Why grades don't improve even when school reports do: Things to consider before focusing on raising your school report score in Toyokawa and Toyohashi

“My school report score went up, but I can't get good results on achievement tests.”

I sometimes receive this kind of consultation from parents.

My report card evaluation has improved a little.
I'm able to submit assignments better than before.
I was told my attitude in class isn't bad.
I'm somehow managing to keep up with school workbooks.
I'm also told at cram school that I'm working hard.

But when it comes to achievement tests, I can't get the points.
When it comes to mock exams, I fall apart.
When I see problems I've never encountered before, I freeze up.
After entering high school, I suddenly can't keep up with my studies.

These things actually happen.

I want to say first that it is important for your school report score to go up.
It also relates to high school entrance exams.
For families considering high school entrance exams in the Toyokawa and Toyohashi area, school report scores cannot be ignored.

Therefore, aiming to raise your school report score is not a mistake in itself.

However, as a private tutor watching children, there is something that concerns me a little.

That is the fact that
an increase in school report scores and the development of academic ability are not necessarily the same thing
.

If parents don't distinguish between these two, they will make the wrong judgment.

My school report score went up.
Therefore, my studies are going well.
If things continue like this, it will be fine.
The cram school's method is right for me.
I should just do my school workbooks over and over.
If I organize my assignments, this child will improve.

I understand the feeling of wanting to think that way.

But school report scores are an evaluation of the 'figure seen within the school'.

Assignments.
Efforts during class.
Regular tests.
Quizzes.
Notebooks.
Presentations.
Evaluations by subject-specific criteria.

These things combined become the evaluation on the report card.

In other words, while school report scores are very important information, they do not represent the entirety of a child's academic ability.

From the perspective of a school teacher, school report scores look at 'how a student is approaching learning within school life.'
On the other hand, achievement tests and mock exams look at whether a student can retrieve knowledge using their own power when the scope becomes wider.

These two things seem similar but are different.

I can get points on regular tests.
But I can't get points on achievement tests.

I can submit assignments.
But I can't read problems I'm seeing for the first time.

You are serious in class.
However, your ability to think for yourself and apply that knowledge is weak.

Your school report score went up.
However, the foundation of your academic ability has not really grown.

This kind of situation can happen.

So, why does this happen?

The first reason is that actions taken to raise school report scores are not necessarily actions that foster academic ability.

Submitting assignments by the deadline.
Keeping your notebook neat and organized.
Doing school workbooks multiple times.
Memorizing the test range.
Sitting seriously in class.

These are important.
They can also lead to better evaluations.

However, that alone does not necessarily mean your academic ability will grow.

Even if you do your school workbooks multiple times, you might just be remembering the answers.
Even if your notebook is neat, the information might not be organized in your own mind.
Even if you submit your assignments, you might just be copying the answers in red for problems you don't understand.
Even if you get good scores on regular tests, you might not be able to apply that knowledge once the scope changes.

From the outside, it looks like you are 'doing the work'.
But when you look at the content, there is little 'time spent thinking'.

There is a pitfall here.

From the perspective of cognitive science and learning psychology, just looking or copying is not enough to foster academic ability.

Recalling information yourself.
Explaining it in your own words.
Thinking about why you made a mistake.
Solving it again after a little time has passed.
Comparing similar problems with different ones.
Trying to use knowledge in different situations.

This kind of process is necessary.

However, if you only rush to raise your school report score, your focus inevitably shifts toward creating a 'form that gets evaluated'.

Submitting assignments.
Filling in the blanks.
Organizing your notebook.
Memorizing the test range.
Creating a form that is visible to the teacher.

These are necessary things.
However, if you stop there, it is difficult for your academic ability to grow.

The second reason is that you become too biased toward studying for regular tests.

Junior high school regular tests have a set range.
Similar problems sometimes appear from school workbooks.
They focus on content covered in class.
If you concentrate and repeat the material right before the test, some students can get a certain level of score.

Of course, that is not a bad thing.
Getting good scores on regular tests is also important.

However, if you optimize too much for regular tests, you may struggle with proficiency tests and mock exams.

Proficiency tests cover a wider range of material.
You have to judge for yourself which unit's knowledge to use.
You need to read the problem statement and organize the conditions.
Even if the way a question is asked changes slightly, you need to think and respond accordingly.

There will be more situations where you cannot cope just by using the patterns you memorized through repeating workbook exercises.

That is why some children can get decent scores on regular tests but do not improve on proficiency tests.

This is not just because the child is lazy.
Their study methods are confined within the scope of regular tests.

When considering high school entrance exams, this is very important.

School report scores are related to entrance exams.
However, actual ability is required for the academic achievement test on the day of the exam and for learning after entering high school.

Studying to raise school report scores and studying to develop actual ability.
If you don't connect these two, you may find yourself in a difficult position later.

The third reason is that children learn only the 'behaviors that get evaluated'.

When children are strongly conscious of their school report scores, they tend to think like this:

I just need to organize what I submit to the teacher.
I just need to meet the deadlines.
I just need to keep my notebook neat.
I just need to work hard right before the test.
I just need to create the form that gets evaluated.

Of course, it is important to acquire behaviors that are evaluated in school life.

However, if that goes too far, studying becomes not about 'understanding the content' but about 'creating the form that gets evaluated'.

This is a bit scary.

Submitting work even if it means copying the answers.
Hiding mistakes.
Skipping parts you don't understand.
Fixing the form without asking questions.
Finishing just by correcting in red pen.
Prioritizing whether it was submitted over whether you actually learned it.

When this happens, school report scores might rise temporarily.
However, academic ability is difficult to develop.

If you are an educator, I think you understand this feeling.

'They submit everything properly,' but they can't score on tests.
'They are serious,' but they get stuck on unseen problems.
'Their notebook is clean,' but they don't understand when asked to explain.
'They go to cram school,' but they can't start studying on their own at home.

This is a state where superficial learning and substantive learning are misaligned.

The fourth reason is that they may only be moving because they are being managed.

They do it if they go to cram school.
They do it if a teacher is watching.
They submit it if they are checked.
They sit at their desk if they go every day.
They open their workbook if their parents tell them to.

This can sometimes raise school report scores a little.

However, whether that child has truly become able to start on their own is a different matter.

They can move in places where there is external management.
But they cannot move at home.
They do it before a test.
But they cannot return to it normally.
They do what they are instructed to do.
But they cannot decide the priority themselves.

In this state, they may struggle after entering high school.

In high school, there are more situations where you have to think for yourself than in junior high school.
The amount of assignments also increases.
The speed of classes also increases.
When you don't understand, you need the ability to go back and review on your own.

If they remain in a state of "moving only when managed" during junior high school, some children will suddenly be unable to move in high school.

This is not to say that the person lacks ability.
It is that the path for learning on their own has not been cultivated.

That is why I become a little cautious when I see the term "autonomous learning."

Are they truly autonomous?
Or are they just moving because they are being managed in detail?

Going every day.
Being assigned tasks.
Being checked.
Having submissions managed.

There are times when that is necessary.

But, does that lead to
"the ability to start on their own at home"
"the ability to go back when they don't understand"
"the ability to look at their own state and adjust"
?

We must look at this.

Children whose grades do not improve even if their school report scores go up may have a weakness in this area.

The fifth reason is that because school report scores have gone up, the real stumbling blocks become harder to see.

When school report scores are low, parents, teachers, and cram schools are all worried.
They think they must do something.

But when school report scores go up a little, they feel relieved.

Good.
This method is fine.
The cram school is a good fit.
We should just keep going like this.

One wants to think so.

However, behind the scenes, their proficiency test scores aren't improving.
They aren't scoring well on mock exams.
They can't read when it comes to word problems.
They can't read long English passages.
They get stuck on math problems they've never seen before.
Science and social studies have become nothing more than rote memorization.

Sometimes, this state of affairs persists.

Because their school report scores have gone up, it can actually delay the realization of the real issues.

This is a significant blind spot.

If your school report score goes up, that is of course a good thing.
It is a result of the student's own efforts.
Perhaps their approach to assignments and class participation has changed.

However, I would like you to check one thing at that time.

Is this child actually gaining real ability?
Can they handle it even when the scope of the material expands?
Can they think through problems they are seeing for the first time?
Is their study method one that will continue to work after they enter high school?

If you don't look at this and just feel relieved by the school report score alone, you may run into trouble later.

Among the students who struggle after entering high school, there are some who had decent school report scores in junior high.

They can turn in assignments.
They can work hard before tests.
They can listen to what the teacher says.
They look serious.

But once they enter high school, they are overwhelmed by the volume and speed.
They cannot organize things on their own.
They cannot go back to the parts they don't understand.
They just end up processing tasks.
Studying only before tests is no longer enough.

The study methods that worked in junior high no longer work in high school.

This is the danger of chasing only school report scores.

From the perspective of career guidance, passing an exam is not the goal.
Passing the high school entrance exam is important.
But whether they can continue to learn for the three years that follow is even more important.

They raised their school report scores and got into high school.
But they collapsed immediately after enrollment.
They can't keep up with school assignments.
They can't structure their own study.
Just like in junior high, assignments and memorization alone are not enough.

When this happens, it becomes very difficult for both the student and the family.

That is why I do not deny the importance of raising school report scores, but I do not want to stop there.

School report scores are important.
But they are just a milestone.

I want the child to be able to think for themselves.
I want them to be able to go back when they don't understand something.
I want them to be able to use their mistakes again, rather than just correcting them in red ink.
I want them to be able to use school workbooks as learning tools, not just as assignments to be submitted.
I want them to be able to adjust their learning methods even after entering high school.

This is the level I want to reach.

There is something I especially want to convey to families in Toyokawa and Toyohashi who are thinking about raising their school report scores.

The phrase "raising your school report score" is very attractive.

It speaks directly to the anxieties of parents.
It resonates strongly as high school entrance exams approach.
It also serves as an easy-to-understand criterion when looking for a cram school.

However, when you see the phrase "raising your school report score," there is one thing I want you to check.

Does that increase in your school report score actually translate into real ability?

Is it just about organizing submitted assignments?
Is it just about preparing for regular tests?
Is it just about the number of times you complete school workbooks?
Is it just about being managed by attending every day?
Or does it also look at the ability to learn on one's own?

This is the point.

Raising your school report score itself is a good thing.
However, there are different ways to raise it.

School report scores that rise by just meeting the criteria for evaluation.
School report scores that rise as the foundation of academic ability grows.
School report scores that rise because school engagement has changed.
School report scores that rise due to temporary cramming.
School report scores that somehow rise through the management of parents or cram schools.

They are not all the same.

I want parents to look not just at the numbers, but at what lies beneath them.

Your school report score has gone up.
At that time, please try asking these questions.

Are you able to think and solve school workbooks on your own?
Can you solve the problems you got wrong by yourself again?
Can you apply your knowledge even if the test range changes?
Does this also translate to achievement tests and mock exams?
Are you able to start studying on your own little by little at home?
When you don't understand something, do you know where to go back to?
Can you continue with this study method even after entering high school?

If you cannot answer these questions, even if your school report score has gone up, there may still be some underlying anxiety.

Of course, it doesn't have to be perfect.
Middle school students cannot do everything by themselves from the start.
There are times when management is necessary.
Some children start by just organizing their submitted assignments.
Some children first need to get their school report scores back up even a little.

However, it is important whether or not you are looking beyond that.

Are you only raising your evaluation for now?
Or are you cultivating the ability to learn while raising your evaluation?

This difference is significant.

Educational literacy does not mean taking school report scores lightly.
It is the ability to look deeper without being overly swayed by school report scores.

It is not just about feeling relieved when the numbers go up,
but the ability to see,
"Is this child's academic ability truly growing?"

It is the ability to not just blame when numbers drop, but to break down
where the progress has stalled.

It is the ability to think not just about whether to send them to cram school, but
whether that support is leading to the ability to learn on their own.

School report scores go up, but for some reason, academic performance does not improve.

The reason for this may be that the studying done for school report scores and the studying done to develop actual ability are misaligned.

They are submitting their assignments.
But their understanding is shallow.

They can get good scores on regular tests.
But they cannot apply that knowledge to achievement tests.

They can take action when managed.
But they cannot start on their own.

Their notebooks are neat.
But their thoughts are not organized.

They can perform actions that get evaluated.
But the ability to learn has not yet been cultivated.

Whether or not you can notice this will change their future learning.

I do not want families in Toyokawa and Toyohashi who are thinking about raising their school report scores to feel rushed.
I understand the feeling of anxiety.
As long as there are high school entrance exams, school report scores are a concern.

But raising school report scores is not the only goal of education.

Use the school report score as an opportunity to review how the child learns.
Change how school workbooks are used.
Change the meaning of correcting mistakes.
Look at the reasons why they cannot start at home.
Gradually increase the time they spend thinking for themselves.
Connect this to skills that will remain even after high school.

I believe that only when you can do that does raising school report scores have meaning.

School report scores are important.
But school report scores are not the goal.

It is about the child not just studying for the sake of evaluation,
but becoming able to continue learning on their own.

I want to look beyond just the scores.

When school report scores go up, please look closely without getting too comfortable.

Is this child truly understanding?
Are they able to go back and review on their own?
Is this a way of learning that will continue even after entering high school?

If more families can see what lies behind the increase in school report scores, they will not have to push their children more than necessary.
And I believe that a true form of relearning, not just raising evaluations, will begin.