"Student was lazy today and had a bad attitude." It took four seconds to write. It will take four years to live down, if the family reads it.
Good school notes tell a reader what happened. They do not tell the reader what the writer thought of the student. The difference is easy to state and hard to practice at the end of a long day. This guide gives a working test and a table of rewrites.
Why objective language matters here
Education records can be read by more people than the writer expects. FERPA gives parents the right to inspect and review their child's education records, and the regulations set a limit of 45 days for the school to comply. IDEA adds that review must be allowed before an IEP meeting. ASCA's FAQs tell counselors to write notes as if a parent might read them. And they say that if a note ever has to be explained in testimony, the counselor should give facts and leave out subjective impressions.
AOTA's decision guide for school OT makes the same point from the billing side: document objective facts that can be substantiated by documentation and student records.
None of this requires cold writing. It requires writing that can be backed up.
A working test
For each sentence, ask five questions.
- Could someone else have seen or heard it? If not, it is an interpretation.
- Could it be counted or timed? If so, give the number.
- Is it a quote or a report? Say who said it and when.
- Does it contain a label? Words like "lazy," "defiant," "manipulative," or "attention-seeking" describe the writer's reaction.
- Would the family recognize it? If the family could not recognize their child in the sentence, rewrite it.
Labels and what to write instead
| Label | Observable version |
|---|---|
| "Lazy" | "Completed 2 of 10 items, then put the pencil down and looked out the window" |
| "Defiant" | "Said 'no' twice when asked to start, then left the table. Returned after a 3-minute break" |
| "Unmotivated" | "Did not begin the task until the third prompt. Began immediately when allowed to choose the picture set" |
| "Had a good session" | "Correct on 8 of 10 trials with one cue. Stayed seated for the full 30 minutes" |
| "Anxious" | "Spoke quietly, kept eyes on the table, and asked three times whether the session was almost over" |
| "Attention-seeking" | "Made noises during the group task. Stopped when asked, and started again 2 minutes later" |
| "Parent is uninvolved" | "No reply to two calls and one email since Oct 2" |
| "Refused to work" | "Said 'I don't want to' and pushed the cards away at 9:12. Resumed at 9:20 with a new activity" |
Each rewrite is longer than the label. Each also tells a reader something they can check.
Put interpretation where it belongs
You are allowed, and expected, to use judgment. The place for it is a separate line that is labeled as interpretation and points at the facts. In a SOAP note, that is the assessment. See SOAP notes for school SLPs.
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Observation | "Correct on 4 of 10 trials when seated at the table. Correct on 8 of 10 when standing at the whiteboard." |
| Interpretation | "Accuracy is higher with a standing task. This is one session. Will repeat to see if the pattern holds." |
The interpretation is modest, it cites the data, and it says what you will do to check it. That is the pattern to aim for.
Quotes, reports, and attributions
When the exact words matter, quote them, briefly, and with enough context to be understood. When someone else is reporting something, say who and when.
- "Student said, 'My stomach hurts,' at 9:10 and asked to go to the nurse."
- "Teacher reported on Oct 11 that the student used the card in two of four writing blocks."
- "Parent said on Oct 9 that homework takes about an hour."
A reported fact is still a fact about what was reported. Do not turn it into your own conclusion.
Feelings, health, and diagnosis
Emotions are part of the picture, and you do not have to avoid the words. Attribute them or describe what you saw: "Student said she felt nervous" or "student's voice shook." Avoid medical or psychological labels that are outside your role, and avoid copying a diagnosis from an outside report unless it is relevant to the goal. If you do, name the source and date. See FERPA and session notes for what belongs in a record at all.
A rewrite from start to finish
The second version says more, blames no one, and gives the team something to act on.
Sentence starters that keep you factual
Some openings push you toward facts. Others invite judgment.
- Helpful: "Student completed...", "Student said...", "Needed one cue to...", "Began after...", "Stayed seated for...", "Parent reported on [date] that...", "Teacher reported on [date] that..."
- Risky: "Student was clearly...", "Obviously...", "It seemed like...", "Unfortunately...", "As usual..."
If you write quickly, keep the helpful list on a sticky note or in your template as a reminder. The goal is not to remove personality from your notes. It is to make sure that anyone who reads them, whether a teacher, a parent, or a reviewer, sees the same student you saw and can check that what you wrote is true.
Wording slips that survive a rewrite
- Adverbs of judgment. "Barely," "clearly," "obviously," and "unfortunately" slip in even after the labels are gone.
- "Seemed" and "appeared" without evidence. Follow them with what you saw.
- Speculating about the home. If the family said it, quote it. If not, leave it out.
- Mind-reading. "He wanted attention" cannot be observed.
- Loaded verbs. "Refused," "whined," and "demanded" carry an attitude. "Said no" and "asked repeatedly" carry facts.
If a sentence passes the five-question test, it is probably safe. Terms are in the glossary.