Referral Process for Special Education
Pre-referral Interventions
Before a student can be referred for an evaluation the school must be able to document the efforts it has made to address and solve the presenting problems of the student. The school must be able to document a minimum of two research based interventions. Typically, the two interventions are put in place for three to four weeks in an attempt to solve problem(s) exhibited by the student. If the team determines that the student is not making appropriate progress following the interventions and believes the student may be a student with a disability, they may proceed with the evaluation referral.
Referral/Review Team
If the pre-referral interventions are not successful in solving the problems and the school believes the child might qualify for special education services, the student is referred to the child study team. This team determines what areas need to be evaluated and who will be involved in the evaluation process. This results in a evaluation determination plan that is reviewed with the parents. Parents have to give their permission for the district to proceed with an evaluation if the student has never received special education support previously.
Evaluation
Once the school receives parent permission, the evaluation has to be completed within 30 school days. A meeting is set up with the parent to review the results of the evaluation and determine if the student qualifies for support services.