Record Review Meetings- What are they?

In a lot of the worksheets and the planner that I have created, you may have noticed a section called “Records Review Meetings.” Not all districts have this, but may be adopting this in the near future. 

Let me explain: New You State Law states:

A committee on special education shall arrange for an appropriate reevaluation of each student with a disability if the school district determines that the educational or related services needs, including improved academic achievement and functional performance of the student, warrant a reevaluation or if the student's parent or teacher requests a reevaluation, but not more frequently than once a year unless the parent and representatives of the school district appointed to the committee on special education agree otherwise; and at least once every three years, except where the school district and the parent agree in writing that such reevaluation is unnecessary.

Part 200 (200.4 B 4)

This is a lot of jargon, so let me sum it up. A reevaluation is needed [AT LEAST] once every 3 years, unless the committee and the parent agree in writing that such reevaluation is unnecessary. 

In my district, we hold “record review meetings” where the parent, special education teacher, speech pathologist and school psychologist sit and go over information gathered over the last 3 years. Information includes previous evaluations, attendance, report card grades, IEP progress reports, updated medical records, and teacher input (and much more). As a team we look at progress (or lack thereof) and determine if testing is needed for the student. If the parents are unsure and still want testing to be conducted, then the district will still go forward with the reevaluation. A write up of the meeting is written and sent to the parent regardless of what decision was made. 

Benefits of record review meetings:

1. You may want information on specific aspects of the student that you can determine at one of these meetings. For example, you may decide that an updated cognitive evaluation is not needed, however, the student made tremendous progress in Physical Therapy and an updated PT evaluation is needed to determine if the student qualifies for this service. 
2. We know that cognitive scores do not tend to fluctuate very drastically. If the student has 2 or more recent evaluations on file, updated cognitive testing may not be warranted.
3. Testing may cause tremendous anxiety or behavioral difficulties for some students and it may not be necessary to put them through a long evaluation for information that is already on file. 
4. Parents have brought up concerns for their child that was not observed in school but warranted a follow up. Teachers have also brought up concerns to parents and the committee was able to get additional medical information that wasn’t previously shared by the parent.
5. This process helps the parent stay more involved and have more input on their child's educational career.  

The list goes on and on...

Now with Covid-19 and schools reopening, I believe that this process may have a benefit in keeping both faculty and students safe from the virus. If testing is not needed, then there may be less of a spread of Covid-19 if there is an outbreak. If testing is needed, the parent can ask questions about procedures that the district will have in place. This will continue to benefit the relationship the parent has within the school. As these times are still uncertain, it is important to continuously keep parents involved and assist in the decision making process. 

Let me know if your district has similar meetings and what the process is for you!