Wondering how and what to write for report card comments for ESL students and English language learners?
This list of 30 ready-to-use report card comments covers language growth, speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills for ESL and ELL report cards, and provides examples of both positive feedback for students and suggestions for improvement.
Help make the grading and evaluation process for ESL students easier with this selection of editable, categorized comments.
Language Growth Within the 4 Domains for ESL Students
Speaking
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_____________ is not yet able to express [himself/herself] verbally in the English language.
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While _____________ has demonstrated understanding through other domains, [he/she] still struggles to speak comfortably in front of [his/her] classmates. _____________’s speaking abilities are higher than [his/her] performance in this area.
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_____________ is able to produce phrases and sometimes simple sentences when expressing [himself/herself] verbally.
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_____________ is able to produce simple and some expanded sentences when expressing [himself/herself] verbally.
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_____________ is able to produce simple, expanded, and some complex sentences when expressing [himself/herself] verbally.
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_____________ has gradually gained confidence while speaking and the pace, rhythm, and flow of [his/her] speech has improved significantly.
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_____________’s knowledge and oral use of [academic/conversational] vocabulary has improved.
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Reading
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_____________ is currently reading and comprehending texts at a [ ] grade level.
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_____________ is able to decode and pronounce [1-2/2-3/3-5] syllable words with [simple/complex] letter patterns while reading.
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_____________ is [usually/often/sometimes/rarely/un] able to comprehend the main idea and key details in classroom texts.
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While _____________ is able to comprehend the main ideas in classroom texts, [he/she] sometimes misses the subtext or implicit meaning within a text.
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_____________ is [usually/often/sometimes/rarely/un] able to recognize and interpret figurative and idiomatic language within a text.
Writing
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_____________ is able to produce phrases and sometimes simple sentences when writing.
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_____________ is able to produce simple and some expanded sentences when writing.
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_____________ is able to produce simple, expanded, and some complex sentences when writing.
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_____________ is able to spell familiar, everyday words but misspells most tier 2 and tier 3 grade-level words.
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_____________’s writing contains [multiple/some/few] errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
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_____________ has begun to gradually incorporate more complex vocabulary into [his/her] writing.
Listening
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_____________ is able to comprehend questions, statements, and commands when the speaker uses short phrases, simple sentences, and everyday language.
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_____________ is able to comprehend most expanded sentences, words with multiple meanings, and some common idioms.
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_____________ is able to comprehend most complex sentences, even those with challenging grammatical elements.
General Language Growth Comments for ESL Students
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_____________ has made [minimal/moderate/significant] progress when it comes to meeting [his/her] language goals.
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_____________ requires little to no language scaffolds and content modifications in order to access grade level material.
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_____________ requires consistent language scaffolds and content modifications in order to access grade level material.
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_____________ has achieved different levels of progress within the domains of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. [Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking] is [his/her] strongest area, while [Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking] is [his/her] biggest area for growth.
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_____________’s proficiency level in [his/her] native language has [constrained/aided] [his/her] progress in English.
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_____________’s commitment to improving [his/her] English language proficiency is evident and commendable.
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I believe an improvement in _____________’s [confidence/work ethic] would translate to an overall improvement of [his/her] language proficiency.
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_____________’s progress and ability to access material was [unimpeded/slightly impeded/significantly impeded] when learning transitioned from in-person to remote.
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_____________ would benefit from increased exposure to the English language outside of an academic setting.
