Teacher Ratings of Three School Psychology Report Recommendation Styles

Abstract

Educators are primary consumers of information provided in school psychology reports. There is disagreement in the literature as to whether teachers prefer briefer recommendations as compared to more detailed and specific recommendations. Specific recommendations can been seen as prescriptive and leading to higher requirements for accountability by educators. This study initially assessed teachers’ opinions concerning the level of detail provided in a model report with recommendation sections presented with low, medium, and high levels of specificity. Participants were 102 certified teachers taking continuing education courses. Each read a fictional report followed by the three recommendation styles presented in varied orders. Teachers rated each style for relevance, individualization, clarity, and likelihood for use. They indicated which style would be preferred for a child in their classroom, in preparing an Individual Education Plan (IEP), and for use with parents. The low specificity recommendations received lower ratings, while the medium and high levels did not differ. Overall, teachers preferred the highest specificity recommendations for a student in their class and for funding applications. For use with parents there was a slight preference for medium specificity recommendations. Teachers also indicated that the inclusion of the specific format elements surveyed is beneficial and that detail is preferred over brevity. In light of these findings, school psychologists should feel comfortable in providing detailed recommendations that mirror a well crafted IEP.