Identifying and Programming for Student Needs

Prereferral Child Study and Referral

What are Prereferral interventions?

Interventions attempted in general education classrooms prior to a formal referral to a special education evaluation.

Prereferral Interventions Include:

Presentation of tasks or questions to a student within an organized context in order to obtain a score.

Assessment-broader than testing in that in involves looking at the global evaluative results and their implications for student performance

Concerned with qualitative as well as quantitative components of performance

Seeks to capture a more complete picture of the student through the determination of current functioning levels

Test bias
Tests should not be racially or culturally discriminatory
No single tests may be used as the sole criterion for determining appropriate educational program
Bias in assessment can include administrative practices
The multidisciplinary team must gather data in a nondiscriminatory fashion

Initiated only when sufficient cause is documented
Parents must consent and have rights to participate in and appeal any determinations made
Assessments undertaken only by fully qualified professionals
Procedures must be adjusted to account for disabilities in hearing, vision, health etc.
Modified to accommodate culture or language
Conclusions and recommendations should be made on multiple sources of data
Periodic reassessments must be made to reevaluate previous judgments and to consider programming changes

The role of the classroom teacher in the assessment process:

Ask questions
Seek help to conveying information to parents
Provide input
Observe assessment practices
Consider issues of possible bias
Avoid viewing assessment as a means of confirming a set of observations or conclusions about a students difficulties