By Bob Cunningham, Ed.M.
Was your child recently evaluated — either by the school, a private clinic or independent evaluator? It’s important to share the report with your child’s teacher (if the evaluator or your lawyer, if you have one, doesn’t object).
Here are suggestions on how to start.
1. I just got the evaluation report back, and I learned a lot from it. I’d like to share it with you.
Opening the conversation by offering to share the results isn’t threatening. Focusing on what you learned also takes pressure off the teacher. The goal is to open a dialogue, not to make demands right away. Are you planning to do anything differently at home, as a result of what you learned? Try to have at least one thing in mind before your conversation.
2. Because you know my child so well, I wonder which parts of the report you think best describe him. Are any of the results surprising?
This question allows the teacher to share openly with you. That’s because it gives the teacher the chance to start thinking about how the report matches what she sees every day in the classroom.
3. What do you think of the evaluator’s conclusions in the summary section?
The summary (or conclusions) section is the most important part of the report. Most of the report is about the types of tests given to your child. This is interesting, but it’s not particularly useful for instruction. Focusing on the summary section will allow you to have the most meaningful conversation with the teacher.
4. Is there anything that’s still unclear for you about how my child learns?
It’s important for you to know if the teacher still has questions after reading the report. If so, you could ask the teacher to speak to the evaluator. If the teacher is comfortable with the information in the report, she is more likely to use the information.
5. How do you think you might change instruction for my child, based on this information?
This is the most important question you can ask. If your child was struggling enough to be evaluated, you need to see some things done differently. The teacher should be able to use the information from the report to try different teaching approaches for your child. This is the time to start a conversation about those changes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bob Cunningham is an advisor-in-residence on learning and attention issues for Understood.
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