Organizing a Pre-Referral Process: Serving Student Needs without Special Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Two views are presented regarding serving student needs without increasing special education in River Forest, Illinois public schools. A demographic description of the community and school district, school district philosophy regarding the roles of general and special education, and special educational financing undergird the first discussion. Preventive intervention techniques such as the district's collaborative pre-referral process and the use of the teacher/consultant model have effectively reduced special educational referrals and placement by 50 percent, the number of special education teachers by 45 percent, and the cost per special education child according to Wayne Bucholtz, a River Forest administrator. Second, Betty Pruitt, a special education expert, describes the district's pre-referral process. Designed as a support system to help teachers handle day-to-day learning and behavior problems in the classroom, the pre-referral process relies on team problem solving among teachers, administrators, and parents. (JAM)