The fall progress report card went home with Ottawa elementary school students this week. (CBC) Parents of Ottawa elementary school students are getting their first look at the province's new grade-free report cards this week.

The progress reports went home with students in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board on Thursday. The reports dispense with the A, B and C of grades in favour of personalized assessments of how students are performing and their general work habits in the classroom.

'We're not looking to edu-babble anybody. The comments are to be individualized, to be personal.'— Neil York Sadler, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

Anne Teutsch, a mother of three and chair of the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils, said the progress reports are being well received so far.

"For teachers to be able to write the comments is acknowledging the fact that every child is an individual," said Teutsch.

Teachers in Ontario have pushed for years to get rid of the traditional fall report card, usually issued in late October or early November, saying it comes too soon after the start of the school year. Parents have also complained that grades don't give a complete picture of their children's performance.

Focus on work habits

The fall progress report assesses each student in six areas: responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative and self-regulation.

Teachers can provide ratings such as doing well, good, satisfactory or needs improvement. A large space is provided for teacher comments, something not provided for in the traditional graded report cards issued later in the year.

'For teachers to be able to write the comments is acknowledging the fact that every child is an individual.'— Anne Teutsch, chair of the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils

Neil York Sadler, director of curriculum services for the Ottawa-Carleton board, said the fall progress reports will give students, parents and teachers the information they need to have a more successful school year.

"We're not looking to edu-babble anybody. The comments are to be individualized, to be personal," he said. "[It's] not one mark in one subject."

Ontario is the first Canadian province to issue only two report cards with letter grades during the school year. Graded report cards will still be issued in February and at the end of the school year in June.

The autumn progress report is being introduced at schools across Ontario this fall. About 60 schools were involved in testing different versions over the past few years.