Grade 9 English language arts report card comments - British Columbia

12 sample Grade 9 English language arts comments for British Columbia's Learning Updates, from Extending to Emerging: 6 strengths and 6 next steps. Adapt any sentence to what you have seen in class, or write them for your whole class in the free Studio.

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Sample comments

Shown with the sample name Sam and they/them. The Studio uses your student's first name and pronoun.

Each chip links to the official BC curriculum page for the area and grade. No curriculum text is copied here.

BC English Language Arts, Grade 9

Extending

Strength. Sam writes with a distinct voice and uses structure and style to create a chosen effect. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Next step. To keep growing, Sam can try forms that blend genres and reflect on how the choice shapes meaning. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Next step. Sam is encouraged to seek feedback from a real audience beyond our class and revise in response. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9

Proficient

Strength. Sam reads texts closely and backs each claim with evidence and a clear explanation. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Strength. Sam checks whether sources can be trusted and uses well-chosen facts to support ideas. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Next step. Next, Sam can make each argument stronger. Naming the other side and answering it will help. Curricular competency Written for Grade 9

Developing

Strength. Sam is growing more independent with longer texts and more often finds key ideas and themes. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Next step. A next step is for Sam to revise with a focus on transitions, so ideas flow from one paragraph to the next. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Next step. Sam is encouraged to explain how a writer's choices, such as word choice or point of view, affect the message. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9

Emerging

Strength. Sam is beginning to use notes and summaries to work through longer texts. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Strength. Using a model, Sam is beginning to plan and draft short pieces with a clear main point. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9
Next step. Moving forward, Sam can revise one draft using teacher feedback and compare it with the first version. Curricular competency Written for Grades 8-9

How British Columbia reports

Grades K-9 use the four-point Provincial Proficiency Scale.
grades K-9: The four-point Provincial Proficiency Scale is used (Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Extending.)
BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, K-12 Student Reporting Policy: Educator Summary Guide (Ministry of Education and Child Care, 2023), p.3 · Source
Two of the year's communications of learning are written Learning Updates.
2 written Learning Updates in a printed or digital format
BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, K-12 Student Reporting Policy: Educator Summary Guide (Ministry of Education and Child Care, 2023), p.3 · Source
Comments focus on strengths and areas for further growth.
should focus on student strengths and areas for further growth
BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, K-12 Student Reporting Policy: Educator Summary Guide (Ministry of Education and Child Care, 2023), p.3 · Source
Comments are concise and family-friendly; bullets are fine.
should be concise (bullets are okay) and in parent/caregiver-friendly language
BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, K-12 Student Reporting Policy: Educator Summary Guide (Ministry of Education and Child Care, 2023), p.3 · Source

Questions teachers ask

What should a Grade 9 English language arts comment in British Columbia say?

Comments focus on strengths and areas for further growth. Comments are concise and family-friendly; bullets are fine. Comments should not summarize lesson plans or the Learning Standards. Source: BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, K-12 Student Reporting Policy: Educator Summary Guide (Ministry of Education and Child Care, 2023), p.3.

Are these Grade 9 English language arts comments tied to the curriculum?

All 12 comments name a skill and show the British Columbia curriculum match for Grade 9 beside the sentence, with a link to the official page (the Studio does not reproduce BC curriculum text). A match shows the skill is taught at this grade; judge the fit yourself.

Where do student names go?

Nowhere. Names, ratings and comments are kept in this browser's storage on your computer and are never sent to Milestone Teachers or anyone else. One button clears them.

More report card comments

Other Grade 9 subjects

English Language Arts in other grades

All British Columbia report card comments · British Columbia Studio

Honest limits

Sample comments for teachers to adapt; no prescribed or mandated comments exist in BC.
Not affiliated with or approved by the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care. This is not a report card system: nothing is submitted anywhere, and you copy the text into your district's software yourself.

Pair it with

The Studio is free. These printable reporting resources are separate products on this site, each for the place named in its title; open a product page to see its pages, contents and licence.

British Columbia Report Season Kit — Kindergarten to Grade 9: Four resources in one download for written Learning Updates: a 16-page evidence organizer, 17 pages of student Core Competencies self-reflection, 1032 Learning Update comments and 63 comment frames. Nothing in the kit rates a competency.