American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections       Special Issue: COVID and Beyond     RESOURCES AND SOLUTIONS

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Organizing Your Child's Special Education File

by Pat Renfranz

From the Editor: Preparing for a child's IEP meeting is always important, even or perhaps especially in the midst of a pandemic. This article is based on an NOPBC webinar Pat Renfranz presented on March 18, 2021. While her blind daughter was growing up Pat was active in the NOPBC and the Utah Parents of Blind Children for many years. She worked at the University of Utah as a research scientist and a member of the teaching faculty. She continues to have strong interests in science and math education and in tactile graphics.

We all have or will have concerns about our child's education. Communicating our concerns to the right person is the key to having those concerns addressed. To communicate effectively, we need to organize our thoughts, teasing the facts away from our emotional responses to an issue. An organized set of notes and documents pertaining to our child or student is a strong foundation on which to build effective communication.

This article will discuss how one can keep track of the reams of documents relevant to our child's educational needs and progress, supports and services. Careful record-keeping provides us with a way to organize our thoughts about our child's current and future needs.

An IEP Binder or dedicated file system is a great way to organize all those accumulated papers and records. By making a binder you can be sure that documents will be ready when you need them. Your binder can help you prepare for meetings and think about goals. It can help you communicate and collaborate with your child's teachers and service providers in a way that recognizes achievements and maintains accountability. You need to develop a system that you like to use and that will stay up-to-date.

I belong to the old-school generation of written notes and printed paper. All of my ideas, though, can be translated into a digital format. After all, "folders" and "files" on your computer were designed around the concept of a cabinet or desk drawer. While I like to write notes by hand, you may prefer to write them on your computer or iPad or to dictate them on your phone. The way you record your notes doesn't matter. What does matter is that you are able to keep track of what you have and find what you need.

First, you need a place to keep the documents you gather. Here are some ideas:

How to Keep Notes

During meetings or phone calls, have a way to jot down notes, whether they are handwritten, electronic, or recorded. If handwritten, you can keep them in a bound notebook. If you keep your notes on loose paper or in a digital format, be sure to transfer these notes into your file or binder system as soon as possible so that nothing is lost or forgotten.

• A spiral notebook or bullet journal allows you to keep notes in sequential order.
• Write with a pen, slate and stylus, or note-taking app on a mobile device.
• You can transfer pages into your binder or file directly, or you can write out recorded messages to yourself.
• If you find a method of keeping notes and stick with it, it will be easier to find and refer to the content when you need it.

Include a Communication Log in Your Note System

Many of your notes may be from meetings with school personnel. It can be useful to standardize the content of those notes. You can keep your communication log in a spiral notebook, as described above, or in any other way that works for you. Train yourself to write things down or record an audio note!
Here is a suggestion of what to include in your note system regarding communications: 

Parent-School Communication Log

Date: ________
Form of contact: Phone? Email? Letter? In Person?
Who initiated contact: ___________________________
Who participated or attended: ___________________________
What prompted the communication: ___________________________
What was discussed: ___________________________
What was decided or what interventions/accommodations were suggested or tried: ________________
Follow up—who will do what next and by what date? ___________________________
 
Keep in mind that the log is not just a record of disputes. We want to have positive relationships with our kids' general ed teachers, special ed teachers, and all of the related service providers. Keeping track of informal conversations with them does not mean you are disputing what they say. Record helpful advice the teachers give you on techniques and activities. Document valuable suggestions that come out of a team meeting.

Communication

• Create a provider/educator Contacts list, including "chain of command." 

For each contact include name, title, address, phone, email, and which services that person provides.

You might want to tag or organize contacts into categories such as Medical, Educational, Psychological, Advocacy, and Related Services. Think about who you would contact about general-ed teacher issues versus related service providers (TVI/TBS; O&M instructor) versus field trips versus extracurricular programs.
Don’t be afraid to ask school staff about who to contact regarding different issues.

• Insert or refer to the Communication Log  

If you keep your notes on loose-leaf paper, insert them into your binder system here. If this record is kept separately, that's fine. Just make a note of that in your binder.

• Letters, notes, and emails to and from the school, including these important items:

Notes from teachers and other staff members
Correspondence, including printed copies of emails and replies
Printed letters from you, certified mail receipts
Printed letters to you

• Other communications  

Getting Started

IEP Binder

Get a three-ring binder that you dedicate to materials related to your child's IEP. The following items will be helpful:

• Tab dividers, labelled
• Three-ring pocket folders
• Three-ring page protectors, which save you having to punch holes
• Extra paper for taking notes
• Zippered binder pouch to store a hole punch, highlighter, pen or pencil, sticky notes, etc.

IEP File Drawer

It's amazing how fast reports and other paperwork accumulate! Your binder will fill up quickly. You may need a file drawer or even a whole file cabinet for storing old documents. Here are a few things you might want to use:

• Dedicated file cabinet drawer or plastic file box
• Labeled file folders
• Hanging file folders
• Portable box to hold folders for an IEP meeting

Digital File-folder System

As I mentioned earlier, everything you do with paper documents also can be done electronically. Create a folder on your laptop or phone and add subfolders as needed.

• Name or rename files with titles that you will recognize easily.
• Organize documents into folders and subfolders with appropriate names and labels. It can be helpful to include the time period that is covered in each folder.
• Put your collected documents and downloads in places where they logically belong.
• Back up your documents frequently!
• Have documents on a thumb drive or cloud drive so you can access them at a meeting.

Bullet Journals

Bullet Journals is a system for organizing your life by keeping notebooks. I think some ideas from Bullet Journals can be helpful with IEP/Special Education note-keeping. The following suggestions may be useful.

• Numbered pages. Number as you go or purchase a spiral-bound notebook with numbered pages.
• Index. The index lives at the front of the notebook. Set aside a few pages at the beginning for this index. On these pages you can list an item and the date when it occurred, along with the corresponding page numbers. For example, an index item might be headed, "Notes from talk with guidance counselor on April 22, Page 12," or "Conversation with Braillist Sue Gillespie, October 11, regarding math assignments, Page 26." When you turn to the specified page, you can read the notes you recorded about that conversation or action.
• Collections. You can also create and index "Collections," comprised of information that pertains to a certain topic. You might return to this list and add to it over time. For example, starting on page 31 your index might contain a Collection of stories with blind protagonists. You can add to this collection whenever you come across such a story.

When my daughter was in school I used a spiral notebook and dated every entry. I also had a small file box that I could bring with me to our IEP and other meetings. I put reference materials into the file box as needed.

At high-stakes meetings, I had someone attend with me who could take notes. Our district also had a coordinator who attended meetings and took notes on a form. The form had boxes with labels such as "Discussion items initiated by parent," "Discussion items initiated by school," "Options/alternatives considered," and "Decisions/follow-up." After the meeting we were given a copy of those notes.

Content of Notes

Here is an example of a notebook and what it might contain:

Parent-School Communication Log

Example:
Date: ________
Form of contact: Phone? Email? Letter? In Person?
Who initiated contact: ___________________________
Who participated or attended: ___________________________
What prompted the communication: ___________________________
What was discussed: ___________________________
What was decided or what interventions/accommodations were suggested or tried: ________________
Follow up—who will do what next? ___________________________

Getting Started

• Decide on the method (binder, drawer, digital files, combination) that suits you best.
• Purchase supplies.
• Gather the documents you need to organize.
• Give yourself a few hours to organize your documents, but allow yourself to take breaks. For example, you might sort for twenty minutes, relax for ten minutes, and go back to sorting.
• If you find that you don't have a copy of a particular document, write a letter to request it from the appropriate provider.
• To avoid getting sidetracked don't read the documents as you organize them.
• Print a checklist or master document list.
• Track the date, author, type, and significance of each document. This list will serve as a table of contents.

The Wrightslaw website (listed below) has sample document lists. Make sure every document you save has a date. Some folks suggest keeping all documents in order by date, with the oldest in back. Others prefer to organize documents by type. Whatever system is simplest and easiest for you to use and keep using is best.

Assembling Your Files

Set an appointment on your e-calendar or kitchen calendar showing when you will work on the binder, organize your notes, and transfer documents in and out. This is work, so schedule it as such and give yourself a treat for doing it! Here is a sample binder checklist:

Calendars

• The yearly IEP cycle, reminders to request drafts and the like.
• Monthly school calendar, including your notes regarding when something is supposed to happen.
• IEP disputes reminder: two-year "statute of limitations" to file due process, if needed

Evaluations

• State-mandated assessment results
• Request or referral for special education and the consent to evaluate
• School-based special education evaluations
• Independent and/or private evaluations
• Letters requesting Independent Educational Evaluation

IEP Documents

Keep no more than two IEPs in the binder. For example, keep the current and previous IEPs, or the current IEP and the draft of the one that is being prepared. Keep older IEPs elsewhere.

Prior Written Notice Documents

• IEP meeting notes (or refer to these notes in your spiral notebook)
• 504 Plan, if applicable
• Follow-up and actionable items list

Progress Notes

Student's School File

• Report cards
• Statewide testing scores
• Attendance record, disciplinary records
• IEP Progress Reports (received from school)

You and your child may want to track your own perspective on goals and progress. Doing so can help you identify goals that are problematic, that is, too difficult or not challenging enough. Tracking goals will help you if you need to request additional service time or services that are not yet in place.

Sample Work

• Samples of the student's work may include homework, tests, and other assignments that clearly illustrate success or challenges.
• Samples of accessible documents prepared by teachers and paraprofessionals should include the full range—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
• Documents that have been poorly prepared, such as those badly transcribed from print to Braille or Braille to print
• Documents that lack accessible graphics or include graphics that do not conform to BANA standards
• Examples of documents and graphics that are well prepared and meet high standards 
• Addresses of websites that illustrate graphics that will work for your child

Blindness-specific Resources
A second set of files or a separate binder can contain information on resources specific to blindness and blind children. Some examples include the following:

• Notes on available programs and services, such as after-school programs or Saturday Schools
• Residential programs/camps for blind kids
• NFB BELL Academies
• Contests (Braille Challenge, Braille Readers Are Leaders)
• Sports and recreation opportunities such as goalball, beep baseball, and therapeutic horseback riding
• Notes/handouts from meetings at NFB conventions and NOPBC conferences or webinars
• Articles from Future Reflections and Braille Monitor
• Articles from other sources regarding the education of blind children
• Information on your local NFB division and chapter
• Contact information for advocates and role models (add these to your Contacts list)
• Braille provision in IDEA
• Textbooks-on-time provision in IDEA and FAQ sheet
• Braille standards from California or Maryland
• Sample IEP goals

Other Information on Special Education

• Medical diagnosis information and personnel involved
• Parental rights information

You may contact Pat Renfranz at 801-599-3557 or [email protected].

Resources

Bullet Journal https://bulletjournal.com/pages/learn
This website explains the basics of organizing your life through the creation of a bullet journal.

Wrightslaw https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/organize.file.htm
Wrightslaw provides a wide variety of information and resources on special education advocacy, including ways to organize and keep track of your child's records.

A Day in our Shoes (Don't IEP Alone) https://adayinourshoes.com/
This site offers a toolkit of information on preparing for and taking part in IEP meetings.

Understood.org https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps
This site is geared toward parents and educators of children with learning and thinking differences, as well as young adults who want to shape their own journeys.

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