The red folder process is initiated when the teacher notices that a student is struggling academically. The folder contains a checklist that outlines the procedures that should be followed and documents interventions and their effects. The program also provides guidelines that differentiate recommendations for native Spanish speakers and native English speakers, with special attention to the elementary grades, when native English speakers are learning to read in their second language and therefore may be exhibiting second language learning issues rather than reading difficulties.
Following the procedures laid out in the red folder, the teacher works with the parents or guardians, the resource teacher, and other colleagues to implement interventions to assist the child with his or her academic difficulty. After 4 to 6 weeks, the teacher documents the effects of the first set of interventions, and additional interventions are implemented. If no progress is noted after several months of this process, the red folder is given to the Student Study Team (SST) and a more formal meeting is scheduled. At the SST meeting, parents meet with the resource teacher, the classroom teacher, and one or more of the following individuals: the principal, a school psychologist, a speech pathologist, a reading specialist, and additional resource teachers. Each case is different. In some cases, testing may be decided upon at the first SST meeting, while with others, the team may decide to try additional interventions and reconvene 1 or 2 months later to see how those interventions worked and whether additional supports are needed.
Click below for the various components of the Red Folder Process.