One of the most important ways school psychs can help students succeed is by writing and communicating assessment results to families in a parent-friendly manner. However, many psych reports are written with confusing jargon and acronyms that can be difficult for parents to understand. Let’s chat more about ways to write parent-friendly reports! If you are interested in watching the replay where I discuss this topic, click HERE.
Using Simple Language for Complex Concepts
School psychs love acronyms and using technical terms, but it’s important to know that parents might not share the same feelings! Instead, use simple language that parents can easily understand, such as average, below average, or above average, when discussing their child’s educational strengths and weaknesses. If you need to use technical terms, explain them clearly and concisely. Psychs can provide specific examples that may have been noted during testing or by sharing teacher feedback.
Highlighting Student Strengths and Receiving Parent Feedback
While it’s important to discuss student struggles, it’s equally important to highlight their strengths and areas of success. This gives parents a more complete picture of their child’s abilities. When offering recommendations, be specific about what parents can do to help their child at home and provide concrete examples and resources.
Another great way to ensure that the information provided to parents is clear and concise is by simply asking them for feedback! Asking parents if they have any questions or concerns or if anything needs to be further explained can give school psychs valuable insights into how their report was written and how the findings were communicated.
Want an example of how to make a report more parent-friendly? Check out my suggestion below!
Not Parent-Friendly:
The student had a standard score of 79 in the area of cognitive processing speed, which is significantly below the mean. This may impact his ability to keep up with the classroom demands.
Parent-Friendly:
The student takes longer to process information and complete tasks. This can make it difficult for him to keep up with the pace of the classroom.
As you can see, the parent-friendly version of the report is written using simple language and avoids using technical terms. It gives parents a clear picture of how their child’s processing speed affects their classroom performance.
Ready to grow together? Register for our upcoming live trainings today! Learn from experienced experts on topics such as writing parent-friendly reports, responding to evaluation requests, and evaluating executive functioning skills. Don’t miss this chance to learn from the best and boost your skills!
