Pre-Referral Intervention Manual Fourth Edition

By: Kathy Cummins Wunderlich and Samm N. House and Stephen B. Mccarney

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Synopsis: Generally, the pre-referral process begins with a regular educator calling attention to a student with learning and/or behavior problems. A team of educators, typically composed of a special educator(s), a regular educator(s), and/or a counselor(s) from that building, meets with the educator identifying a student for pre-referral intervention. The team, along with input from the teacher calling attention to the student's needs, pinpoints the specific learning and/or behavior concerns for improvement. Goals and objectives for the student in the regular classroom are formally or informally determined, and intervention strategies for the school environment are agreed upon. With consultant assistance from the pre-referral team, the classroom teacher conducts adjusted behavior and teaching approaches for the student for a specific length of time, which may be for several weeks up to a few months. The student's progress is documented and communication continues between the pre-referral team and the classroom teacher. Based on student performance in response to pre-referral intervention strategies, decisions are made as to the student's ability to succeed in the regular classroom with adjustments in instruction, materials, testing, etc. If the student is successful with these adjustments, he/she remains in the regular classroom with continued support. If the student is not successful; formal referral, assessment, and special education services are likely to follow.