As with any effective database, the reports that are produced provide crucial information at a glance. If we wanted to prepare for a parents' evening at school, we might want to produce a report overview of grades and general performance with regard to specific tasks. The Gradebook provides us with different options. We can view an individual student's performance or the whole class performance and can add class averages for tasks. This would provide us with enough detail to be able to speak with confidence about the general performance of a student in relation to the rest of the class and to spot possible trends in the course that might need some form of correction in the future.
It is possible to print the report in preparation for your parents' evening in the same way you would print any document. Other types of report are available with a few tweaks...