Beginning in spring 2026, student-teacher conferences will replace traditional report card comments. Under this system, grades will be accompanied only by a short course description. Teachers can provide feedback regarding academic performance during their designated conferences. The shift from written comments to oral conversations improves the way student feedback is delivered, making it more authentic, personalized and effective.
Previously, written comments often lacked both depth and authenticity, as teachers needed to compress a student’s performance across an entire semester into a few sentences. As a result, their feedback was incomplete, creating unclear objectives and confusion.
Through in-depth conversations, teachers can provide more thoughtful assessments than a written paragraph. Beyond the limitations of a comment, written advice struggles to address particular student concerns. Students may request feedback on specific aspects of their performance, making it difficult for teachers to decide which areas to emphasize, often resulting in generalized or ambiguous remarks.
Now, students have a designated opportunity to ask specific questions, yielding the feedback they desire. In meetings, students have the ability to speak on challenges they faced, proud moments and areas for improvement.
The shift in the semester comment policy allows for students to have a greater role in their learning. Senior Aditya Viswanathan remarks, “It gives students an incentive to take more of an active role in their learning process.”
When the policy included written feedback, students were often focused on their grade rather than the accompanying comment, missing key ideas that could improve their learning.
The written feedback was often seen as a justification for the grade instead of a highlight of what went well for a student and what they need to work on. However, during a conference, a student’s grade is just one part of the conversation.
When reading written comments, skimming over important information is probable. Therefore, in-person conferences are more beneficial for student development as they require active engagement from both students and teachers, ultimately forcing students to process feedback and truly improve.
Oral conferences cause less tension by putting a fewer emphasis on the grade itself and rather add a greater importance to how a student can learn from their mistakes and grow.
This collaborative approach not only reduces stress and intensity, but it encourages students to listen, engage and be more receptive to feedback.
