Faster Report Writing #2: Writing After Testing

Welcome back to our series on report writing.  Today, we are going to talk about when to write your report.  Check out our first post on setting up a report template.

Faster Report Writing Tip #2:  Don’t wait! Write your report immediately after testing

The sooner you write your report after you test, the faster it is to write.  It is so much faster when you write immediately after testing and your client’s information is fresh in your head. Try to schedule a large block of time so you can test and then write immediately.  Even if you don’t have time to complete the entire report, sit down and jot notes about each section of the report. I created an Evaluation Impressions/Notes form so I can quickly get the important details down on paper following an evaluation. When I am really short on time, I open a voice memo on my phone and dictate my impressions then make a note in the student’s folder to listen to the audio file.

I realize that our jobs often dictate that we complete evaluations in a very piecemeal fashion.  You have 45 minutes between groups, and you grab Johnny and complete an articulation test and then send him back to class.  Even in these cases, we can can implement this strategy. Score the test immediately if you can.  Or use an iPad app test like the iTAP or BAPA that scores automatically for you (full disclosure:  I am one of the authors of those tools and Bilinguistics receives royalties for them).  Then get your impressions down on paper.  You can always go back and refine things later but get the important stuff written down immediately. You will thank yourself later because when you do sit down to write your report, a lot of your work will already be done!

Next up:  Organizing your Background Information