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Quiz Time:

Resources:

Before Special Ed: How Pre-Referral Works | GreatKids. (2010). Retrieved September 1, 2015, from http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/pre-referral/

1. How many steps are there in a Pre-Referral?

2. Which step does the Pre-Referral team get together and brainstorm intervention techniques to help the students?

3. How long does the Pre-Referral team wait to revisit the strategy to discuss if it is working correctly?

4. What are the warning signs that a Pre-Referral process should be motioned to start?

5. What is the final stage in the Pre-Referral process?

6. *The _________________ team meets and discussions the information that has been previously collected. The team brainstorms _____________________ that may help the student.

7. List two of the strategies that were mentioned in stage four to help with the intervention process?

8. Who is responsible for the data collection and the behavior checklist?

Informal Assessments

Special Education Referral Process - Project IDEAL. (2013). Retrieved September 1, 2015, from http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/special-education-referral-process/

Informal assessments are the way this information is gathered.

Informal assessments are the most popular technique.

Examples: Samples of student's work, checklists, and observations.

Family members and classroom teachers are just a few of the people who help collect this information.

What is the Pre-Referral Process? (2015). Retrieved September 1, 2015, from http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/preref/cresource/q1/p01/#content

Stage Two: Information Gathering

Warning signs

Stage 1: Initial Concern

Discussion Activity

In your groups, discuss the following questions:

  • As a classroom teacher, what can I do if the strategy is successful and I need to continue it, even if it interferes with my normal routine?
  • If the student is formally referred for special education, what are some ways I can prepare myself and my classroom for the student?
  • Complete worksheet

Stage 6: Evaluation and Decision Making

A few of the warning signs include lack of motivation, difficulty comprehending text, social-emotional problems and/or falling grades.

Information can be gathered in different ways by different people. There are specific pieces of information that must be gathered during this stage.

A few examples may be: a teacher will be asked to explain in written form any instructional methods, strategies, materials and classroom behavior management techniques that have been previously tried or used to attempt to help the student. Other information that is important is the student’s skill level, background knowledge and other experiences. Expectations for behavior and academic performance at school and home is also required.

Quiz Time

QUESTIONS

In this final stage, the Pre-Referral team decides whether or not the intervention or accommodation strategy worked. If it did, they decide if it can be continued. If it did not, they must decide whether to try another strategy or begin the formal referral process for special education. Parents or legal guardians should be encouraged to participate during Pre-Referral as they can provide valuable information. Should the Pre-Referral team think there is a disability, a formal referral process should be started for special education in case the student qualifies under the Individuals with Disabilities Act or Rehabilitation Act.

Initial concern can be noticed by many different people.

Example: Teachers, parents, or other members of the school staff

Initial concern can be vocalized informally or formally.

Informal concern is when a parent or other family member can ask the school for help concerning a behavior.

Formal concern is when a teacher or other staff member fills out a form to express their concern to the school.

Role Assignments

Assigning roles to each member in the group may help the pre-referral team and is encouraged.

Example: facilitator, note-taker, meeting coordinator, time keeper.

Information to Include in the Meeting

Other information that may help in these meetings is the student's strengths, interests, talents and a comparison of his or her skills to their peers.

The greatest gift is not being afraid to question.

Ruby Dee

Stage Three: Information Sharing and Team Discussion

Conclusion

The pre-referral team meets and discussions the information that has been previously collected. The team brainstorms intervention techniques that may help the student.

The pre-referral team is made up of the general education teacher, school counselor, and any other teachers the student may have. (special education teacher for example)

The other part of the pre-referral team includes the parents. Parents can provide insight into the family living situation.

Discussion Activity

Stage Five: Implementing and Monitoring of Strategies

In your groups, discuss this next question:

  • As a classroom teacher with many students who have a multitude of needs, what are some ways you can ensure you record accurate data for the Pre-Referral teams strategy?

The six steps for a Pre-Referral Process are: initial concern, gathering information, information sharing and team discussion, discussion of possible strategies, implementing and monitoring of strategies and evaluation and decision making. Each step is different in the actions that need to be taken. The Pre-Referral process is something that should be taken seriously and needs to have the full support of everyone including the general teacher, the special education teacher (if the student has one), the team and the parents. As future teachers this is something we should familiarize ourselves with and not be afraid of a Pre-Referral Process if we happen to have to do one when we have our own class. Hopefully from this lesson you learned what a pre-referral is, why it is important, how to make a pre-referral, and the steps of a pre-referral.

Monitoring students is often the classroom teacher's responsibility. The Pre-Referral team may assist too though. The teacher is responsible for data collection. This can be through curriculum based measurement (CBM) and also a behavior checklist. This step is crucial as it decides whether the strategy works for the student or if other steps or needed.

The Pre-Referral Process

Warm Up Activity

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

By Katie Ashmore

We are going to play a short game. Who has heard of pre-referrals? Please raise your hands. Who can tell me what a pre-referral is? Alright, I am asking each class to think of two words that they feel about our topic of the pre-referral process. You have 30 seconds to think of your answers and I need one person from each place to tell us your answers and why you choose them. Your answers may be nervous or confused because maybe you aren't sure what a pre-referral is or excited because you already know what a pre-referral is. Okay, ready, go.

Katie Ashmore: Introduction

Laykin Engell: Steps 1-3

Laura Galloway: Steps 4-6

Ashley Melvin: Conclusion

As we have learned throughout this presentation and paper a Pre-Referral is a crucial piece that we need in determining if a student needs extra conditions to have a better working environment or if the student needs to take the next step to a formal referral process. This process happens when a teacher thinks that a student is struggling in class with one or more areas of academia. We as teachers do not want to throw that student directly into special education classes if there is something that we can do before that step. In order to start the Pre-Referral process we have learned that there needs to be a team put into place to complete the six steps of the Pre-Referral process. Throughout this presentation we have heard about each step and what each step entails.

Pre-referral Introduction

The pre-referral process requires important data and information to be collected. This is not a small or short process, it takes time and discussion between teachers, staff and parents before anything is decided. The pre-referral process begins when a teacher or parent believes that a student may be struggling in a certain area or areas. At this point the teacher or parent is just exploring the options that may help their student, the teacher or parent is concerned for the student’s education and wants to make the best choices for that student. There is a problem solving team that helps the teacher of the student create strategies for teaching the student effectively. Many schools have their own specific pre-referral forms and processes. From this lesson you will understand what a pre-referral is, why it is important, how to make a pre-referral, and the steps of a pre-referral.

Does anyone know the six steps for a pre-referral? (Please raise your hand.) Our group tonight will be discussing the signs to look for, how to conduct pre-referrals, and we will conclude with a wrap-up activity. In our presentation we will cover the six stages in the pre-referral process. These six stages are: initial concern regarding a student's progress, information gathering, information sharing and team discussion, discussion of possible strategies, implementation and monitoring of strategies, and the evaluation and decision making.

Discussion Activity

Stage four: Discussion of Possible Strategies

In partners/groups, discuss the following question:

  • As a classroom teacher, what are some questions you can think of to ask the Pre-Referral team about possible strategies? (Keep in mind, this will affect your classroom and your observation as a teacher is crucial)

The Pre-Referral team meets to discuss possible strategies or interventions. This can include making accommodations for students with the seating chart, classroom management, and teaching styles. When the team decides on a specific strategy, they must decide how they can make it measurable goal using data collection. They also must decide if the classroom teacher needs any additional training before implementing the strategy. Finally, the Pre-Referral team must decide when to meet again to discuss the results of the strategy. Often this is 4-6 weeks, but can be sooner depending on circumstances.

Pre-Referral Process

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