi — NAMC Tutor & Graduate

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog re ects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and
respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual
communities. We hope that our readers will nd our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Wednesday, October 3, 2007.

Next Previous
Homework in the Montessori Classroom: Does it Parent-Teacher Conferences: The Role of the
Actually Help Students? Montessori Parent

12 comments:

Anonymous September 17, 2008 at 6:25 AM

This site had been useful to me -thanks ;-)

Reply

Bola December 9, 2008 at 2:30 AM

As a teacher and a school director, I have swung back and forth between the checklist and the
narrative progress reports. I believe they BOTH have their place. I have nally worked out a
report that uses both. We have a checklist for each curriculum/skill area, using language the
parents can understand without having to take the training, and a summary box at the end of
each curriculum/skill area. For example, instead of putting a checklist item 'Pink Tower", we put
the checklist item "Uses the Pink Tower to develop ability to arrange by size", and "Uses
Comparative words 'big' and 'little'". This allows the parents to understand the skill developed
by the materials. At the end of the sensorial section, there is a brief narrative.

On the issue of positive comments, I believe we should not sacri ce the responsibility of letting
our parents know exactly how their child is developing for the need to be positive. Using both a
checklist and a summary makes it easier to give a clearer picture. So, for example, under the
"Work Habit" section of our checklist, we would have an item that says 'chooses work
independently', to which the directress may indicate 'R' for rarely, 'S' for sometimes and 'U' for
usually. At the end of the section,the directress may then put a comment such as 'John is
developing the ability to initiate his own work/activity'. This gives a clear picture with a positive
end-note.
Reply

Virginia March 30, 2011 at 2:39 AM

This site has really been helpul. This is my rst academic year as a school director, and this has
gone a long way in helping me prepare my progress reports.

In as much as we have to use words that build up the child, i strongly believe that in some cases it
is proper to say it as it is. This will enable parents know the true character, and developmental
level of their child. How ever, i have learnt a lot from this site in a few minute.

Thank you.

Virginia
Reply

Michelle Irinyi March 30, 2011 at 11:01 AM AUTHOR

Virginia,

Thank you for your comments. When composing progress or end-of-year reports for my
students, I try to give honest, respectful and constructive feed back to parents. I always strive to
remember that I am discussing the strengths and potential strengths of a child. I measure my
words carefully so as to respect the child and the family. I have found that there are many
positive ways to frame my words so parents hear what I have to say, without causing strife in the
family. Above all, as I re-read my work, I ask myself, if this were my child, are these words that I
would want to hear? Is this promoting a healthy relationship between me, my child, and the
child’s parent? Often, “telling it like it is” serves the interest of the teacher and not that of the
parent and child.

I have found that Lakeshore Learning has a compiled a valuable list of comments to use on
progress reports: http://tinyurl.com/4dc6dzq
Reply

Anonymous May 16, 2011 at 8:15 PM

Michelle Irinyi,
Hi,
The following link is not working.where can I nd the progress report comments?
Thanks in advance.
Maria
Reply

North American Montessori Center May 17, 2011 at 10:34 AM

If you copy and past the link into your browser, it should work. Failing that, this is the full version
of the link:
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/media/images/free_resources/teachers_corner/printables/r
eportCardComments.pdf
Thank you.
Reply

Anonymous October 14, 2012 at 9:20 PM

I'm glad I found this article. I'm a parent and trying to nd out that if it is normal that
teacher/school do not give progress report monthly but only at the teacher parents conference.

Is that normal? As a parent, I would love to know the progress of my child (2 yrs 9 months).
Although I am seeing some speech development difference but I am not seeing improvement at
some areas. Therefore, it prompts me to ask for a monthly progress report or a general plan of
what the teacher would be doing to improve certain areas that are weak.

My child's previous teacher communicated with parents monthly and had left the school and
has not found suitable replacement. I asked the director to continue to provide monthly
progress and she refused as she said Montessori way is not something you can track by month.

Is that a reasonable request from your point of view as a teacher about the teacher/school
provides monthly progress report and brief plan for the following month?

Do teachers normally have a plan for each individual students or a plan for the entire class?
(Example learning about season changing, gardening...)

I am not sure where to nd out answers when I am curious or have doubt about certain things
that the school does was actually the Montessori (AMI) way? Please share your sources where
parents can nd out answers from reliable source(s).

Thank you and looking forward to see some advice.

~ A concern mom
Reply

Michelle Irinyi November 28, 2012 at 7:59 AM AUTHOR

Dear Concerned Mom,

I understand your concerns about the growth and progress of your child. It is common for
progress reports to be given twice a year, at parent conferences, and a nal report at the end of
the year. If you have concerns, I would address them directly with your child's teacher. I have
found that many Montessori teachers are willing to work with parents for the bene t of the
child.

Because Montessori teachers follow the growth, development and interests of the individual
child, there is usually not a whole class lesson plan for the year. Lessons and presentations are
individualized according to the needs of the child. There is a Montessori curriculum, but each
child progresses through it at his/her own pace. To learn more about the Montessori philosophy,
I encourage you to visit the philosophy section of our blog or read one of Dr. Montessori’s books.
I suggest starting with The Absorbent Mind. The Science Behind the Genius, by Angeline Stoll
Lillard, is another excellent book that discusses the ins and outs of the Montessori Method.
Reply

Unknown November 12, 2015 at 10:17 AM

I am not a Montessori teacher but I found these tips helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Reply

Rita Raley November 12, 2015 at 10:18 AM

I am not a Montessori teacher but I found these tips helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Reply

Anonymous December 4, 2015 at 1:12 AM

I am trained as a montessori assistant working as a head teacher in my school.your tips have

helped me more to make progress reports for our kids
Reply

JR Espinola August 6, 2017 at 11:27 PM

These are valuable tips for teachers. We have been using the same progress report the only
difference is we have a Teacher's General Comment at the bottom of the report where we can
describe the child's character, add "congratulations!" etc. We also have added 1 more
grade/score for work or lessons that can be nished by the child satisfactorily.

Jane
Reply

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