<p>Transcripts and report cards are different. A transcript is a summary report of the final grades assigned and courses taken. In middle school – in many cases – the report card includes the grade, an effort score, and comments sections for the teachers. That’s why parents tell their kids to get their grades up…and they aren’t pitching fits on the college section about teacher comments. If report card comments went out to colleges, the college sections on CC would be flooded with threads of parents and students who are beside themselves over negative comments – or even the lack of comments – that take some of the shine off of their stellar numeric or alpha grades.</p>
<p>But I don’t know much about what colleges expect. The dean of admission at one of the AEDSCH schools thought it was odd. Not unheard of, but odd enough to point it out. </p>
<p>The schools only ask for grades, not the report cards. If the comments were a standard part of the application package, then I wonder why those comments are universally omitted from the discussions of chances and best-fitting schools, etc. It’s unusual or people aren’t aware that the comments are being reviewed. Any way you slice it, a warning is needed.</p>
<p>Example: [REPORT</a> CARDS / TRANSCRIPTS](<a href=“http://lvcacs.org/Handbook/repcardtrans/repcardtransc.htm]REPORT”>http://lvcacs.org/Handbook/repcardtrans/repcardtransc.htm)</p>