The Pre-Referral Process: Procedures for Supporting Students with Academic and Behavioral Concerns
Assessment
Take some time now to answer the following questions. Please note that the IRIS Center does not collect your Assessment responses. If this is a course assignment, you should turn them in to your professor using whatever method he or she requires. If you have trouble answering any of the questions, go back and review the Perspectives & Resources pages in this module.
- Describe three benefits of the pre-referral process.
- List the six stages of the pre-referral process and briefly explain each of them.
- Why is it important to begin the initial team meeting with a discussion of the student’s strengths?
For questions 4–5, recall Walker’s case from the “What About Walker?” activity on Perspectives & Resources Page 4. Walker had a bike accident that left him with a minor concussion. After his return to school, his teacher noticed that Walker:
- Had difficulty comprehending and remembering information he had read
- Was failing weekly quizzes and tests
- Appeared to have decreased motivation
- Exhibited difficulty attending to and completing his work
The teacher spoke to Walker’s mom, who indicated that since the accident Walker had been moody and agitated. As a result of her growing concerns, the teacher determined that Walker was an appropriate candidate for the pre-referral process.
- In Walker’s case, what role might the general education teacher play at each stage of the pre-referral process?
- List the other individuals that you would include on Walker’s pre-referral team and describe the roles they would fill.
Imagine you are a fourth-grade teacher, and you have a student named Kevon in your class. Kevon has a good attitude, is cooperative in class, and is helpful to his classmates. He is always eager to start his assignments and wants to please. You note that he has strong critical thinking skills and gets along well with others. However, you are concerned because he reads slowly, so slowly in fact that he has difficulty comprehending the material in his textbooks. He often guesses at words he does not recognize, and he seems to become easily frustrated with his reading assignments. Reviewing his cumulative file, you see that his grades have steadily declined since first grade. Based on all of this information, do you think Kevon is an appropriate candidate for the pre-referral process? Justify your answer.
