515 Procedure Appendix I: Retention of Test Protocols

Independent School District 279
Osseo Area Schools

RETENTION OF TEST PROTOCOLS

Test protocols are considered educational data, and are part of a student’s record, if they are maintained in a manner which is personally identifiable to the student. In addition, even if a test protocol is not considered educational data, the test protocol must be made available to a parent/guardian or eligible student if reports or tests based on this test data are called into question. The following steps and considerations should insure an orderly and consistent district procedure:

1.    Protocols are defined as the raw data and information collected or completed which is used in the writing of the final assessment report and considered in program placement. This raw data may include video - or audiotapes as well as traditional written assessment data when used for such diagnostic purposes.

2.    Psychologists and other professionals make ethical commitments to insure test security and confidentiality; therefore, test protocols will not be kept in a student’s cumulative record folder nor will they be saved for permanent retention as are other documents, such as IEPs.

3.    Once the final report is distributed and placed in the cumulative file, the case manager (current, temporary, or assigned) will be responsible for collecting all test protocols and placing them in a sealed envelope labeled protocols. The protocol envelope will be placed in a locked file cabinet separate from the cumulative files.

4.    This file cabinet will be placed in a secure area; its placement will be the responsibility of the Administration and the Special Education Department in each building.

5.    The envelopes will be filed by school year and by the grade of the students.

6.    The existence and location of the protocol envelope will be noted on the locator card and placed in the student’s cum file.

7.    If a student moves to another school in the district, the envelope containing the protocols will be sent to the school where the student attends. This is consistent with all other district student records. This protocol envelope will be kept by the receiving school in that building’s locked file cabinet designated for that purpose and will be filed as that building files and maintains their own protocol envelopes.

8.    These envelopes are not to be sent to another district should that student move from District 279.

9.    In the event a parent questions the interpretation of data as indicated on the final assessment report, protocols need to be made available for review in the presence of the appropriate school professional/s.

10.    The Special Education Department will provide a lockable file cabinet to each building for protocol retention.

11.    If the assessment is done by a subcontractor or by District 287, it will be considered the responsibility of those individuals or agencies.

12.    The retention of protocols as described above refers to the data collected for the most recent assessment. Once a new assessment and placement adjustment, if appropriate, has been completed, the protocols retained for previous placement should be destroyed.

13.    As with other Special Education records not designated for permanent retention by the district, these protocols (whether they do or do not result in program placement) will be kept for 5 years after the student graduates, leaves the district, or is exited from Special Education. These test protocols will be retained in the building last attended by the student for the full 5-year period.