How Educational Record Reviews Lead to School Success

Sep 12

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Today, we are kicking-off our newest series of posts! Each post will give you a deeper understanding of some of our most popular services designed to help get your learner on a path to school success. When applied with the expertise and tact you can expect from GPS Education Consulting L.L.C., these tools can work wonders!

In this first post, we’re going to do a deep-dive into the importance of a comprehensive educational record review. Not the most thrilling topic, but you’d be amazed at what these reviews can uncover!

When was the last time you had someone comb through your learner’s educational records? This is a judgement-free zone…Chances are good that you’re not sure, and that’s okay; it makes today’s post even more important! You might also be asking, “what is a comprehensive educational record review?” Good question…

Ever since your learner started their academic career, they have been accumulating an educational record. It’s the file that houses educational records that pertain to your learner, including grades, test scores, attendance records, intervention data, 504/IEP records, disciplinary reports, etc.,

It lives tucked-away somewhere in the school inside a crowded drawer, and is usually only opened by a few folks:

Administrative Assistants, Special Educators, & Section 504 Case Managers placing more documents into it,
Administrators adding discipline records or locating emergency contacts, and
School Psychologists reviewing them prior to an initial referral to the IEP and/or 504 Team, and while writing their reports.

Depending on 1) how big the educational file is, 2) how much time/bandwidth staff have, and 3) how critical the situation is, these reviews can take minutes or hours. As a school psychologist, I completed hundreds (if not thousands) of comprehensive record reviews.

Ready to see whether your learner is on a path to school success? Cross a worry off your list by contacting us today for a free brief review of your learner’s educational history to see if there are any Red Flags!

Here are some lessons I learned through my experience:

Often, there are errors or inconsistencies in the educational records that require time and teamwork to sort out.
Frequently, it is challenging to find the data used to make important decisions about a learner’s educational programming.
- Think: eligibility for services, dismissal from services, progress on IEP goals & objectives, strategies and interventions used to make progress, etc.
Strategies and supports sometimes stopped without explanation.
Most people don’t look further than the last year or two during their reviews.
- Looking further backward establishes a stronger pattern for identifying personal strengths and differences in learning styles that require more support.
- It also provides a chance to highlight the strategies and supports that the school implemented that were especially useful, and could help your learner succeed now.

There are also occasions when a review reveals that the many folks working to support the learner over multiple years and schools are doing everything “by the book.” We love these times!

But realistically, with the staffing shortages many schools have faced, increasing workloads and breadth of responsibilities, lack of time for collaboration and problem-solving, reduced opportunities for effective professional development, backlog of work resulting from Covid school closures, and increasing employee burn-out, it’s becoming increasingly rare despite best intentions.

While I empathize with the folks attempting the impossible, I also passionately expect your learner to have the individualized and thoughtful attention they deserve.

As a result, I believe our Record Review Services are more important now than ever before. It allows us to efficiently advocate to get the supports your learner needs. It also gives you the peace of mind that your learner is either on the path to school success, or there is a plan to get on that path, and that you’ll have an empathetic, collaborative, and effective advocate supporting you on the journey.

Contact us today for a free brief record review to see whether your learner is on a path to school success!

Best,