Para daily communication log template

A para sees a student for hours each day. The teacher may see the same student for 20 minutes. The communication log is how the teacher learns what happened in the other hours, without a long conversation at 3:05 when the buses are loading.

Paras work under the direction of a teacher or provider.^[1] The log is part of that supervision: the para reports, the teacher reads and directs. It is not a diary, and it is not the place to record trial-by-trial data. The data go on the data sheet; the log says the sheet was done and adds what the numbers cannot show.

For the para role in general, see paraprofessional roles and responsibilities.

Fill-in para communication log

Use one page per student per day, or one page per day with a row per student if the para serves several students lightly. Copy this table.

Completed example

Sam is a fictional grade 4 student with a behavior plan and a goal for asking for a break. The para supports him at arrival, reading, recess, lunch and math. The details are made up to show the format.

Notes on each section

Date and student

Use first names or initials only. A log can be seen by anyone who picks it up off a desk. Keep it in the teacher's folder, not in a backpack. The paraprofessional confidentiality guide covers the rules.

Schedule

Teachers and administrators look here to see whether the IEP supports were delivered. "Recess indoor, stayed in Room 12" explains a missed block. A pattern of missed blocks, such as the para being pulled to cover lunch duty three days a week, is something the case manager needs to know. The para schedule template is the plan this section reports against.

Data turned in

Write the totals, not every trial. If the para ran 10 trials of a goal on the opportunity and trial data sheet, the log says "Opportunity sheet, work initiation, 10 trials, 6 independent." The sheet keeps the detail. The log only confirms it exists and gives the teacher a quick number. Use the same prompt codes as the sheet, from the prompt hierarchy.

What went well

Write at least one specific moment every day, with the time. Parents who later read logs notice when a record lists only problems. A teacher also needs to know what is working, so it can be kept.

Incidents

Write only what you saw and heard, in order. Use the pattern: time, what happened right before, what the student did, what you did, how long it lasted, how it ended. Avoid labels and guesses about feelings.

• Weak: "Sam had a meltdown at lunch because he was angry."
• Better: "11:40, peer sat in his seat. Sam pushed his tray off the table. I pointed to his break card. He used it, sat 4 minutes, returned."

That pattern matches how to take ABC data. If the behavior is serious, the district's incident form is also needed; see the behavior incident report guide.

Questions for the teacher

This section is how decisions stay with the teacher. The para asks; the teacher decides. "Should I save his seat?" is a good question. Quietly deciding to save it every day is a change to the plan that the teacher never approved.

Teacher response

The teacher writes a short answer and initials the page. Without that line, the log is a one-way report and the para never learns whether a choice was right.

What reviewers and parents look for

A log kept by school staff about a student can become part of the student's education record, and parents have a right to inspect their child's records.^[2] Write every entry as if the parent will read it, because they may. Reviewers such as a special education coordinator check three things:

1. Were the IEP supports delivered on the days and times the IEP says?
2. Do the incident notes describe behavior in facts, with times?
3. Did the teacher respond and direct the next step?

Schools must also protect these records when they are stored, shared and destroyed.^[3] Ask the teacher where finished logs are kept and how long.

Home notes are different

Some teams also send a daily note home. That is a separate document. The teacher should approve what goes home, or write it from the para's log. A home note uses warm, general language: "Sam used his break card four times today and finished his math." It does not include incident details about other children or raw data that needs explaining.

Common mistakes

• Weak: The log repeats every trial from the data sheet. Better: Totals only; the sheet holds the detail.
• Weak: "Good day." Better: "8:40, used break card on his own, back to work in 3 minutes."
• Weak: The para writes opinions about the family. Better: Only what happened at school, in facts.
• Weak: The teacher reads the log on Fridays. Better: The teacher reads and initials it daily, even with a one-word reply.

For an observation form the teacher can use alongside the log, see the para observation checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Opportunity trial data sheet
• Paraprofessional in the IEP glossary
• Prompt hierarchy in the IEP glossary
• ABC data in the IEP glossary

Related guides

• Paraprofessional roles and responsibilities
• Paraprofessional confidentiality: what you can and cannot share
• Paraprofessional schedule template with a completed example
• Paraprofessional observation form: a printable checklist
• Behavior data sheet for paraprofessionals: template and example

Sources

1. 34 CFR §300.156: Personnel qualifications, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
2. 34 CFR Part 99: Family Educational Rights and Privacy, eCFR (National Archives)
3. 34 CFR §300.623: Safeguards, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.