1. WRITING A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
Chapter Sixteen

2. CHAPTER OBJECTES
Understand why reports need to be written, general guidelines when writing a report, and all sections of a comprehensive report including:
Identifying data
Reason for referral
Background history
Observations
Tests administered
Test results
Test by test analysis
Content area by content area analysis
Conclusions
Recommendations
Summary table

3. REPORT WRITING

4. Practical Guidelines Write the report in the third person
Single space your report to condense the length
In general, try to separate your recommendation section into three parts

5. Practical Guidelines
Try to write the report in the past tense as often as possible
Always separate sections
Underline, bold, or italicize paragraph headings so that they stand out and area easy to locate
Write reports using complete sentences

6. Criteria for Writing a Comprehensive Report

7. Identifying Data Name Address Phone Date of Birth Grade School
Chronological Age at the Time of Testing (CA)
Parents’ Names
Teacher
Referred By
Date/s of Testing
Date of Report
Examiner

8. Reason for Referral
Explains to the reader the specific reasons why this evaluation is taking place.
It should not be more than two to three sentences, but should be comprehensive enough to clarify the purpose.

9. Background History
Family History
Developmental History
Academic History
Social History

10. Behavioral Observations
Includes a description of a child’s behaviors during the testing sessions
Here, for the first time, you are providing the reader with your professional and first-hand observation of this child in a controlled setting

11. Tests and Procedures Administered
A simple list of the individual tests included in the test battery and any procedures used to enhance the report, such as classroom observation, review of records, and parent intake.

12. Test Results Analyzes the results of each test and looks
at the child’s individual performance on each
measure.
Test by Test Approach
Separately analyses the child’s performance on
each test.
Content Area by Content Area Approach
Analyses the results separately by content area

13. Conclusions Probably the essence of the report
The examiner explains in very simple terms to the reader the trends in the child’s testing results that may indicate academic strengths and weaknesses, modality strengths and weaknesses, process strengths and weaknesses, and overall diagnosis and level or severity of the problems areas indicated.

14. Recommendations Recommendations to the school
Recommendations to the teacher
Recommendations to the parent

15. Evaluation Summary Table
A useful part of the report that summarizes and places all test scores in one specific area.

16. CHAPTER OBJECTES
Understand why reports need to be written, general guidelines when writing a report, and all sections of a comprehensive report including:
Identifying data
Reason for referral
Background history
Observations
Tests administered
Test results
Test by test analysis
Content area by content area analysis
Conclusions
Recommendations
Summary table

17. THE END