Report Card Comments for Effort and Participation, Grades K-2
Effort and participation is how a student engages with learning: giving best effort to classwork, joining turn and talk and class discussions, asking questions out of curiosity, and producing careful, quality work rather than rushing to finish.
Below are 13 sample sentences for Grades K-2: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Exceeds expectations / Meets expectations / Approaching expectations / Not yet meeting expectations), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 173 effort and participation sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.
Jump to: Exceeds expectations · Meets expectations · Approaching expectations · Not yet meeting expectations · Writing tips
Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Exceeds expectations E
Strengths
- At centers, [Name] works with energy and care, and [his/her/their] finished pages are neat and complete.
- During turn and talk, [Name] explains [his/her/their] thinking clearly and draws [his/her/their] partner into the conversation with questions.
Next step
- A next step is for [Name] to lead part of morning meeting, such as asking the question of the day.
Meets expectations M
Strengths
- During circle time, [Name] often raises [his/her/their] hand to share ideas and answer questions.
- [Name] joins in willingly during group activities, class games and hands-on lessons.
Next step
- [He/She/They] could come to each read-aloud ready with one question, such as what might happen next in the story.
Approaching expectations A
Strengths
- With some support, [Name] is practicing neat letter formation and leaving spaces between words.
- When called on, [Name] often has thoughtful ideas to share and is learning to volunteer them on [his/her/their] own.
Next step
- [Name] can practice sharing one idea at morning meeting, with a sentence starter to help [him/her/them] begin.
Not yet meeting expectations N
Strengths
- Tracing and forming letters neatly is a skill [Name] is practicing with one-on-one guidance.
- In turn and talk, [Name] is starting to share ideas with a partner when an adult helps get the conversation going.
Next step
- A picture card showing what careful work looks like will help [Name] take more care at centers.
Support at home
- Reading together and pausing to ask what might happen next helps [Name] practice sharing ideas.
How to write effort and participation comments for Grades K-2
- Cite a visible moment of participation, such as sharing at morning meeting, answering during a read-aloud or joining show and tell. Name the routine rather than writing a general participates well.
- Judge quality work by age-fitting signs: letters formed with care, a drawing that matches the sentence, or a center task finished rather than abandoned. Effort shows in trying, not only in tidy pages.
- For quieter kindergartners, count nonverbal participation such as a thumbs up, pointing to the anchor chart or whispering to a turn and talk partner. A sentence starter makes a small, concrete next step.
Watch out: Equating effort with results. A student can work hard and still find the content tough, or finish fast with little effort. Describe what the student does while working, like rereading directions, instead of the score earned.
At Exceeds (4), describe independence and leadership with words like consistently, without being asked, or models for classmates; at Meets (3), use steady words such as usually or with few reminders. At Approaching (2), say what happens sometimes and what support helps, and at Not yet meeting (1), describe what is emerging with adult support. Never just repeat the mark; describe the behavior behind it.
What Effort and Participation covers
In these comments, effort and participation covers these behaviours:
- gives best effort to classwork
- participates in class discussions and activities
- shows curiosity and asks questions
- produces careful, quality work
More US elementary comments
- Effort and Participation, Grades 3-5
- Organization and Work Completion, Grades K-2
- Focus and Independence, Grades K-2
- Self-Management, Grades K-2
- Relationship Skills, Grades K-2
- Respect and Responsible Decisions, Grades K-2
- Opening and closing sentences
- All US elementary skills and grade bands
- Build a comment with the comment picker
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.