Teacher of Record
TOR Forms/Tools
IIEP Online IEP development tool for the State of Indiana
CAMM/SAMM (Manual developed by special education teachers with options for adapting and modifying curriculum. If you would like a copy, contact your support team)
General Education Progress Check
IIEP Quarterly progress report (report is generated from within each student's record in IIEP)
Student discipline log (Information found in PowerSchool)
Who can be a Teacher of Record?
A Teacher of Record (TOR) is assigned to each eligible special education student by the Special Education Department based on the student’s exceptionality area(s) and the teacher’s special education certification. A TOR will have a list of students for whom they have been assigned. The TOR student lists are periodically sent to each teacher as students are added and deleted throughout the year.
You may have students on your TOR list that you do not see regularly, because you are licensed in that student's primary disability, but another teacher is delivering services. You will need to monitor that student. “Not having the student in class” is never an excuse for failure to fulfill your responsibilities as TOR.
There are many responsibilities for the Teacher of Record. The main points are covered quarter by quarter. In addition, the procedures (available on-line) of the special education department must be followed. The role of TOR is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. The TOR is required to oversee the implementation of the IEP as it is written. Changes in the IEP may only be made through the case conference procedure.
TOR Responsibilities
Notifying teachers’ of service of IEP requirements (accommodations, modifications, behavior intervention plan, etc.)
Complete Training Verification for all IEPs
Print IEP at a Glance for each students and distribute to all teachers.
Monitoring and facilitating the implementation of all IEPs in all settings.
Planning and conducting all assigned student’s case conference committee meetings
Gather information for a Functional Behavioral Assessment
Facilitate the development of a Behavioral Intervention Plan within IIEP
Collaborating with all appropriate building staff to develop an appropriate IEP
Preparing all necessary IEP paperwork in a timely manner
Regular communication with students’ parents regarding progress and problems
Completing quarterly reports on IEP goals and objectives
Conducting Move-In conferences when needed.
Completing Special Education Department Enrollment and Withdrawal forms when a student enters or exits the school.
Tracking disciplinary consequences, specifically suspensions so as not to exceed 10 days
School Year At a Glance
Prior to the start of school:
Special Education Orientation meetings are held at the beginning of the start of school. Orientation meetings are for all special education teachers. One of the meetings is scheduled prior to the first day of school and the second meeting is usually scheduled during the first week of school after the end of the school day. Teachers only need to attend one of the meetings. You will receive a folder with important dates and schedules, and your a student list for your building.
The Procedure Manual is available on-line. Look for the Procedures menu at the top of this page. Here you will find links to forms, resources, etc. Pages will be continuously updated. We will try to send email notifications to staff when there are changes in procedures. The date of last revision will be posted at the top of each page.
Meet the special education department chairperson (High School) or designated special education leader for your building. Primary Centers do not have team leaders or department chairpersons. Primary Center teachers will need to meet with an experienced special education teacher in their building.
You will receive the names of the special education district support team members assigned to support your building. These experienced team members are available to assist you. Every member of the support team has an office phone with answering machine, and will respond to email in a timely manner.
During the first few days of school:
Special ed staff in your building will work together with support teams to build TOR lists.
Make sure that you have a copy of each student’s current IEP for your working file. In most buildings the guidance department maintains cumulative (cum) files. A copy of the current IEP should be in the cum. If the student is new to your school and does not yet have a cum folder, you may contact the special education office for assistance.
Read each student's IEP thoroughly.
Check the student’s schedule of classes with service written into the IEP. If there is a discrepancy, follow your building procedure for making the necessary schedule changes.
If there is a Behavior Intervention Plan, familiarize yourself with its content and procedures. If the BIP requires staff to be trained in CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute), contact your support team to arrange training for any of your staff who have not been trained.
Students who need assistance evacuating the building in case of an emergency must have a current Evacuation Plan for their school. If the student has a history of elopement, the IEP should contain an Elopement Plan. These Plans must include specifics for that individual student and building. The names of staff responsible for assisting with the evacuation and/or Elopement Plan must be included. The Plan must be revised each time the student changes schools. Check to see if the plan needs to be updated for this school year.
If the student has a Health Plan in the IEP, make sure the nurse and other building staff have a copy, and familiarize yourself with its contents.
SBCSC uses the state web-based IEP program known as IndianaIEP (IIEP) to complete portions of the student IEPs online. You will access the IIEP program through the IDOE Link initiative. Instructions for setting up your account can be found on the Access to IIEP page. There is a full Online Help Manual for the IIEP to help you complete your IEP paperwork. After the case conference, IEPs are scanned and stored electronically downtown. If you need a copy of a current IEP, anyone on the support team can print one out for you.
Within the first week of school, you must distribute the following for each student on your list:
As required by the SBCSC teacher’s contract, you must make a copy of the IEP at a Glance available to any teacher working with the student. If the teachers refuse, you should document that it was offered (there is a place to document this on the cover letter)
Print a TOR letter for Teachers for each teacher of the students on your list. There is a tear-off section for teachers to return to you that can serve as your documentation that you have completed this process.
In addition:
You must complete the Training Verification for each student. The Verification process is outlined on the Conducting the IEP page.
If the student has a Behavior Intervention Plan as part of the IEP, it is particularly important that each teacher working with the student receive a copy. (The Behavior Plan is included in the IEP at a Glance) This includes administrators, music, PE and art teachers, librarians, bus duty staff, etc.
Any pertinent information regarding medical needs, medication and/or evacuation procedures must also be included.
Evacuation Plan, Elopement Plan or Health Plan if they are included in the IEP.
Make a point to introduce yourself to the students on your TOR list. At the high school level you may not have every student in class. “Not having the student in class” is never an excuse for failure to fulfill your responsibilities as TOR.
Send the TOR parent letter [Spanish] home with each of your students. You should include your plan time and email address. It is best to give the school’s main number and not the direct number to your classroom. (This helps to avoid interruptions during instruction.)
If you are a resource teacher in a Primary Center, develop your schedule of service for each student and give a copy to the general education teachers and your building principal.
Throughout the School Year:
As students move into or leave your school, you will need to send an Enrollment and Withdrawal form to the Special Education Office. It is critical that this is done as quickly as possible following the enrollment or withdrawal. This is the only way we have to record and count students. The form is due in the special education office within ten (10) school days of the date of enrollment or withdrawal.If the student has an address and/or phone number change, please notify your building secretary to have the changes made in PowerSchool.
Keep data on student progress on IEP goals. You may use prepared Data Sheets, or create your own.
You may be asked to conduct classroom observations of students who are in the process of a Multidisciplinary Team Evaluation, depending on your certification. Your support team will help you, so be sure you ask for their help as soon as you find out about the conference.
Teaching Resource Manuals have been developed to help you individualize instruction for your students. For a copy, ask your support team member, and they will get you one.
The CAMM (Curriculum Accommodations and Modifications Manual) was written to provide assistance with teaching the Indiana State Academic Standards. Lesson plans, and activities for Language Arts and Math in grades K-8 are included.
The SAMM (Secondary Accommodations and Modifications Manual) was written to assist teachers in grades 9-12. The SAMM includes instructional approaches, methods, and strategies as well as curriculum and assessment strategies.
An Autism Manual is available from your Autism Consultant.
Develop a schedule for conducting Annual Case Conferences for all students.
Check your students' dates of birth. An IEP must be held for each student before the last day of the month of their birth. Make a list of each student's birthrate by month. The Special Education Department will send you a monthly list of which IEPs are due throughout the year.In addition, case conferences to revise an IEP may need to be held throughout the school year. As TOR it is your responsibility to be prepared for any and every conference regarding the students on your list. Check the page on Conducting a Case Conference to be ready for any and all case conferences
As TOR, it is your responsibility to keep track of the number of suspensions for your students. Students with disabilities cannot be suspended more than 10 days in a school year.
If a student begins to exhibit a pattern of behavior (starts being suspended) and does not have a BIP, you must begin the process of conducting a FBA/BIP. A Functional Behavioral Assessment is part of a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP). The FBA and BIP are written with a team of educators, and should never be developed by one individual. Support team members can assist in this process. Instructions for filling out the FBA/BIP can be found here.
If you are the TOR for a student whom the school is requesting expulsion or who has reached 10 days of suspension, a Manifestation Determination Conference (MDC) will be held. You must be prepared for the conference. The student must have an FBA/BIP which includes the behavior that precipitated the school’s request for the student’s expulsion.
Prior to the MDC conference you should gather information from all teachers of the student, including attendance, work habits, grades, etc. It is helpful to have a copy of the latest report card and transcript (high school only) for the student.
Further information regarding an MDC is included in the ‘Help, I have an MDC’ handout.
If you have questions at any time, feel free to contact your mentor, district support team member or the special education office.
For each Grading Period
Midway through the grading period, consult with each of the student's general education teachers to gather feedback on the student’s performance in their class.
Complete the Progress Monitoring on IEP goals within IIEP for each student on your TOR list. The Progress Monitoring Forms are found within the IIEP online program. This should be sent home with the student's Progress Report.
The final Progress Monitoring Report, along with all previous Progress Reports are placed into the student’s cum folder.
If the student will be moving to another school in the fall (e.g. primary to intermediate, intermediate to high school, etc.), forward your working files to next year’s teacher or give them to your support team.