1. Pre-Referral, Referral, and Placement in Special Education EDUC 213 Spring 2015

2. 3 Major Steps in the Referral for Special Education Process: 1.Pre-Referral: This step involves problem identification, meetings to discuss the problem, and attempts at intervention in the regular classroom. This includes RTI and the intervention method. 2.Referral: Once intervention within the classroom has been attempted and found unsuccessful, the student is referred for a comprehensive assessment to determine if he/she is eligible to receive special education services. 3.Placement: After the comprehensive assessment determines that there is a disability the parent must give permission to place in a special education program and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is written based on the individual needs of the student.

3. The Intervention Method of Prereferral (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2010) Problem observed Consult for ideas (if ideas work, process stops here) Prereferral team meeting Implementation of intervention in regular education class Team re-convenes (if 1 st intervention works, stop here; if not proceed) 2 nd intervention implemented Team re-convenes to determine success of 2 nd intervention (if successful, stop here) Referral to be assessed for special education Assessment process Determination of eligibility (If ineligible, no services provided) If eligible, IEP team meets to determine educational programming based on student’s individual needs

4. How does RTI fit into this process? RTI replaces the intervention method of prereferral in most school districts in the state of Alabama or is in the process of replacing Involves 3 tiers of intervention based on a student’s response to evidence-based interventions What have you learned thus far about RTI?

5. Characteristics of Response to Instruction (RTI) Class-wide Screening/Benchmarks Evidence-based instruction (chosen by the state) to rule out lack of instruction or poor instruction Tier 2 is small group instruction in the classroom or in pull out using evidence based practices Tier 3 is either more intensive or can be considered special education

6. Parent Notification If pre-referral strategies (RTI or the intervention method) are not successful and the student continues to struggle in the general education classroom, a referral form is completed by parents, teacher, and any other professional involved with the student. Before ANY assessment is conducted, the student’s parent is notified in writing and MUST give permission before any assessment can occur. The notification is always accompanied with procedural safeguards outlining the student’s rights.

7. Referral Occurs after a student has passed through the pre- referral process Parent permission is obtained Student is assessed, observed, and given rating scales based on teacher referral form. The student is administered a a comprehensive assessment to determine if he/she meets the criteria for special education

8. Comprehensive Assessment to Determine Eligibility A plan of action is presented for the assessment of the student Parent Permission MUST be obtained prior to administering ANY assessments. The assessment instruments are administered individually, parents/teachers complete checklists and surveys on the child, and observations may be conducted on the child in his/her classroom. The assessment results are disseminated into a report. The eligibiilty team using the results from the report to determine the eligibility of the student for special education services.

9. Comprehensive Assessment can include: Individualized intelligence tests (WISC-IV, Leiter-II, Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale (SBIS-IV TR) Individualized Achievement Test in areas of difficulty (WJ-III, WIAT-II, KTEA) Behavioral observations of the student in a variety of settings Rating scales from teachers, parents, and student. Work samples Assessments from Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, or other professional Another hearing/vision screening, if necessary

10. Placement Once the student is ruled eligible, the parent MUST give written permission to place, usually there is a meeting with the parents and assessment team to review the students’ results and explain the eligibility determination. The student is PLACED in special education when the parent signs the parent permission to place the student in special education. After a student is PLACED in special education, the IEP is written.

11. Program Planning (IEP) The IEP meeting must occur within 30 days of the determination of the disability and the student’s eligibility for special education services. Same members on the assessment team are on the IEP team. The student is NOT placed in a special education classroom until parents give written permission for placement and an IEP is in place. Often the placement meeting and IEP meeting occur simultaneously. The IEP outlines the students’ program of study for the next year. It is based on the individual needs of the student. The IEP team also decides the LRE for the student based on the students’ individual needs.