IEP Binder Cover

About this resource

A neat binder is easier to find, easier to hand off and easier to bring to a meeting. This editable PDF gives you a color-coded cover for each subject area, matching spines in two widths, divider sheets, trim-and-tape tabs and a contents sheet, so a student's binder goes together in one sitting.

EVERYTHING INSIDE (32 pages)

• 8 full-page student covers, one color for each subject area (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Life Skills, Social Skills and My IEP). Each cover has 4 type-in fields: Student Name, Grade, Teacher and School Year.
• 16 matching spines: 8 that are 1 in wide (all 8 on one page) and 8 that are 2 in wide (four on each of the two spine sheets). Each spine is 9 in tall and prints the subject name with a box to write the student's name by hand.
• 8 divider sheets, one for each tab (Goals, Levels, Data, Samples, Meetings, Family, Services, Notes), each with a color edge tab, type-in name and school year lines, and 9 lines for what goes behind the tab.
• A sheet of 8 trim-and-tape tabs in the same colors, for sheet protectors or folders.
• A binder contents sheet: the 8 tabs, 2 blank rows, a total line for the sheets, and a box for what is missing.
• A filled-in example cover and a filled-in contents sheet for an invented student, with the total added up (33 sheets).
• A caseload binder check for 14 students: cover, spine, tabs and contents boxes, with a roll-up at the bottom.
• A binder sign-out sheet with 14 lines, for the team members who borrow the binder.
• A family note about the binder, with a 4-row table and a signature line.
• A phrase bank of 8 sentence starters in 4 groups (sharing the binder, asking for a look, passing it along, thank you), each ending in a blank, plus 7 lines for your own starters.
• Start Here, a how-to page with a color key and a line for your school's own rule, the terms of use, and a thank-you page with credits.

How To Edit

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview or your browser. Click a line or a box and type. Save As to keep a clean blank copy for the next student. This is a fillable PDF, not an online tool: nothing to log into and nothing to unlock. The covers, dividers and sheets are type-in. The spines print the subject name, and you write the student's name on the spine by hand, because a PDF text field cannot run sideways.

Print Tips

Print on letter paper at 100 percent, or on cardstock for a sturdier cover. The spines are drawn at their real width (1 in and 2 in) only when the page prints at full size. Slide the cover and spine into the clear pockets of a binder. Hole-punch the dividers, or tape the tabs to sheet protectors.

Student Names Stay Private

Not A School Or District Form

This is a set of covers and forms for your own binder. It does not say what must go in a student's binder or who may see it. The how-to page has a blank line for your school's own rule.

Who This Is For

Special education teachers, resource teachers and case managers who keep a binder for each student on a caseload, and the aides and team members who help keep it up to date.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

A set of fillable covers, spines, dividers and forms. The example student and teacher are invented, and each example page says so in a footnote. It is a fillable PDF; it is not a Google Slides, Docs or PowerPoint file, and it is not an online tool.