Report Writing Workshop #1 This is the first workshop in a series of 2 before the first draft is due. Today we will discuss writing the background sections of the report, next week we will discuss writing the charts of the cognitive section and the cognitive summary. SPED 576 Spring 2017

Quick Check Think back to testing session #1… What did you notice? Examiner observations? Examinee observations? Other? How are you feeling about your upcoming testing session?

Review of Writing Workshop 1a Case Study Basics Template available on box. REMEMBER WORD ONLY. In box… 1 master copy Send notes/updates to each other All confidential documents are secured here. Google drive only works for word processing, not for the formatting, so your team will need to complete the report on Word. You may use Google drive for collaboration purposes, but do not use it to format the report. In the past, people have used email, dropbox, and one master copy to collaborate. Keep in mind that all of this information remains confidential and should be deleted from emails, dropbox, etc., when the report is completed. Do not send information via email if someone outside of you group (ie. a family member) has access to your email. Summary sections and background section are the places that often sound the most choppy because the information included depends on the child and each subsection is written by a different person. You will need to work together to ensure that this section flows well and is not obviously written by 2-3 different authors. How is everyone feeling about box??

Report Format Educational Evaluation Report Assessment Instruments Examiners: Everyone in your group Dates: ALL dates your child was tested Example 1/30,2/6, 2/13,2/20, 2/27, 3/5/, 3/12 Assessment Instruments Check that the right form is written and that all the test you administered are here. This will become more relevant in draft 2. Everything in yellow are directions to you that should be deleted before turning in. Go ahead and enter Identifying information now.

Format continued Supplemental reading: Rules of Reporting Developmental and Background History Written Objectively Summarize parent interview & include information involving academic, medical, and developmental history. write chronologically Behavioral Observations Written objectively Summarize observations: first school observations, then summarize teacher’s interview/observations, lastly summarize student’s behavior during live testing and clinic days. (you will continuously update this if the student’s behavior changes throughout the testing) Rules of reporting—in resource binders—will help interns with phrasing.

Format continued Reminder on other documents You may receive documents from a parent or a teacher These documents must be SUMMARIZED in the appropriate section. Example: Old IEPS, doctor’s reports, past psychological evaluations, etc. Andrew is a great example

Model Example: Reason for Assessment Donald was referred to the UIC Assessment Clinic by his mother, Mrs. Ford. She was concerned about Donald’s overall academic achievement, especially in the area of reading comprehension. Donald also struggled to comprehend directions on assignments and subsequently, complete assignments in a timely manner. From this assessment, Mrs. Ford hoped to gain insight into Donald’s strengths and areas of need, both cognitively and academically. Mrs. Ford hoped to understand specific ways that Donald learned best as well as what strategies her and Donald could use in order to help him achieve academic success.

Model Example: Medical History Josie was born a healthy baby and Mrs. Smith reported no complications with either her pregnancy of delivery of Josie. Developmental milestones such as toilet training, crawling, walking, and general motor abilities were met within the normal age range. Mrs. Smith believed Josie began talking around 18 months and experienced no speech impairments. At age 14, Josie’s current health was excellent, with mild illnesses occurring only about once a year and no medications needed.

Model Example: Educational History Mrs. Smith reported that Josie attended preschool for two years. In kindergarten, she observed that her daughter took longer than other children her age to learn the sounds and letters of the alphabet. Mrs. Smith stated that she and some teachers also first noticed Josie was experiencing some difficulties with writing in kindergarten. Josie tended to reverse letters and she disliked spelling from a very early age. According to Mrs. Smith, reading became more challenging for Josie throughout elementary school and a comprehensive evaluation was administered in 5th grade. Prior to 5th grade, Josie had not received any special services. After the evaluation, Josie was identified as having a Learning Disability in reading and writing and received an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Modifications on the IEP consisted of reading information aloud to Josie in class and omitting spelling error penalties.

Example: What not to do An interview was conducted on September ?? with Ned’s mother, Mrs. Peters. She decried Ned as a 10-year-old male who has academic challenged across the board but specifically in reading. He has received services and diagnosis of ADHD however, Mrs. Peters is concerned that there is a disconnect between the current academic and diagnostic situation and the reality of Ned’s achievement gap. Ned and his family live in Chicago, Illinois. The family consists of his mother, his father, and his younger sister. Ned is active in Baseball, boy scouts, and enjoys playing video games and playing outside with friends. Ned has received tutoring services for reading, which remains the main concern for Mrs. Peters now. Mrs. Peters reported a typical pregnancy with Ned. Ned’s first medical challenges occurred when he had an ear infection at an early age, which resulted in extended challenges to his language development and a speech impediment, which existed at the time of the clinical assessment. Ned’s mother stated that she believed that his difficulties influenced his poor reading performance. Mrs. Peters reported that Ned’s socialization is typical. She also reported that no previous interventions (including his reading tutoring) have resulted in a dramatic increase in his reading scores, specifically in the IRead. Mrs. Peters also noted concerns with Ned’s organizational skills. This example also has multiple issues. First, include the correct date! Since you conducted the interview, you should know this. Box 1 - Be careful with word choice and choose clear, simple words instead of more sophisticated language, especially if you are unsure of the meaning. “Decried” means to criticize or belittle. Box 2 – Make sure word tenses agree! Grammar and mechanics matter. Box 3 – First, make sure capitalizations are correct. Second, organize your information chronologically and by topic. The first paragraph includes current information before birth/developmental information. Additionally, the birth/developmental/medical information should be a separate paragraph. Notice that the second paragraph goes back to concerns about reading and school achievement. These two paragraphs need to be reorganized chronologically and should distinguish between developmental/medical history and educational history.

Guidelines- LOOK in your binder. PAST TENSE– Cartman was the youngest member of a family of four, which included his mother, Kathy, his father.. Professional language & vocabulary Buffy also had a very positive affect. She was friendly and appeared... NO judgemental statements,“gots”, abbreviations, etc. Feel free to refer to the examples, however, make sure your are using YOUR OWN WORDS.

SELF EDITING CHECKLIST & Rubrics Before you turn in... Consult the DRAFT 1 Checklist Checklist and Writing Mechanics Role Rubric 32 points Content - points Organization and Mechanics - 4 points

Report Writing Workshop 1B:Writing up the Cognitive Tables SPED 576 Summer 2016

Materials Needed WJ Cog IV Score Report Test Easel Test protocols (scanned versions when working at home) Draft 1 in box

Completing the Results Tables 1 3 2 This is an example of the table in the report template. Notice the scores are embedded in the correct places. Also, notice the correct use of punctuation and clear examples in the analysis sections.

Completing the Results Tables For each assessment, complete the detailed table of results. DO NOT change description of the test or subtests in this section Enter the Cluster Scores in table headings Input the standard score and interpretation into the table Complete the analysis of performance This information is also written into the template, so we will just cover it briefly. We describe each test and subtest because others who read this report may not be familiar with the assessment. Interpretation

Completing the Tables Analysis of Performance Look at the interpretation, it will tell you if this was an area of strength or an area of need. Begin with an objective statement of performance and discuss strategies or behaviors noticed during testing. Then, Give examples that reflect the score interpretation for that subtest. Generally… show most basic errors in an area of difficulty show highest skills in an area of strength Note: Error analysis will be needed to identify possible patterns in all areas The standard scores here are used for the Woodcock-Johnson tests. In the analysis of performance section, you are providing examples that give the reader an idea of the strengths and/or weaknesses the child showed on the assessment. You will need to conduct a task analysis to determine if there are any patterns in terms of the types of errors the child made on a test. Similarly, a task analysis should reveal areas of strengths.

Completing the Results Tables This is an example of the table in the report template. Notice the scores are embedded in the correct places. Also, notice the correct use of punctuation and clear examples in the analysis sections.

Guidelines for Choosing Examples Choose examples that match student’s score/performance (i.e. score interpretation) on the particular subtest. The examples you select will be different depending on whether it is an area of need (below average), strength (above average) or average performance. Provide 2 to 3 examples for each subtest.

An Example: Strength Look at the score report: Input score and interpretation into the table. Select example-look at protocol book and easel to select and write in examples into the table. You may also take pictures of items. Use visual auditory learning- 116- Above Average.

Selecting Examples: Strengths=Above Average Scores Above Average Scores are 116+ For subtests with above average scores: Choose items that reflect the overall skill assessed by the subtest. Choose an item that reveals strength, near the ceiling and/or more difficult items on the test to show higher levels of performance. Providing the last item before they hit a ceiling is often best for this. Note: The way that we integrate examples of a child’s performance into these reports is almost exactly how you should incorporate examples into present levels of performance sections in IEPs.

Selecting Examples: Strengths continued… Cowboy Test Since this is a strength we want to showcase an example that was challenging and that the student did correctly. For this example it we are looking at the 7th item. Here we can see that in the first sentence the student did not mis-read any symbol words, so this is a good example to use since it is near the end of the assessment. Look at the whole protocol for that subtest and find items that the student answered correctly near the ceiling. Then, go back to the easel.

Checking the Easel- Review the example & what the subtest was measuring or asking the student to do. Then, write it in jargon free language in the analysis of performance cell. This is the student page of this assessment. And then the Examiner page. Comparing the protocol to the examiner page, we can see where the student excelled and or made errors. We can also see more clearly, what the student was asked to do. In this instance the student was previously shown symbols and told their meanings, she then had to use those symbols in a simulated reading task.

Finally, fill in the analysis of performance cell. Remember, begin with an objective statement of performance and discuss strategies or behaviors noticed during testing. Then include examples.

Selecting Examples: Average scores Average Scores fall within the 85-115 range A score of 85 is considered LOW AVERAGE A score of 115 is considered HIGH AVERAGE For tests with average scores: Choose an average example, not the highest or lowest item correct but mid-range items that show what they could and could not do (the examples should represent performance and nature of test). An item that was not too close to either the basal or celling of the subtest.

Example: Average Decide on the interpretation using the score report: Input score and interpretation into table. Select example-look at protocol book and easel to select and write in examples into the table. You may also take pictures of items. For this example we are going to look at the Number series subtest in which she scored a 97, Average.

Look at the whole protocol for that subtest and find items that the student answered correctly or incorrectly mid-range. For this write up, we will look here at items 8-15. The student had gotten them all correct up until the second set of direction. Since the student immediately got one wrong after the second set of directions, I want to know what those were. That’s were I will start looking in the easel.

Error analysis— The directions changed,look at the examiner’s page Here, the task the student was asked to do changed. Now a sequence can either be forward or backwards. If we look back at the protocol we can see that the student had a difficult time in the sample item, but then got it correct.

Student’s Easel: incorrectly answered 5 for question 11 We can see that the student incorrectly answered 5 for question 11, but correctly answered 20 for question 12. Here the student seems to have more ease filling in forward sequences than backwards. student seems to have more ease filling in forward sequences than backwards.

Finally, Write the example Begin with an objective statement of performance and discuss strategies or behaviors noticed during testing.

Selecting Examples: Below Average Scores Below Average range from 84-70 Scores Significantly Below Average are 69 and lower To show weaknesses/needs on tests with low scores: Choose a missed item near the basal Choose items that reflect a pattern of errors

Example: Below Average Decide on the interpretation using the score report: Input score and interpretation into table. Select example-look at protocol book and easel to select and write in examples into the table. You may also take pictures of items. For this example we’re looking at numbers reversed.

Look at the whole protocol for that subtest and find items that the student answered incorrectly or with the same pattern of errors near basal (error analysis). Once, the number series included 3 digits, the student did not accurately reverse the order

Examples: Below Average continued…. Examiner’s Easel

Finally, Write the example Begin with an objective statement of performance and discuss strategies or behaviors noticed during testing.

Writing Tips: When writing in the performance analysis cell… Begin with an objective statement of performance and discuss strategies or behaviors noticed during testing. Give examples that reflect the score interpretation for that subtest. Be clear and concise. Write in terms of strengths and needs. Do not use subtest names, rather use skills. Italicized directions said by examiner; anything said by child is in “quotation marks.” Keep these things in mind when summarizing and analyzing the tests. These are good guidelines to follow for writing IEPs as well (although the last bullet point does not necessarily apply).

Note of Caution: Explain numbers, don’t just list them Subtest 14: Auditory Attention Measured another aspect of speech-sound discrimination (the ability to overcome the effects of auditory distortion) and required selective attention. During this subtest, Nolan was asked to listen to a word while looking at four pictures, and point to the correct picture for the word. As the words were presented, background noise presented on a tape steadily increased. Nolan scored 1-28 correct, then missed 29-32, only to score 33 – 38 correct before hitting his ceiling scoring 6 wrong 39-44. Noted that he seems to have some minor trouble hearing. 91 Average The analysis in this section just lists the number correct and incorrect, but gives no examples of what the child was getting correct or incorrect as the test progressed. This is an average score, so mentioning that the child had minor trouble hearing without going into an explanation is not helpful and, in fact, may be making assumptions given the way it is written. DON’T

Note of Caution: Assuming a child is a certain “type” of learner Subtest 3: Spatial Relations Measured the ability to visualize spatial relationships. During this test, the child was required to identify two or three pieces of a puzzle that could be combined to form the whole piece, which was presented. As the items progressed the number of pieces required to form the shapes increased. Since this was a visual task, Nolan was able to perform it without too much difficulty. Nolan was very confident with his responses for the first 27 items, getting 25/27 correct. Once the items got more difficult and required 3 parts for an answer, Nolan became less confident with his responses and started getting some incorrect. He did, however, provide answers for every item. 91 Average This is an average score and the examiner seems to imply it is an area of strength based on the first sentence. However, remember we want to be clear and concise. The first sentence makes an assumption and not only does it not explain the assumption, it ignores that this subtest is not just a visual task (relies on spatial awareness and manipulation of shapes). It is interesting that the standard score of 91, which is average, was the same as the score on the auditory attention subtest, yet the examiner write the analysis in a way that suggests one is more of a weakness than the other. DON’T

Other Tips Revisit this presentation when you are writing Don’t hold your questions for the night before. EMAIL! If you can, get someone to review it– peer review will be of test tables. Start writing as early as possible, the tables are the most time consuming part. Tables like this will be done for almost every assessment.

Intern Testing Prep: PRACTICE- MARK UP YOUR EASELS and PROTOCOLS. We will be coming around to check to make sure you have this done. Begin transferring your information to your Team Protocol. Create a testing day schedule with your team and instructor. PRINT your testing day schedule, at least 2 copies.

Intern Coaching Prep: EXAMINER: Have post-its, fine points, and practice protocols. Set yourself up in a proper testing position; where you can point to the easel, and see your side simultaneously. Remember you don’t want your student to see your side of the protocol, a clipboard is helpful. Examinee Have your easel open to the same assessment and page as the examiner. Attempt to provide answers that would cause queries, double ceilings, and full pages administrations.

Materials Distribution Your instructor will be assigning your materials to your team. These coincide with testing plans. It will be up to you during practice nights to find interns in your practice teams to team up with. Materials will need to be rotated through quickly. So learn your assessments so that you can pass them off.

Elizabeth’s Materials

Kary’s Materials

Data Team Meetings Kary’s teams move to next class room. Elizabeth’s Teams stay here. After your meetings you will check out easels and begin to practice.