4 Steps to Writing Reports with ChatGPT

We’ve all been hearing the buzz around AI—how it can be a time-saving marvel that enhances our practices. Whether you’re an AI aficionado, effortlessly weaving it into your lesson planning and communication, or a newcomer testing the waters on ChatGPT and feeling a bit adrift, this one-page reporting guide is tailor-made for you!

As educators, we invest a significant chunk of our time in report writing—a task that, while providing an excellent opportunity for reflection on learning goals and student successes, can also be a major time sink.

In an effort to streamline this process, we’ve crafted a concise one-page report writing template. It outlines one approach to report writing and how you might leverage AI to amplify its efficiency. While certainly not the only or definitive method for crafting reports, this strategy has proven successful in the past, especially when turbocharged with the capabilities of AI.

Ready to delve into a more efficient and effective report writing journey? Let’s get started!

Step 1: Generating your persona

When you are working with Chat GPT, the persona is the identity the chat takes on. The more information you give about your specific context and requirements, the better the output from your continued chat will be! It might sound a bit technical, but essentially, you’re just aligning the chat with your values, preferences, and criteria for report writing.

In this prompt, we’ve woven in some notions about growth mindset, but don’t hesitate to tweak it to better resonate with your individual or school’s philosophy on assessment. Let’s make this conversation truly reflective of your perspectives and objectives!

Copy-and-paste prompt

Example

You are a grade <grade level> <subject> teacher. You believe that the purpose of reports is <purpose>. Report narrative comments should be no longer than <word count> and be accessible to students avoiding unnecessary jargon or academic language. The tone of the comment should be encouraging, enthusiastic, but professional. Progress should be praised over performance using growth mindset language. Do not make comments about students’ innate intelligence or ability.. Avoid phrases like “good job, “nice work, excellent!”

You are a grade 5 homeroom teacher. You believe that the purpose of reports is to inform learners and their families about the progress so far. Comments should focus on each student’s personal strengths and interests as well as next steps connected to curricular goals. Report narrative comments should be no longer than 75 words and be accessible to students avoiding unnecessary jargon or academic language. The tone of the comment should be encouraging, enthusiastic, but professional. Progress should be praised over performance using growth mindset language. Don’t not make comments about students’ innate intelligence or ability.. Avoid phrases like “good job, “nice work, excellent!”

*Language from your school’s reporting or style guide can be a great addition to your persona.*

Step 2: What are you assessing?

Next, we will turn to what is being assessed. I typically generate one comment for each subject area (math, language, science etc.) that I teach.

For our prompt, we focus on two major areas:

Success criteria: Success criteria outline what students will know, understand, and be able to do as a result of a unit of study. Often, these are created using your curriculum standards. If you have not yet created success criteria, you can copy and paste your curriculum standards here.

Unit narrative: Telling the story of what happened throughout your unit helps the chat to personalise comments. This narrative can be as simple or complex as you’d like. Again, the more context you provide, the better the final result. You might highlight:

Major milestones
Learning stories
Student quotes
Assessments
Learning experiences

Copy-and-paste prompt

Example

For this report, you are assessing students on their success with <copy and paste standards used or success criteria for your unit>. This unit focused on <narrative of key learning experiences in the unit>.

For this report, you are assessing students on their success with“ I can measure an object’s’ volumeI can use cubic units to find volume I can describe an object’s volume using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, or improvised units of measurementI can decompose a figure and use multiplication and addition to find its volume I can apply the formulas V = l × w × h and V = b × h to find volumes of right rectangular prismsI can model with mathematicsI can construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

This unit focused on using models to represent volume. This connected to our PYP unit on states of matter and sustainable design. We began the unit by using non-standard units of measurement to understand capacity. Later, we worked to fill objects using centimetre cubes. We later explored the formula for volume, comparing it to our estimates. We discussed the benefits of having a formula. Students eventually used their knowledge of volume when prototyping their sustainable design packaging.

Step 3: How are you assessing?

In this next step, you will give clarity about the scale your school uses for assessing. If your school only uses narrative comments, feel free to skip this step! This is another great opportunity to look back at your school’s report writing guide or assessment policy for descriptors of each level of the scale.

Copy-and-paste prompt

Example

Our school assesses using <scale used for assessment ex: A, B, C, D.>

Our school assesses using B, D, M, E:B – Building: Represents the foundational understanding of the subject matter. Students earning a ‘B’ are working towards a solid grasp of the basics.
D – Developing: Indicates progress and growth. Students in this category are actively expanding their knowledge and skills.
M – Mastering: Reserved for those who have truly mastered the material. These students not only understand the concepts but can apply them in various contexts.
E – Exceeding: The highest level of achievement. Students earning an ‘E’ consistently go above and beyond, demonstrating exceptional depth of understanding and creativity in their work.

Step 4: Generate comments

This last prompt has some flexibility based on your preferences. One common way to approach report writing is to generate an exemplar comment for each level of the grading scale or use the low, medium, high strategy. You can then use these templates as a base for crafting more personalised comments for each student and add student quotes, areas of passion or strength, as well as individualised comments around progress, goal setting, and needs moving forward.

That being said, you can also work in collaboration with ChatGPT to create a personalised comment for each learner!

Some things to try:

Generate an exemplar comment for each level of the grading scale.

Generate a low, medium, and high comment to be used as a template.

Generate a unique comment for a student highlighting <particular project accomplishment, area of need, student quotes>.

Generate a learning story/anecdotal record/standards-based comment.

Remember, anything that the chat generates should be thought of as a first draft. Always feel free to clarify the final product you want, to tweak the output, or to completely start over if you feel stuck in a rut.

Grab the prompts as a one page download HERE

FAQs

How do I protect student data?

Protecting student data is an important consideration when using any tool! Here are some tips for ensuring your students’ safety:

Data minimisation: Only collect and use the minimum amount of student data necessary for the purpose of the report. Avoid including sensitive or unnecessary information.
Anonymisation: Remove or replace personally identifiable information (PII) with pseudonyms or generic identifiers. Ensure that no names, addresses, or other identifying details are present in the report.

By keeping data minimised and anonymous, you mitigate any risks of exposing sensitive student data.

Do I need to cite ChatGPT?

This is a great question! We should take every opportunity as educators to model best practices when it comes to AI use. For report writing, we suggest adding a statement about AI use for report writing to your school’s assessment policy rather than citing AI on the report itself.

Conclusion

Embracing AI in report writing can be a game-changer for educators. By combining human intuition with AI efficiency, educators can craft insightful, encouraging, and efficient reports. Remember, the key lies in viewing AI-generated content as a collaborative first draft, allowing for customisation and refinement. Happy reporting!

Increase yourefficiency and write more effective reports!

Step 1: Generating your persona

Step 2: What are you assessing?

For our prompt, we focus on two major areas:

Step 3: How are you assessing?

Step 4: Generate comments

FAQs

How do I protect student data?

Do I need to cite ChatGPT?

Conclusion

Up next: Related articles, talks and more

Increase your
efficiency and write
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