Imagine you sit down to write an IEP for a student that you don’t know well. Maybe it is a favor for a fellow special education teacher. Maybe it is a student who just moved in.
Which assessment page would be easier to write a present level for?
The first image shows the words that the student could read and the words that the student wasn’t able to read. Thanks. When I sit down to write the present level and IEP goal, I hope I am able to meet the character count for that text box. 🤪
The second image, on the other hand, has SO much information to help give plenty of information for the present level of performance. These anecdotal notes are critical to truly understanding (and in my case—remembering) what a student is able to do.
What could you include in anecdotal notes?
- Did the student stretch the word or know it right away?
- Did the student read the words extremely quickly or slowly?
- Did the student need to say the sounds in the word multiple times?
- Did the student say the sounds correctly, but fail to read the word correctly?
- Did the student attempt to decode every single word?
- Did the student attempt to read every word by sight and not utilize decoding skills?
- Did the student have letter reversals, such as reading COD instead of COB?
- Did the student need directions repeated multiple times?
- Did the student self correct?
- Dd the student look back in the text before answering questions?
- Did the student remember answers to questions or need to look back?
- Did the student ask questions or make comments about the text?
- Did the student use a hundreds chart to solve addition problems?
- Did the student use their fingers?
- Did the student have difficulty writing answers?
- Did the student require prompting for regrouping?
- Did the student require prompting to use tools, like a hundreds chart?
- Did the student have difficulty focusing?
- Did the student sit, stand, or fidget during the assessment?
- Did the student give up or complain about the length of the assessment?
