Making Report Writing Just A Tad Easier

It is that time of year again, where stress levels are high as teachers attempt to fit report writing into their already jam-packed schedules.

I remember when I was a classroom teacher, many late nights and weekends spent going over and over assessment data and trying to sound professional in what I had to say about the students.

It took hours upon hours as a beginning teacher until I got the hang of things and started to streamline the process. Things do get easier with experience and hindsight.

  • I began to compile a list of comments that could be used across the board with many students, just by tweaking a few words.

  • I also batched my comments so all lower students would get a similar comment, mid and high were the same too. This saved hours and I never saw a parent after school standing comparing their child report to another.

  • I also found it beneficial to create a timetable for completing each section of the report. It kept me on track and kept me organised.

  • I found it essential to keep up with my fitness classes and my usual routine throughout the week. I preferred to forgo two weekends and smash out reports over the weekend, breaking them up with intervals and breaks.

We often put too much time and thought into writing reports.

I remember the children completing so many assessments in the weeks leading up to report writing just to gather data, and then the parents read the reports six weeks later when the data is now out of date. Frustrating was an understatement.

I have compiled all my comments to help with writing your general comments on students. You can find it here on Teachers Pay Teachers website.

I also have begun compiling a report writing board on Pinterest, which you can find here.

Hopefully, this will help you to get started and ease some of your stress during report season.

How do you handle report writing stress? Do you have any tricks for making report writing easier? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.