How to read your child’s evaluation report
The report arrives a few days before the meeting, and it’s long. Here’s how to read it in an evening, and what to bring with you.
An evaluation report is the school’s picture of your child on paper. Everything that follows, eligibility, goals and services, is built on it. So it’s worth reading slowly, with a pen.
Start with the summary, then go back
Most reports end with a summary and recommendations. Read that first, so you know what the evaluator concluded. Then go back to the start and check whether the scores and observations support it.
Scores: what the numbers mean
Most tests report a standard score, where 100 is average and most children score between 85 and 115. A percentile tells you how many children of the same age scored lower. A score at the 9th percentile means most children the same age scored higher.
Look for big gaps between scores. A child with strong reasoning and very weak processing speed is telling you something the average hides.
What to write in the margin
- Was every area you raised actually tested?
- Did the evaluator observe your child in class, or only in a testing room?
- Do the recommendations match the scores?
- Is anything you see at home missing from the report?
Ask for it before the meeting
You can ask the school to send the report ahead of the meeting, so you aren’t reading it for the first time at the table. Ask in writing, and keep a copy.
If the report doesn’t sound like your child, say so. You know them better than any test does.
If you disagree with it
You can ask for an independent evaluation by someone outside the school, and in many cases ask the school to pay for it. That’s a bigger step, and it’s one we can help you decide on.