Today, I’m sharing three quick tips for student file organization!
As always, it’s important to have a system. Fortunately (or unfortunately), that system is often determined by our school district. Just make sure you know what the system is so that you can easily find what you need. (Future SLPs/other professionals will appreciate it!)
Hint: Read all the way to the end for a FREEBIE! 😉
1. Put It Away Right Away
This one is hard. When it’s crazy at work, it’s often easy to just stuff papers in our desk (or your hiding spot of choice). However, I find that if I don’t “put it away right away,” then it never gets put away! Then I end up having to dig through all the stacks of papers. It’s easier to just put it away. Or at least have a bin to store papers to file.
2. Use Labels
This is a project that I’m working on, but I have so many outdated files hanging out in my cabinet. I’m going to start putting labels on the files with any pertinent information (e.g., the student’s name, date they exited/moved). This way we can easily purge outdated files (and clear up some much-needed space).
3. Use Dividers
To organize individual files, I make my own dividers for data sheets, IEPs, and METs. This is especially helpful for students who have been receiving services for several years. Their files are often bursting at the seams, which can make it difficult to quickly find what I need. These simple dividers are a quick fix!
Click here to grab my divider template! The download includes pre-made dividers, a blank version, as well as an editable template. Just print, cut along the dotted lines, fold along the solid lines, and you’ll have dividers ready to go!
[…] Keeping up with all of the paperwork throughout the year is a struggle for me. Although I have done much better this year, I know I forgot to add copies of some students’ IEPs to their working files. Since I have to go through to file everyone’s treatment logs anyway, I do a quick audit of my files to make sure everything is in the right spot. Read about some tips I do this here. […]