Special Education Reports
After a special education evaluation is completed, reports documenting the corresponding evaluation's results must be generated. However, too often these reports are only written to comply with legal mandates and inform special education classification decisions. In order for stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, service providers, etc.) to understand and utilize the evaluation results and recommendations, the corresponding reports must be written in user-friendly language. In addition, the report should:
1. Determine if evaluation results are consistent/inconsistent with the code specifications for the suspected disability.
2. Identify those weaknesses resulting from the suspected disabling condition and an explanation of how they interfere with participation in the general education curriculum and program. These weaknesses should be stated in observable and measurable terms, which can then be transposed into the “present levels of academic achievement and functional performance” (PLAAFP) section of the IEP, if the student is found "eligible for special education and related services.” If the student is not classified, these weaknesses can be the focus of a Section 504 plan, Individual Health Plan, and/or general education interventions.
3. Identify the student's strengths with an explanation of how they facilitate the student's participation and progress in the general education curriculum and program. These strengths should be stated in observable and measurable terms and can then be transposed into the PLAAFP section of the IEP, if the student is found “eligible for special education and related services.” If not, these strengths can be capitalized on in future general education interventions.
For further clarifications and examples, see hyperlinked power point presentation on writing discipline report summaries.
Note - Identifying the student's strengths are critically important in these assessments. In their article, Multiple Intelligences and Underachievement: Lessons from Individuals with Learning Disabilities (Journal of Learning Disabilities, Volume 28, Number 7, August/September 1995), Dixon Hearne and Suki Stone note that “…the field of learning disabilities has evolved into a deficit driven enterprise…In ‘special’ programs, educators look for students’ deficits in their research, in their diagnoses, in their assessments, and throughout the school day. Once they are found, they define their roles as remediators of deficits. The students’ days are then structured to be filled with activities based on their weaknesses rather than their strengths…” “…We know a lot about what students do not know because we look for it directly throughout the day. We perseverate on the things we want them to know and generally ignore things they want to know, forgetting that only when they are immersed in their own personal interests and passions are they honing and strengths and talents.” Once identified, these strengths can be utilized to assist the student in achieving subsequent IEP goals.
As was previously noted, the following hyperlinked resources that monitor student progress should be integrated into special education reports: