As a classroom teacher there will always be problems with some students. These problems can be caused by outside sources, such as family problems, or perhaps the student might have a learning disability that hasn't been brought to anyone's attention.
Students show in many ways that they are having difficulties in class. Generally, students won't come to you and ask for help when they are having a hard time. Most of these students are more withdrawn from the classroom. One telltale sign is they aren't doing their homework, and when you ask them why, they make excuses or refuse to do it altogether. Since they are not doing their homework regularly, their test and quiz grades will drop as well. These are typical warning signs that there is something not quite right.
Before sending a child for formal review, there is prereferral intervention. This intervention is designed to create a solution within the classroom without having to go through the formal review process. Some students have learning and behavior problems that can be solved by modifying teaching methods in the classroom. The process of prereferral intervention has four steps. First, you need to specifically identify the problem. It is important to look for any patterns in the recurrence of the problem. If it only happens after recess/lunch, or during a certain subject matter, that can be easily solved with extra help or tutoring. Once the problem has been found, a plan involving classroom modifications can be developed to help the student. When the plans have been executed, the teacher evaluates its effectiveness. This evaluation also includes a plan in case any problems recur in the future.
These classroom modifications may solve any problems your student may have. If they continue within the 6-8 week period, it is important to continue on to a formal referral using the child-study team.
The process that follows the identification of a possible disability is formal referral. Unlike prereferral intervention, you must follow IDEA guidelines for formal referrals to ensure a fair process. You have 15 days to complete your formal referral, with filling out all of the necessary forms and establishing contact with the appropriate people.
Formal referral involves the collaboration of many staff members. Some of these staff members include: general educators, administrators, therapists, counselors, and special education teachers. In addition, the parents and student are also key members of this team.