Why Didn’t College Prepare Me for Special Education Report Writing?! (And Why is Everyone Gatekeeping Evaluation Templates?!)

Overwhelmed by paperwork: Streamlining special education evaluation reports to eliminate stress.

You know what would have been really helpful in college? More than just one measly class in special education on writing evaluation reports. One. Day. That’s all we got—one day to learn how to score, interpret, and write reports that would later determine services, support, and life-changing decisions for our students.

So, naturally, when I started my first special education job, I was ready (read: completely clueless). I walked in bright-eyed and eager, only to be handed a thick stack of evaluation results and told, “Oh, by the way, you’ll need to write up the report.”

Excuse me, what?

Where was the magical database of pre-written, beautifully structured reports for me to pull from? Where were the templates? The guidance? The “Here, let me make your life easier” fairy godteacher? Instead, I got vague advice, a pat on the back, and a “You’ll figure it out.”

Why Are We Gatekeeping Evaluation Report Templates?

As if the stress of writing these reports from scratch wasn’t enough, I quickly learned that asking for help was like asking for someone’s secret family recipe. Other teachers and psychologists seemed to have templates… they just weren’t sharing.

I don’t know if it was some unspoken initiation into the special education club or if they were worried I’d mess up their perfect format, but every time I asked, I got responses like:

• “Oh, I just kind of have my own way of doing it.”

• “I tweak mine every time, so it wouldn’t be useful to you.”

• “You’ll develop your own style soon!”

Develop my own style? I’m not trying to write the next great American novel! I’m trying to document test scores, summarize evaluations, and—oh yeah—make sure it actually makes sense to the parents who have to read it.

We Need a Special Education Evaluation Report Bank (And I’m Making One)

Listen, I get it. No two reports are exactly the same. Your district might require different wording, and every student is unique. But should we really have to start from a blank page every single time?

No. Absolutely not.

So, I’m officially on a mission to create a bank of report templates—a lifeline for the overwhelmed, under-supported, and utterly exhausted special education teachers who have better things to do than reinvent the wheel for every single report.

Will my templates be perfect for everyone? No. You’ll probably need to tweak things, add sections, or adapt them for your district. But will they give you a starting point so you’re not staring at a blinking cursor in panic? YES.

Because honestly, we have enough stress. Between paperwork, IEP meetings, and, you know, actually teaching, we do not need to be drowning in report writing.

So if you’re tired of the secrecy, the scrambling, and the “figure it out” mentality—stick with me. We’re breaking down the gatekeeping and making special education just a little bit easier for the next generation of teachers.

Now, who’s with me? (And if you are one of those teachers hoarding a goldmine of report templates, now is the time to set them free!) Subscribe to my blog and get the WJ report template for FREE! I am considering creating a member hub for them-- or offering my beautiful report writing services for a small fee. (Oh the possibilities) Because, yes I am a nerd and I LOVE writing reports.