Special Education Referral Process By: Zahra Yaafar
(1) Teacher observes students behavior in class, and looks out for any recurring needs or problems the student may exhibit.
References
(2) If the teacher notices any of the mentioned problems or needs then they must contact the student's parents.
Discrepancies noticed by the teacher might be behavioral, emotional, academic, or physical aspects that are inconsistent with the student's age (Special Education, n.d.).
When the teacher meets the parents they can show examples of what they have observed. This might be in the form of notes taken by the teacher or the student's work (Special Education, n.d.).
The teacher can ask the parents questions such as if the behavior or problem is also observed at home and if so how often.
Special Education Referral Process. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/special-education-referral-process/.
Basic Steps in Special Education. (2017, April 9). Retrieved from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/steps/.
(3) Teacher asks for parent's consent in order to get an evaluation to determine if the student is found to have a certain disability.
(4) Parents refuse to get their child evaluated.
(6) Parents agree to get their child evaluated
(5) Teacher and parents continue to discuss and try to find ways to facilitate learning for the student.
(7) Evaluation comes back negative.
(9) Evaluation comes back positive and the student is diagnosed with a particular disability.
(8) The student goes back to the classroom and continues class as usual.
(10) The student's parents show results to the teacher and the school.
(11) The school conducts a meeting in which the student's parents, teachers and specialists in the student's particular disability work together to create an Individualized Educational Program for the student (Basic Steps, 2017)).
(12) Once the individualized Education Program is created the the school implements it, and works with the teachers to make sure that the student is given the proper accommodations, and support for his disability ( Basic Steps, 2017).
(13) The teacher and parents observe the effects of the Individualized Education Program. They evaluate whether the student's performance/behavior is improving.
(14) The student's performance does not improve.
(16) The student's performance does improve.
(15) Go back to step 11 and create a new Individualized Education Program until one that helps the student is found.
(17) New individualized Programs are created for the student each year. Annual measurable goals are also set for the students to evaluate their progress (Basic Steps, 2017).
(18) Depending on the nature of the disability that the student has, they may be re-evaluated after a few years to determine it they still require special needs and accommodations, or if they might require different/new ones.
Waterford. (2019, June 17). Waterford Education. Retrieved from https://www.waterford.org/education/15-activities-teaching-strategies-and-resources-for-teaching-children-with-autism/..
Guido, M. (2019, August 27). 20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies & Examples: Prodigy. Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-examples-download/.
Whether or not a teacher has a student in the classroom that has been diagnosed to have a disability, there are still measures that all teachers can implement to make sure they are using differentiated instructional strategies in class.
Set out SMART (specific, measurable, agreed, relevant and timed) goals for each student depending on their particular level of potential (Waterford,2019).
Set aside independent study times in which students can use technological programs that allow them to advance at their own pace (Guido, 2019).
Use multi sensory teaching activities in class to help identify in what ways a student learns best (Waterford,2019).
Interview students to learn more about their particular interests and strengths. These can be used to engage them more in class (Guido, 2019).
The Referral Process
General Strategies
Give student options of several projects they can choose from. This can help students work on something they are more comfortable with and demonstrate their strengths (Guido,2019).
(Corg, 2016). .
Corg, E. (2016, January 25). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?vO0xdaCEqrU0