Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork! It is never ending for a special education teacher. And there are so many different kinds to keep up with and often with multiple due dates. How in the world are we expected to keep up with it all and feel like we have a handle on it? Especially if you are a new teacher trying to balance everything else on top of the paperwork? There are actually some strategies that you can put in place now during the back to school season that will help you get clear on special education paperwork.
Create a Yearly Calendar
The first thing that you need to do is to create a yearly calendar with all the big dates on it. This can be a digital calendar or an old fashioned paper/pencil version. I like to use my digital planner for special education teachers.
On this calendar you will want to include IEP dates for each student, any reevaluations that are due during the year and progress report dates. I like to set a reminder about 2 weeks before each event to ding on my digital calendar. That gets me in the right mindset and allows me to stay ahead of notifying the team when needed. I also like to schedule my data collection for the entire year. I try to pick at least one day every week or two that I set aside for data collection. It can happen naturally at other times if we are doing something that lends itself to easy collection, but this way I make sure that I stay on top and do not fall behind.
Create an IEP Binder
The next thing you need to do to get clear on special education paperwork is to get the physical paperwork organized. While many school systems have gone digital for the paperwork in the meetings, I find it important to have a printed copy of everything easily accessible. At the beginning of school I print the IEP off and place it in a binder. I like to have a binder for each student with several tabs. I mark off areas for the goals and objectives, the present level of performance and any accommodations that the student may need to name a few. Add a section for teacher communication and parent communication. This saves so much time later on.
Do NOT Create a Set Schedule…ok hear me out!
We all want to get our schedules organized before school ever starts. We want to know where our students and our TA’s are going and we want to know when we can teach each needed area.
However, reality is that that schedule will change multiple times in the first few weeks. It is actually better to wait it out before trying to create a concrete schedule. Yes, you need to have an idea of who is going where, what time lunch is and any special assemblies that are happening. But…you need to wait on the details and give the dust time to settle. You will be much less frustrated in the long run this way.
Need More?
Do you need more help on getting clear on special education paperwork? In one of the latest podcasts I spent some time with my friend Brandie Rosen from Teaching Untangled and we dove into this not so glamorous task with some additional thoughts and tips.
Make sure you give it a listen. Also, join us on Instagram and get answers to all the questions you have!
