Monthly evidence check
Every month you should be able to see evidence of what your child is learning. This tool shows what to ask for, gives you the wording, and tells you who to write to next if no one answers. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Where you stand this month
What to ask for at this grade
A message you can send to the teacher
Copied. Paste it into an email or your school's messaging app.
If no one answers
Most teachers want this conversation, so start by assuming good faith. A short, specific request is easier to answer than a general worry. If you still hear nothing, move up one step at a time and keep a copy of everything you send.
- Day 1. Send the message to the teacher. Write down the date.
- After 3 school days. Send the same message again with one added line: "I am following up on my note from [date]."
- After 5 more school days. Write to the principal or school leader. Attach both messages and ask for a date by which you will receive the work and the assessment results.
- After 10 more school days with no plan. Write to the office above the school. For a district school, write to the district superintendent. For a charter school, write to the network office or the school's board.
These waiting times are my suggestion, not a rule. A federal law called FERPA does give you the right to inspect your child's education records, and a school must respond to that request within 45 days. The U.S. Department of Education explains this right at studentprivacy.ed.gov.
Five things to check every month
- I saw work that a teacher marked or graded.
- I know my child's reading level compared with the grade.
- I know how my child is doing in math compared with the grade.
- The school answered my last message within a few school days.
- I know one specific thing to work on at home.