Familiarize yourself with your school's report card system and grading key. Report card forms will vary from school to school. Ask a secretary or administrator to guide you through any questions or concerns with the form before you commit grades to paper.
Identify terms and acronyms in your scoring key. One school district's first grade report card, for example, denotes "ES" -- or Exceeds Standards -- as the highest level of achievement. On the other hand, another district report card denotes "SD" or "I" as Still Developing or Improvement Needed, respectively.
Clearly mark acronyms in appropriate marking period boxes. The school year, may divide into four individual terms, where each student is given markings in subjects four distinct times throughout the year. Term divisions allow children, parents, and teachers to scrutinize a child's progress with greater clarity.
Hand write any classroom teacher comments at the bottom of the form. Write comments in the specially marked box, if one is available. Note and elaborate on positive personal feelings about the student. Include comments such as "he is a pleasure to have in class." Also point out areas where the child excels, has shown improvement, and/or still needs work.