My eleventh year of teaching special education is quickly wrapping up. ELEVENTH. I’m telling you – these years keep going faster and faster. Not only have I taught a lot during these past eleven years, but I’ve also learned a lot. Sounds cliche, but it’s so true.
I’ve decided to make this post a little different from the rest. This post is for the parents (yes – and teachers, too). My mother retired five years ago, after thirty-six years of teaching special education. THIRTY-SIX. My eleven years are nothing compared to her years. I’d venture to say she’s the reason I became a teacher. I can’t say it was something I knew I always wanted to do since I was a little girl, or that this has always been my dream job, like some teachers might say. I had actually always wanted to design houses and furnish homes. However, I loved helping my mom get her classroom ready in the summer. I loved putting stickers on tests after she checked them. I loved playing school with my little sister, with the old workbooks my mom wasn’t using anymore. After high school graduation, at probably the last minute, I decided to go into the education field.
My parents were really involved in my schooling. Always attended open houses, aways asked questions about my assignments, and never hesitated to stay in contact with my teachers (through phone calls and letters of course, e-mail wasn’t around back then -Ha). It was important for them to stay involved. Right after college graduation I was hired. Luckily. I never subbed. Never had a real feel for being in a classroom full of little kiddos on my own. It was scary. Thankfully, I had my mom to guide me. Although we didn’t teach in the same district, she did fill me in on some of her IEP tips and tricks. Quite a few I still use today, and are included below in this post. I also had a great mentor teacher in my district, to help guide me my first year.
Through my years of being a student, my parents showed me how important it was to stay involved in my school life, as well as my sister’s. Through my first few years of teaching, my mom showed me how important it is for me to help parents stay involved in their childs’ school life. Like all teachers, I always try my best to have the parents of my students fully aware of what is going on in my classroom and I also try to provide them with resources to help them become and stay aware.
There’s a lot of paperwork on my end as a special education teacher, but there’s also a ton of paperwork on the parent’s end too. I fully know this because I send the majority of it home. A few years ago, I created an IEP Parent Portfolio, to help the parents of my students as much as could.
My “IEP Parent Portfolio” is a combination of 200 + pages of forms, schedules, note sheets, and SO much more (I’ll show you here in a second). I wanted my students’ parent to be able to keep ALL of the paperwork I send them, as well as any additional paperwork they receive from other agencies/doctors/etc. all in one, organized place. Now, I originally called this a “portfolio” and not a “binder” because I wanted it to be a place parents could not only organize all of their child’s paper work, but also be able to share all the information when transitioning after high school – if need be. However, I did receive a lot of feedback in comments and e-mails about how some parents and teachers have turned this into a binder. Which I just think is an absolutely wonderful idea!
When dreaming up this portfolio I knew I wanted to make it printer friendly for myself – but I also like colors! Then, once I decided I wanted to upload it into my Teachers Pay Teachers shop, I knew I wanted to make it not only teacher printer friendly, but also parent printer friendly. I didn’t realize how much feedback I’d have from parents purchasing this. I can’t tell you HOW happy this makes me. So, this resource comes in BOTH color and black & white. I like to print the cover and dividers in color, and then the forms and other pages in black and white. However, for the purpose of this post, I have printed it all in color.
At the beginning of a new school year, the majority of my students’ parents have this parent portfolio – that they turned into their parent binder – from the previous school year. I send home updated cover sheets and contact forms, as well as an entirely blank parent portfolio – for those parents/guardians who do not keep them yearly. I still like for them to have the option to use it. I’ve also found for these to be a big hit to leave out at open house.
When using these in a binder form, I like to see the forms that need to be updated yearly first. That includes the cover sheet, updated student information, and contacts. I also keep the contact notes directly behind my contacts. I’ve found this to be the easiest way for parents to look up a contact number and record notes.
Every year I am asking my my students’ parents for updated information. Sometimes it changes, sometimes it doesn’t. Regardless, I still ask for them to complete a form for me. I have found that parents having access to this form in their binder is a huge help and time saver for them. They are able to update their child’s profile page at the start of a new year, or throughout the year when necessary, and then quickly provide me with any information I need.
Students’ teachers and IEP teams can change yearly, too. Because of this I provide new contact forms for parents yearly. With the notes sheet to tucked right behind the contact list, parents are able to jot down any notes or information they’ve received during phone calls. There is also a spot for parents to print and store their e-mails, to and from the IEP team.
Obviously, parents are not in the classroom. I like having my parents knowing what’s going on in the classroom, like they are there. I created this section of the portfolio to house everything and anything “Inside the Classroom” related.
In this section you will find…
I actually use these forms in my own teacher binder as well. I wish I could say that I type up each students’ individual schedule to send home, but I can’t. I do, however, send home the class schedule option that works best for my students’ schedules to be written on. My students receive their schedules on the first day of school. I usually know my schedule weeks before the first day, and find out their schedule only a few days before the first day – which makes it challenging me for to type up 20+ individual schedules to send home. BUT – The forms can be “edited” on Powerpoint, to allow for the schedule forms to be typed on.
Also included in this section…
All of the divider pages are included when sent home, although some might not be used. If a child does not have a behavior plan, the Classroom Behavior Plans won’t be used. I wanted parents to be able to save all pertinent IEP/classroom information, in an organized fashion.
Also included in this section are two important topics – Transition and ESY (Extended School Year).
Both might apply, one might apply, or neither might apply for students, but I think it’s important to keep track of all classroom information that is going on throughout the year, when/if planning for either. I have provided ESY at-a-glance information, eligibly factors, goals and objectives that are to be worked on – if a student is attending, and an ESY calendar – if a student attending. My students in my classroom do not attend ESY. I do not send home the goal/objective page and calendar, however I do send him the at-a-glance page and eligibility information. I like to provide my parents with knowledge and information on what ESY is.
The same goes with the transition information. Transition doesn’t really apply until students are 14, or turning 14 during an IEP year. However, I think it’s important for parents and students to begin thinking about transitioning well before they reach the age 14. Even that’s just by asking what they might want to be when they grow up. I have provided transition planning information, a 7-page parent transition survey, a checklist of records needed when transition planning, and a 6-page student transition survey.
This year all of my students are older than 14. All parents are provided with these. For IEP meetings, I ask for both student and transition input. I’ve noticed I receive these forms back sooner, because parents are able to talk about transitioning and complete these forms well in advance. I’ve even had some parents tell me they complete them at the beginning of the school year and update them as needed. Seriously a HUGE help to not only them, but to myself when it comes to type all of the information into the IEP.
Now comes the part that contains ALLLLLLL of the IEP information. As teachers, and parents, we all know that can be A LOT (I could probably add a few more L’s up there to get my point across). Especially when keeping track of every single piece of paper, from year to year.
First, in the IEP & Evaluations section, I have created a table that allows parents to keep track of every meeting date. Literally. Every date – from the initial evaluation, to any additional evaluations, and all of the IEP meetings in between. From early elementary – to being a junior in high school, that can be A LOT of important dates that need to be kept track of. Since I’m not in the lower grades giving these to my students’ parents, I’ve noticed some fill them in completely on their own – or start filling in dates as they come once given them this portfolio.
Next is a section solely for progress monitoring, with optional progress monitoring forms included. Parents can either file the actual progress reports behind the divider page, or record the goal and progress being made on their own. Options for recording goals include days, week, trimesters, and quarters.
Another section included in obtaining IEP information is “Parent Input and Observations.” Before every IEP meeting I send out this exact form asking for parent input. With parents having access to these forms at the very beginning of the year, they can keep track of any notable observations while at home, as well as begin to jot down information regarding their child’s needs, strengths, weaknesses, etc., making it easier come time for the IEP meeting.
Lastly, included in this section, is a checklist for parents to use before, during, and after the meeting, as well as a sheet to take to the meeting to write down any notes. So much can be discussed in an IEP meeting. It can be hard to take it all in. This is even true for me as a teacher, at times. I use a meeting sheet in my meetings, to keep track of everything. My sheet is similar to this.
Divider pages are also included to organize IEPs, invitations, evaluation report, etc., so parents can easily insert and keep track of their most current documents.
Although I’ve noticed a lot of parents put meeting reminders in their phone, I have also included calendar pages for parents to keep track of all upcoming events. The calendars show only the months, so you can insert the dates year after year. No need to re-download a huge file.
I personally like writing down dates in a calendar so I can visually see what’s coming up each month. I always include this in parent portfolios, whether they get used or not. I sit down at the beginning of the year and add the numbers in on Powerpoint. It takes a few minutes, but then I’m done for the year.
For the teacher printing this for their students’ parents, or for the parent printing this for their child, all cover pages and divider pages come with a blank option. Because let’s be real – there’s SO much going on in the special education world. Having these blank slides will allow you to include sections I might have forgot, or that you feel like you personally need. Also, like I stated earlier (if you can remember that far back in this post), there is a black and white option included in this “IEP Parent Portfolio” product download. Take a peek of what it looks like below.
I hope that you also find keeping parents involved and informed in all aspects of the special education process as important as I do, and my mom did. I hope that this “IEP Parent Portfolio” can be as useful to you in your home or classroom, as it is to me in my classroom. Special education can be overwhelming just in itself, the very least I can do is help parents stay organized throughout the process.
If you still want to read even more information about what’s inside this portfolio, click – HERE – to visit this product in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop. There’s a brief description as well as more preview photos included.