Special Education Referral Process

In this blog post, I am going to look at the special education referral process in the United States. At the outset, I did not know much at all about the process other than that was some sort of process that was followed. In researching online and speaking with three classroom teachers and one special education administrator, I have a much better understanding the of process. 

What is the Referral Process?

In general, it seems that the most common way a child is referred for special education assessment is through his or her teacher. Sometimes parents, too, signal an issue they notice with their child. If there does seem to be an issue, the teacher and school can implement an RTI or response to intervention. This is a pre-referral process, an alternate method of of instruction that can be tried out before formal assessment, that allows the teacher and school to work more closely with the child to try to pinpoint the possible learning difficulty. It also tries to help the student succeed without entering a formal special education plan. There are three parts to the RTI:

Tier 1 = student continues to work in the main classroom with all students. Instruction can be differentiated to try to meet his/her needs or individualized. 

Tier 2 = small group instruction in a targeted group one or a few times a week outside the main classroom setting 

Tier 3 = small group instruction in a targeted group or individualized instruction more frequently during the week outside the main classroom 

If the RTI is not successful and the teacher, school and parents decide the child needs an assessment, then the assessment is done. In most cases, the school carries out the assessment. However, if parents wish, they may take their child to a private assessment center and pay the cost on their own. The assessment must be in the child's native language and it measures different capacities of the child: cognitive, academic, language, social, emotional, developmental and health. After the assessment, if it is deemed necessary for the child to have special education services,  under IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Act, the child is authorized and guaranteed a Free Appropriate Public Education, or FAPE. This is when a meeting is called between the parents, the child (if age appropriate), the child's classroom teacher, the special education teacher, school psychologist (or another professional capable of interpreting the assessments) , a school or district representative, and any other person who is close to the child that the parents would like involved.  Overall, this IEP (Individual Education Plan) team seems very comprehensive in its collaboration between the student's family and the school. Each person involved has a specific role and the all-embracing goal is to best meet the needs of the student and help him or her succeed. In the meeting, the team decides on the goals for the current school year and the ways in which these goals can be meet. The team meets each year to redefine the IEP and adapt it to the child. The IEP must be signed and given approved by the parents. If the parents do not give consent then it can not be implemented.

How do teachers detect a learning disability?

There are certain signs teachers can look for or behavior they can pick up on including, but certainly not limited to the following:

below grade-level reading

disorganized

unable to work with others or maintain eye contact

constantly moving or causing disruptions

difficulties following directions

missing homework

incomplete work

often late or absent

language delays

The above are just a few examples of what the teachers I spoke with about special education referrals mentioned to me. They added that these were also signs of a struggling student, which could indicate a learning disability. All the teachers stressed the fact that every child learns at a different pace and, while there are benchmarks for specific age ranges, each child is an individual and they do not necessarily all learn at the same time. 

Some Thoughts

Hearing the teachers say this last point, made me think of the information I had recently learned about the School of One in New York and the Finnish school system. The School of One has a largely technology based approach to meeting students' needs. They have developed an algorithm that refines the activities and exercises, the way the student works, continually to meet the specific needs of that student. If one way doesn't work, the system presents the material in another way and another and another until the best way is found for the student. Also focusing on the individual but without a technology-based algorithm, Finnish schools strive for early detection. There is an over-arching belief that all children at some point need special services, so the schools are set up in a way to be able to seamlessly meet the needs of the students. A special education teacher will often join the main classroom then, if need be, take one student or a group out for more personalized work. There is a "welfare" team that meets monthly made up of teachers and other school staff who discuss all aspects of the student from academics to emotional health. To me, this is a very holistic approach to helping all students. While different approaches, both the School of One and Finnish school system, have found ways to individualize and meet the needs of students, whether special needs or mainstream, and have done so successfully. 

I think it is amazing that an algorithm can tailor learning to best fit the student. This frees up teacher time to help other students or act as a guide and mentor in the learning process. I also think the Finnish approach, which has more personal connection between staff and child, is amazing as well. The whole school acts like a village raising these children, their students. Collaborating, working as a team, to find the best way to help each student. After learning about these two approaches, I wondered if perhaps every child needs an IEP. If we all learn differently and at different paces, why shouldn't we all have our education planned out with our best interest in mind? Why should a struggling student get an IEP and not a gifted student who is bored in the mainstream class? Should we not strive better to meet the needs of all students? 

 Teacher Interviews

The above questions came back to me when I was interviewing teachers and a special education administrator about the process of referral. One of the first things the special education administrator said in the interview was that "all kids should have an IEP." All the interviews were eye-opening because in talking with each teacher is was clear that while the process of referral seems pretty straight forwards in writing, it a a much more difficult thing to recognize a student with a disability. The administrator pointed out that often new teachers do not detect anything because as a new teacher they lack confidence and feel it was their inability to reach the student and teach him or her the necessary information rather than thinking it could be due to a learning disability. I found that the teachers in the interviews agreed that teachers much know their students, know over all benchmarks for the age ranges they teach, but also be confident in themselves to recognize the red flags. Often a learning disability is discovered only after the child has failed.  However, if the teacher notices a struggling student, there are different ways and methods to reach the student. First and foremost, talking to the student to see how they are feeling about school and to see if anything is going on. Comparing their current work with previous work and talking to their other teachers is another way to feel out the situation. Trying different techniques of verbal and/or non-verbal instruction, varying activities between individual and group, graphic organizers, guided reading and giving additional support are all ways to help the student before a formal assessment is done. 

The Future

On the whole, once a student is thought to have a learning disability, the process is very clear and well organized as set out by IDEA. The steps are straight forward for assessment and with an appropriate timeline that facilitates getting the student the help he or she needs as quickly as possibly. However, the most difficult aspect is identifying learning disabilities before it is too late. Experienced teachers, like the ones I spoke with, are familiar with and can recognize a plethora of possible signals. But, as a teacher, you must always keep your eyes open, know your students and analyze situations and behavior on a daily basis. 

From what I've read online and heard from the teachers I spoke with, I think the system of special education referral and IEP implementation in the United States is a good system. I do think that in the future we will see more and more schools turning to technology-based systems like in the School of One in New York. Or, even using tutorial videos like Khan Academy. The benefit of these ICTs (Information and Communication Technology) is that they allow students to learn at their own pace. The School of One algorithm tailors the program to the student while Khan Academy videos allow the student to watch as many times as needed to gain understanding without the pressure of being in the class and needing to understand the first (and possibly only time) the teacher explains the lesson. Collaborative learning, as well, like the experiment Sugata Mitra started in India and then in other countries, like England and Italy, also changes the way students learn which could be beneficial to certain learning disabilities. Taking the pressure off the formal classroom setting, making it more project-based and peer-centered could help students learn better. 

I believe that along side their own IEP, special needs students can benefit from technology as well as the human support network of teachers and school staff looking out for their needs, whether they are academic or emotional needs. Ultimately, I think that all students would benefit from this type of setup.   

Sources

Finland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdFi8zMrYI

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BHdJBwmdCU

Special Education Referral Process: http://www.projectidealonline.org/special-education-referral-process.php

School of One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTrI6nj5xU

Understanding Special Education: http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com

Teacher Interviews in Detail 

N. Ugel, Special Education Manager of ELL in D.C. Public Schools

Good intervention for students with disabilities is good intervention for ELL students. All kids should have an IEP.

How is a student identified for special education referral?

The teacher usually identifies the disability, usually too late-- because by that point the child is failing the class or way behind. It takes a good teacher to really see the problem. Some new teachers blame themselves because they think they aren’t teaching well. They lack confidence. Reading acquisition takes place at different times so it’s hard to diagnose it as a disability. 3rd grade is a key year because students go from reading words and understanding the words to reading words and comprehending the meaning of the text. So, if a child is not comprehending, it is a red flag.

Who takes responsibility for the progress of the child before and after the referral?

School recommends that the child is tested. Test results will indicate a disability or not. And, all types of accommodation = IEP

What is the school administration's directive for special education?

Socioeconomic status can affect the course of the student’s IEP. Legally the school has on staff someone who can test and diagnose the student but the parent might want private testing. So, the parents see the results first. They have the right to question the report and can even alter the outcome to a certain extent. They cannot have the results changed but they can say that they do not want medication recommended for a child with ADHD, for example.

What provisions are made for students identified for special education?

It’s the law for a school to do the testing and to generate a report. There is a time limit on how long the whole process can take. The parents meet with the school and some staff and sign off on the IEP, which is a legal document.

What is the level of parent involvement in referral process and special education?

Parents are involved because they have to sign off on the IEP. But, it’s the school that must accommodate the student. Parents must trust the school to help the child.

Take home:

Good intervention is good intervention.

“If I was starting a school, I would hire all special education teachers.”

Everyone should have an IEP.

Being able to take material and make is so everybody can assess it and all at their own pace and everyone is comfortable at learning is the ideal.

M. Silvestre, Head of History Department and Middle School History Teacher,  American Section at International School, Saint Germaine en Laye, France

How do you identify a student for special education?

If the parents do not have not IEP or 504 already and do not necessarily know that their child may need additional services, here are some signs to look for:

-- large discrepancies developmentally between children of the same age (though you don't want to compare - every child learns at their own rate, there is a benchmark you begin to understand once you have been teaching the same age level for years).  If something jumps out at me, I definitely keep an eye on it.

--maybe, the child excels in one area and is very behind on another

--mixes up similar sounds and word meanings

--very disorganized/loose all of their things

--extremely slow when doing work (compared to rest of class)

--difficulty with comprehension (story, timeline, cartoon, video)

--can not sit still, no attention span, completely off topic, not able to understand some of the basic skills taught (cause/effect or sequencing, for example)

--constant disruptions/weak self-control

--extreme difficulties with following directions or transitions

--socially unable to fit in or unable to identify social cues and norms

--no eye contact

--how long the "weakness" been occurring

--makes mistakes copying notes from the board or from a piece of paper in front of them

--any fine motor or cognitive weaknesses

--cries easily

--very solo in the classroom/can not work with others

--constant need of individual attention and guidance

--lack of attention - though the amount of time a child can sit and pay attention depends on the each age

What are the signs of a struggling student?

In looking at the list above, you can see that some of them fall into this answer to.  The learning disabilities are more obvious than the "struggling student", though they all fall into the same category.

Many of the things bulleted above fall under this category as well.  A student who is not handing in work, for example, or is a constant disruption means that there is something else going on.  They could be struggling because of a learning weakness or because of something socially at school or at home (remember - I am looking at this with middle schoolers and high schoolers in mind but regardless, kids in primary have the same social insecurities).  

Kids will inevitably show the teacher some type of sign that something is not right.  It is  up to teachers to get to know each student (this is difficult!) and know when something is off.  However, like I said, some cases are more obvious than others.

Are there alternate methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special education? If yes, what are they?

First thing you need to do, talk with the student and ask what is going on - one on one.  It does depend on the type of signs you see.  

*Compare their work with work from the beginning of year.  Always good to have some type of benchmark writing and reading piece that you have assessed and written some notes to yourself about.  It gives you a place to compare.  However,  you will also be comparing, not consciously to the other students in the class.  That is why the weaknesses have to really stand out.  

*I always try to learn a little about the possible learning disability

*what  type of learner is the child? visual? auditory? kinesthetic? I like to modify lessons so that the kid feels some success.

*it depends (sorry, I keep saying this word) on where the deficiency is

* provide drawings, diagrams, mind mapping, cartoons, videos, check their notes during class, books on tape, collaborative work so they could process with others, role playing, simulations, flashcards with photos, A/B Sharing (my own thing - mini-conversations with a partner - could explain a different time because kids love this and it works on their oral skills and comprehension)

What is the process--meeting with the parents? meeting with other school staff members?

*monitor student's work

*talk with their other teachers

*talk with student ("I have noticed that you have been writing only one paragraph when the requirements are for you to write four paragraphs. . . .")

*Meet with student one-on-one and see if you can pinpoint it a bit more

*let the student know that you will be contacting their parent, this is after confirmation of a struggle with other teachers and after talking with the student AND seeing no signs of improvement

*would probably talk with special education specialist at school and or principal before contacting parent in order to gain some more info

*meet with parents but with the other teachers as well and, if possible, depending on the child's age, I prefer to have the student there as well (this depends on age of child, the issue at hand  - severity, type of learning disability, your relationship with the child)

*normally, the child gets tested if parents agree

*before this, depending on the issue, I usually try alternative methods and then we meet again in a few weeks to see if there are any changes (these methods also very on the type of learning disability you suspect)

*student might be receive an IEP or a 504, if possible - teachers should go the meeting (I think it is mandatory in the States for a teacher to be present)

Anything else you would add?

Just because a student is quiet, does not mean they are struggling.  Many teachers think this is the case.  There are many methods to get students to talk and to be more proactive in the classroom.  If you think there is a learning disability with a quiet student, teachers must access, meet with the student and try alternative methods before signaling out and thinking there might be a red flag.  Students who are quiet are not necessarily weaker.  Obviously stated but not as obvious in the classroom.  Quiet kids stand out.  That said, there could be a real reason WHY they are in fact being quiet.

There are so many types of labeled learning disabilities today.  EVERY child has some type of baggage whether at home, at school, or in their brain make-up.  The place where I always start is with the student.  I do my best to connect with them and to then talk with them before taking it to the next level.  

I hate comparing but it is necessary to do so on a very general level.

Also, keep in mind that cultural differences play a role in assessing a student as well. For example, an Asian student might not look you in the eye and may seem very passive (again, I am generalizing but it does serve a point) and timid.  That is why it is necessary to look at many factors and not just jump at one and label the student "learning disabled".

It is very difficult to say exactly what you would do and how you would proceed what out knowing the behavior.  Some of very obvious and you know it is cognitive or developmental problem.  Thus, you move along very quickly. Sometimes it is not so obvious so the process is a bit slower and you may skip a few steps.  I hate to say it depends but it really does. However, every school probably has a process that you must follow so then it becomes a bit more clear and easier for the teacher.

Last thing, you will never have time to do all of this!!  Your heart will always be in the right place but classes are too large and teachers are spread too thin. Children suffer as a result.

R. Cohen, Middle School English teacher, Boston School District

How do you identify a student for special education?

This can happen in a couple of different ways.  Sometimes a parent will get the ball rolling by having the student tested by a neuropsychologist. Once that happens, they have actual data to go from. Sometimes it is the classroom teacher who thinks something might be up, so we talk with the vice principal of Special Education at our school, plus the Guidance Department, and then parents are contacted. Basically, if a child is struggling, and basic best practice teaching plus general education intervention is not fixing things...we move forward.

What are the signs of a struggling student?

It depends on what the challenges are. If the struggles are socio-emotional or behavioral, we see issues between the student and teachers, or the student and his/her peers. If the struggles deal with executive functioning, we see missing homework, missing materials, late for class, etc. Processing issues show up when a student needs lots of extra time; attention issues can overlap with the his and we see inattentive behaviors during class, incomplete work, etc.

Are there alternate methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special education? If yes, what are they?

We always try basic accommodations first, like verbal or non- verbal cues for redirection, checklists for remembering materials, graphic organizers for organizing writing, guided reading for reading issues, behavior plans for behavior issues, repeating directions, preferential seating, binder and locker clean out with teacher support...

Anything else you would add?

Just that there is a difference between a 504 plan and an IEP. Only the IEP is considered special education; the 504 is for kids who need certain accommodations (different than modifications or changes in curriculum) but with those accommodations can access the general Ed curriculum okay. Also that it takes a LONG time to process an IEP, and grading kids in special education is super complicated!

M. Nichols, Primary School Teacher, American Section at International School, Saint Germain en Laye, France

How do you identify a student for special education?

In the younger years (grades PreK to 2) identifying a child with special needs can be tricky. Sometimes it is just a developmental stage or milestone they have not made yet or perhaps immaturity. It's important to closely monitor over a period of time and give opportunity for growth for the little ones. For grades 3 and higher it tends to be a bit easier to identify children with special needs. They're usually not reading at grade level standards, they tend to be a few levels below. Sometimes an entire academic year behind with their reading. By this age if the child has special needs that have not been addressed already chances are the child knows they're behind. In some way or fashion. They start to explore ways of not doing their work. Asking to go to the bathroom frequently. Playing with objects. Anything that allows them to avoid the work that may be too hard for them. These children are lacking a confidence in themselves. Sometimes their verbal and writing skills are underdeveloped. They struggle to stay "with the class" on a regular school day. With language and processing delays it's easier to identifying this with a student over time through one on one conferences and documented assessments (formal and informal).

Are there alternate methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special education? If yes, what are they?

Yes, good teaching involves "tiering instruction, class work, and assessments." Small group work with supported instruction is imperative for struggling learners. Sometimes a student needs this in order to grasp a new concept not because they have special needs, but because they just need some additional support in a certain area. Differentiation is coupled with small group with. Another strategy to be tried before having a child tested for special education would be academic intervention. An extra layer of support provided outside of class either by the teacher or an outside specialist. The child's specific needs would be identified, goals would be set, strategies would be it in place to accomplish these goals. This would be one on one or a very small group meeting 1-3 times per week over a 6-9 week span. At the end of the academic intervention the hope is that the child will be better prepared and caught up to grade level standards (depending on how rigorous the academic intervention was). If the child is not and formal/informal data throughout the academic intervention documents how the child continues to struggle, then looking into special education testing at this point would be a conversation to be had with the child's parents.

What is the process--meeting with the parents? meeting with other school staff members?

The three  schools I worked at in New York City each had an academic support team. Where "cases" are brought before the committee. The teacher shares work samples from the child being presented before the committee. The teacher shares with strengths and weaknesses of the child and what the teacher has tried already in the class in terms of differentiation and intervention. The committee then makes recommendations based on what's presented. If the case is severe the committee might suggest that the child be evaluated for an IEP (Individualized education plan) rather soon. If the committee believes there needs to be more documentation of strategies tried, they might suggest some new intervention services and then set a date to meet to review case again.

Anything else you would add?

The goal of special education services is to meet the needs of the learned and help them be the most successful version of themselves and to meet academic goals that are appropriate for them. Getting to this can be bumpy at times for the learner and the family. For some families these situations can be very sensitive. An IEP is to be reviewed annually and the hope is that the child at some point in their academic life will no longer need the special education services. When the IEP is reviewed annually the team (school psychologist, teacher, guidance counselor, and family) review the goals that were set the year before. Did the child make the goals. What needs to be modified? What are new goals that need to be set out for the child. The sooner a child can be identified with special needs, the sooner modifications can be put in place.