Administer Achievement Tests with Success: Part 3-Sharing Results with Confidence

If you've been following along , we started this series by focusing on how to set up and administer achievement tests professionally , ensuring reliability and validity . Then last week , we covered how to write comprehensive professional reports that summarize the data clearly and effectively .

If you missed either of those episodes , I strongly encourage you to go back and catch up . They set the foundation for everything we are going to cover today .

Today's episode is taking all of the work you've done from testing , analyzing and writing and sharing those results with the IEP team in a way that creates understanding , builds trust and fosters meaningful collaboration .

I will be sharing strategies to help you present your report with confidence , even in high-pressure meetings , answer parent questions in a way that is clear and reassuring , and how to explain scores and data in plain , parent-friendly language that everyone at the table can understand . Plus , I will introduce you to a visual resource that will

make explaining percentiles a breeze and will be a hit with the parents , whether you are a brand new special education teacher or a seasoned teacher looking to refine your approach , this episode is packed with actionable tips to help you shine in your next IEP meeting . Let's dive in .

Hey , special educator , are you overwhelmed by the absurd amount of paperwork on your to-do list ? Do you wish you had the skills to build a rock-solid team with your staff ? Do you find yourself scouring the internet for how to meet the needs of each student on your caseload ? Well , hey , there .

I'm Jennifer Hopperberg , an award-winning veteran special education teacher and current instructional coach , who has walked in your shoes through each of these challenges and , yes , I have the metaphorical blisters to prove it . I have cried your tears and felt your pain , and now I'm here to support you in the way I wish someone would have been there to support me .

Listen in each week as my guests and I dish out practical wisdom to help you handle all the classroom curveballs that are thrown at you and learn how to laugh in spite of the chaos , to celebrate those small yet significant victories that only a special educator can understand . So are you ready ?

Wipe your tears and put on your superhero cape , because together we are going to learn how to survive and thrive in the ever crazy , completely overwhelming laugh , so you don't cry profession of being a special education teacher .

Okay , so we've tested the student , we've written a dang good report and now it's time for the nerve-wracking part sharing all of that information with the team without sounding like you have no idea what you're doing .

I mean , come on , we have most all likely been there at some point and maybe it's happened to you personally , or maybe you've been in a meeting where it's happened to someone else . But you know what I'm talking about . You lose your place on the page .

You're reading directly from the report like a robot , or worse , you start rambling and word vomiting all over the place because you're nervous , or it could be the awkward silence when someone asks a question and you're scrambling to find the answer or process the question to give a professionally sounding answer .

Well , the good news is it doesn't have to be that way . With the right preparation and strategies , you can walk into that meeting with confidence , share your findings clearly and come across as the expert you are . So the first thing I want to talk about is confidence . Why does confidence matter so much ?

Well , parents and team members look to you as an expert , and when you present results clearly and confidently , it reassures them that the team is on the right track . For parents , confidence is calming , it puts them at ease and it helps them feel that their child is in good hands , even if those results are difficult to hear .

Your ability to present those results thoughtfully and clearly shows that you're committed to the child's success . Having a sense of confidence means you are prepared , you're organized and you're thoughtful in your delivery . When you approach the meeting with a sense of clarity and professionalism , you set a positive tone that encourages collaboration and trust .

Remember , your confidence can help transform a potentially stressful conversation into a constructive and reassuring discussion , stressful conversation into a constructive and reassuring discussion . So what can you do to increase your confidence Other than just repetition of having hundreds of meetings over the years ? Well , first you need to be prepared .

Preparation is key to a confident presentation . So before the meeting , I want you to know your data inside and out . Review that report , familiarize yourself with the scores and make sure you understand how the data connects to the student's strengths and their needs . I want you to anticipate some of the questions that parents might ask you .

Think through potential questions and responses such as what does this score mean , or how does this impact the child's daily school experience , or what can we do to support my child in this area at home ?

And then I want you to decide which results are the most important to share and how you're going to explain them in plain language and we'll discuss plain language a little later on . And then another way to become more confident is to practice out loud . Preparation is important , but practicing how you'll actually deliver the information is just as crucial .

Talking through key points of your report out loud can help you find the best way to explain scores and concepts in a natural conversational tone . I would even go as far as recording yourself presenting your key points and listening back .

This allows you to evaluate your tone , your pacing and your clarity , and then you can adjust as needed so that you sound confident and professional . Okay , so let's talk about actually giving the testing report to the parents and to the team .

One of the biggest mistakes I see teachers make when presenting achievement test results is simply reading straight from the report , and I get it . You've worked hard to write a thorough , professional report and you want to make sure everything you are writing is communicated clearly , or you are nervous and you would feel more confident just reading the report clearly .

Or you are nervous and you would feel more confident just reading the report . But here's the thing Reading word for word can feel robotic and impersonal , and it often leaves parents feeling disconnected or overwhelmed or kind of causes them to zone out , which is not good . So instead think of presenting the results as a conversation , not a monologue .

Your role is to guide the discussion , help the team understand what the data means and create a space where parents feel comfortable asking questions and sharing insights about their child . Another mistake I see is using too many technical terms without explaining them in a way that parents can easily understand .

As educators , we are so used to words like percentile ranks and standard deviations or composite scores , standard scores . Sometimes we forget that they aren't a part of most parents' everyday vocabulary . So throwing out too much jargon can make parents feel uneducated or lost or excluded from the conversation , and that's the last thing that we want .

So instead , use parent-friendly language to break down complex terms into something relatable . All right , so we've talked about what you shouldn't do . Now I want to talk about what you should do . Here are the steps to sharing the actual report with parents and the team .

Step one is to start with the purpose of the testing and a summary of the text testing context that you wrote in your report . Begin by briefly explaining why the testing was conducted and what test was given . Was it a part of a three-year evaluation , an initial evaluation , a parent request ?

And then briefly share the testing conditions to give the team a snapshot of the environment and the students' engagement during the assessment . Include details like how cooperative they were , whether they wore their glasses , any funny things that they said during the testing , their activity level , etc . All of that information that you wrote into your report .

You're now going to give it as a summary . So here's an example . Sarah was given the Woodcock Johnson test of basic achievement as a part of her three year reevaluation . She was very cooperative through the testing session . She wore her glasses . She shared with me that PE and recess were her favorite subjects , but that reading was hard for her .

Sarah appeared focused and then put in really good effort on each task . There were a few moments where she seemed distracted so we took a short break to help her refocus . Overall , I believe the results provide an accurate picture of her current skills . So you see , I just summarized the report . I didn't read it word for word .

I try to make as much eye contact with the parent as I can during this time and sidebar here , even if the parent speaks a different language than you , direct your conversation to them and not to the interpreter . That's just something that I've been instructed to do over the years and that has helped me make better family connections .

All right , step two is where you're going to break down the results by domain . In your report . You wrote all of this out , but here is where you're going to transition into the core of the report by discussing results by key areas , such as reading , math and written language for the Woodcock-Johnson , for example .

So for each area , it's important to share the students' strengths , first highlighting what they excel at , and then move into the areas of need , framing them in a way that focuses on opportunities for growth , and then always tie that data back to how it impacts the student's day-to-day performance in the classroom .

This is also where I bring in visual aids , specifically the Understanding Percentiles chart , to help parents better grasp percentiles and scores .

The percentile chart is the perfect addition to any meeting room because it provides a clear visual explanation of what the numbers mean in comparison to other students , and it does so in a very colorful , kind of easy way to understand for parents , and using visuals like this ensures that parents feel included in the conversation , even if they aren't familiar with

testing terminology . It demystifies the data and helps the entire team stay on the same page Again , fostering that trust and understanding . So here's an example of what I would say for the reading section specifically . I would say okay . So on reading , sarah had an overall reading score of a 70 , which falls at the fourth percentile .

As you can see on the chart , she falls in this yellow range and an average score would fall in these three green ranges . But Sarah did have a strength in the area of word attack , which means she knows the sounds of her letters and she's able to blend them together to create words . That score was an 85 , and it falls in this first green area .

So that was definitely a strength for her and something that we can build on . Her reading comprehension and her oral reading or her reading out loud were the subtests that brought her overall score down , which indicates she will need support in these areas and we can address those needs through targeted interventions and accommodations later on .

And then you're going to do the same thing for math and you're going to do the same thing for written language . If you're giving a test other than the Woodcock , like the YCAT or the Bracken or the Wyatt , there will be different domains , but the process is going to be the same . And then the last step is the conclusion . You're going to conclude your

testing summary by providing an overall test score or a general summary of the child's performance . You will frame this as a big picture overview that ties together the details you've shared .

So , for example , so when you put all of the test scores together , you get what we call a composite score or an overall score , and , based on test results and a comparison to other students the same age as Sarah , her overall broad achievement score was a 74 , which falls at the fourth percentile , which means that she scored higher than 4% of students her age .

Nationally , sarah demonstrated significant weaknesses in reading , comprehension and oral reading . She had average scores in math and she had very limited scores in written language .

Sarah will benefit from support in reading and written language , and accommodations for reading should be made in all areas of the curriculum , even math , in order for her to be successful in the general education classroom , then you're going to open the floor for questions and collaboration .

This is a great time to engage parents and other team members , making them feel like they are active participants in the conversation . Ask open-ended questions to invite their input and encourage a collaborative discussion , for example . So I'd love to hear your thoughts . Do these results align with what you've been seeing at home from Sarah ?

Or you could ask are there any specific areas you would like us to prioritize as we create her plan ? Is there anything in particular you would like us to prioritize as we create her plan ? Is there anything in particular you would like us to discuss or clarify ? And be an active listener during this time ?

Take notes on any feedback parents provide and if there's a question you can't immediately answer , reassure them that you'll follow up with that information later . So that's basically it . Presenting testing information to parents and the team doesn't have to be hard or scary or stressful .

By focusing on preparation , using parent-friendly language and treating the report as a conversation , you can create a positive and collaborative meeting environment . So let's recap Be confident , prepare and practice ahead of time . Present the report as a conversation , summarizing key findings , engaging with parents and asking open-ended questions .

Make sure you are not reading the report word for word and that you are using parent-friendly language . Use visuals like the understanding percentiles chart , and invite collaboration . Create a space where parents feel heard and part of the decision-making process . When you approach the report as a conversation , you are doing more than presenting data .

You are building trust , relationships and a shared understanding that leads to meaningful support for the students . Remember , this isn't about impressing anyone with how much data you know . It's about helping everyone at the table see how the results can guide the student's success . So don't forget to grab the free Understanding Percentiles chart .

You can get it at wwwspedprepacademycom slash percentile chart . That's spedprepacademycom slash percentile chart . All one word it's a simple yet powerful tool to make your IEP meetings smoother and more collaborative . Thank you so much for tuning into this series . If you found it helpful , I'd love for you to share it with a colleague or leave a review .

It helps more people find the podcast and grow in their own practice . Until next time , I'll see you in a week .