As you start thinking about the beginning of the school year and all the things that need to be done, you might be wondering how to set up a student binder. These student binders are the perfect way to store all the important information on your students throughout the year and they aren’t hard to assemble.
First, get a 2-3 inch binder. Color preference is totally up to you but personally, I love white as it’s easier to find and you can customize the cover if you want a specific color scheme. Get one with pockets in the front and back on the outside and inside.
Next, get binder tabs with 8 tabs. I know it seems like a lot but, trust me, you’ll use every one. These are the ones I use.
Then, print out this freebie with the tab inserts for each section. It includes a variety of cover page options and works in Google Slides as well as as a PDF (if you download by clicking File, Download, Microsoft PDF or PowerPoint).
Check out what each tab is for below:
1- Current IEP. Print this out from your computer system and place inside. I know this can be tedious but it’s especially helpful if you need a refresher on goals or want to refer your assistant or admin to check out what the student is currently working on.
2- Reinforcer Assessment. This is super helpful to do at the beginning of the year as your get to know your student. You can even send one home to families and have them complete and do another at school. Good information to reflect on.
3- Progress report. This is helpful when drafting the next IEP or thinking about whether the student might require extended school year services. I like to have the most recent one as well as the one before so I can see how they progress at a glance.
4- IEP data. This is the data sheets you have completed for the student from each quarter on their IEP goals. If you have work samples that go with your data sheet, even better. Be sure to put dates on all these so that it’s easy to track where they are from.
5- Curriculum data. Some schools may require your student to participate in an evidence based program with data tracking sheets so store these in this section.
6- BIP and behavior data. If the student requires a behavior intervention plan, store a copy of the plan here and the data that you collect for that here. Sometimes, we have students that don’t have a formal plan yet, so we keep some preliminary data on certain behaviors and this is where we store that. This way, if we need to move to an FBA/BIP we have all the data in one sport.
7- Assessments. This is where your assessments can do. Our school district uses the Brigance and completes it in the Fall and the Spring each year. Your school might be different and use checklists or maybe copies of state assessments. Store copies (with dates!) here.
8- Miscellaneous. This is a great spot for a parent communication log, extra behavior intervention supplies (token boards, data sheet blanks), any medical plans specific to the student. In the back pocket you can also include any of this information. We sometimes hole punch the actual Brigance book or slide it in the back pocket.
It should look something like this by now. The Avery website it super easy to use to create these labels but you could also make your own key- choose whatever works best for you!
For the outside front cover pocket, create a cover with the student’s name and the case manager’s name. I included an example in the freebie above.
For the inside front cover pocket, I think a copy of the student’s family contact information would be ideal. This way, in case of an emergency or if you’re out, it’s easy for another team member to grab the binder and find the contact information quickly.
For the outside back pocket, I like to put a big picture of the student. It’s a nice reminder of who this student is in case a counselor or admin or general education teacher needs to check out information on a student that they might not be super familiar with.
This is a game changer and really promotes transparency with all staff members, especially if they are all set up the same way. I love empowering all members of the team to know the students better!
Now, you’re ready to get out there and start assembling- go get ‘em 😉
