Teacher Doesn't Return Children's Papers

At my daughter's new school, the fifth-grade teacher doesn't hand back any papers until report-card time, when I get a great big bundle of them. All the other fourth- and fifth-grade teachers do the same thing. It's very hard for me to assess how my child is doing during a trimester grading period. My daughter doesn't ever get assignment or test papers back either.
I asked the teachers why they kept the papers for three months, and they said I could come in and look at them anytime I wished. I can't understand their reasons for holding onto the papers -- it makes me feel so out of the loop. I do see my child's homework, as I have to sign a homework planner every night. Why won't these teachers hand back the children's papers? -- Totally Baffled
Answer: Seeing your daughter's homework should give you a fair idea of how she is doing in school as well as the opportunity to express positive attitudes toward her work. In some schools, especially in the lower grades, it is often the custom to send all of a student's papers home just once a week -- usually on Friday. Waiting three months to see your child's graded papers is way too long. It doesn't give you or the other parents any chance to stop minor problems from becoming major ones. It would appear that you are going to have to visit this school from time to time to get a picture of how your child is doing as long as the teachers have this policy.
We can't see anything positive in not handing children back their work as soon as possible. In the absence of any kind of input on the correctness of their work, your daughter and the other children run the risk of making the same mistakes over and over again -- reinforcing bad habits. Prompt and effective feedback is one of the most important parts of teaching.
You should pursue a discussion of this policy further. It is discouraging parents from working with their children or being involved in their education. How do other parents feel about this policy? What does the principal think? This policy should be discussed at a parent-teacher meeting. We would really like to know why the teachers are not returning students' papers promptly.