October 28, 2020 –
When I was in school, teachers gave tests; you passed or failed. The bookends of a test where pass A or Fail B. But, there were markers in between, B, C, and D, and the report card you carry home reflected these grades (sometimes the teacher added a + or – sign to drill down).
Years ago, while walking through my neighborhood, I noticed this message on an elementary school message board, “Students Progress Reports Due This Week.” I remember when I was in elementary school, and students received “report cards.” Now they call them “progress reports.”
There’s a big difference between a progress report and a report card. The progress report measures movement toward a goal or goals; a report card reflects degrees of passing or failing. I prefer a progress report. The measurement being: are you more effective today than yesterday?
On a service test, do you want to be judged as passing or failing? Or would you prefer to be graded as a servant in progress?