SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE REFERRAL PROCESS- Avanthi Thrimawithana

Summary of findings of Special Education Referral at the Overseas School of Colombo

This is a summary of interviews done with two regular teachers at OSC and The Head of Special Education Dept. Following are the questions that were asked.

• How do you identify a student for special education?

Teachers are constantly on alert for students that may need intervention. They identify students with behavioral needs, organizational, it could be attention deficit or language problems. They would also be aware of modification required for students who come in with an IEP and be ready to make accommodations.

• What are signs of a struggling student

They would recognize through all of the above and other aspects such as homework completion, assignments not handed in on time, MAP scores are also referred to when checking the records of student performance.

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

Teachers are aware of the Response to Intervention and try varied methods of differentiation to encourage all learners in the classes. It’ll not necessarily be only for students with learning issues but it would also cater to students who are gifted and talented and the entire population in the class.

They will try, If push in is already in place, leveled reading, grouping, chunking of work, read aloud groups are done during class. But if it is a class that there is no extra support, then similar methods are tried such as grouping students and other methods  that have worked in the other classes are practiced, but teachers find it difficult to manage the reading groups alone. Vocabulary provided for the topic, specialized seating are all methods tried before referral.

• Do you communicate with the parents address concerns? And discuss support mechanisms?

Parents are always looped in during the process. Initially they’re informed of concerns, they are given suggestions for assisting the student and kept informed via e mail of progress made. The 3 way conferences are used to communicate concerns .Parents can also access Managebac to see student progress. They are involved in every step of the process.

• How do you collaborate  with other teachers in regards to a student of concern?

The OSC’s Special education policy states the need for collaboration and communication between subject teachers and homeroom teacher. Variety of intervention methods are discussed and shared as to what works with particular students.

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

The referral process is similar to the RTI in US.  The school tries all learning support strategies so that students will be successful .Thereafter once referral is made the Learning Support team joins in and they work with the teachers to make sure the IEP is being carried out.

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

The school administration tries to make it as inclusive a possible  so that students with disabilities are in the least restrictive environment so that the students are in the class with their peers.

•  What provisions are made for students identified for special education?

The school believes that differentiation can make a big difference, in many ways not only do students with disabilities but for all students. The product could be oral vs. written, differentiation more important for those gifted and talent and well as those with disabilities

• What forms of social, emotional support and services are provided at the pre referral stage?

The student counselor is a part of the Student Services Team [SST] and when students of concern are taken up, if there are any social, emotional type issues that a student needs counseling services it is provided even at pre- referral stage

• Is there a time frame to complete the referral process before a student begins a Learning support program?

There should be systems in place ,that monitor the progress of that student .Definitely within a  quarter the referral process would give a good picture of the student.

Interview of two regular teachers who have referred students, for their perspective on the referral process.

Interview 1- Britton Rheims- MYP/ DP Math Coordinator

• How do you identify a student for special education?

With many years of experience in Special education and coming from the US system, awareness of the students learning is key for Mr. Rheims. A student’s behavior patterns, difficulties in understanding basic math vocabulary would alert him about a probable need for intervention.

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

He said “I try everything possible-if what I’m doing is not right for them, I would try differentiation in ways of how it looks, maybe it is more vocabulary that they need", he  tries varied methods of instruction before collecting data from other teachers. Specialized seating, such as seating the student closer to the board, Seating with another student would be some his methods.

• Do you communicate with the parents address concerns? And discuss support mechanisms?

 If it’s something solvable through the class system it’s tried first. During the3 way conference he shares with parents his observations in class, and what interventions have worked. This alerts the parents as to what the child would need. If after trying variety of methods, more serious academic issues persist and needs are significant then parents are contacted to discuss whether further testing would be required.

• How do you collaborate with other teachers in regards to a student of concern?

When there are students of concern, he collaborates with the homeroom teacher to alert into gathering data on that student to see if they need help in other subjects as well. There should be a some sort of committee [general education teachers] that will decide the response to intervention. After varied methods have been tried then the teachers decide whether the RIT [Response to intervention]has worked, or is there consistency in student problems. Ex: 6th grader- MATH issues- Homeroom teacher and math teacher collaborate to collate information along with EAL teacher to assist in providing necessary accommodation

The full audio recording can be listened to on this link Britton Reihms Recording

Interview 2:Clover Hicks- MYP Science Teacher

• How do you identify a student for special education?

There are students who are already identified as those who need support and they come in with an IEP. Apart from them students are identified as needing support when  comprehension problems arise, verbal communication issues, attention to task , basic organizational skill are an issue. The academic scores and MAP scores also matter but they are not the only measure. If they are having difficulties expressing themselves as to what they are learning in class it is an indicator to be on alert.

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

It all depends whether the class has extra support. If push in is already in place, leveled reading, grouping, chunking of work, read aloud group are done during class. But if it is a class that there is no extra support, then similar methods are tried such as grouping students and other methods  that have worked in the other classes are practiced, but find it difficult to manage the reading groups alone.

• Do you communicate with the parents address concerns? And discuss support mechanisms?

Parents are contacted when a student has consistently missed assessment deadlines or non-submission; homework is not submitted or scored lower than expected. They’re never directly told that the child is having serious issues until it has been established. Concerns are also expressed to parents during 3 way conferences. For Ex. A child in class had attention issues and questioned the parents if they saw the same thing at home. When discussed the parents indicated that the child does the homework in various places in the house, with T.V and other distractions. Hence suggestions are made to the parents to have set place and time, away from distractions to support the student learning.

• How do you collaborate with other teachers in regards to a student of concern?

Communication definitely happens between teachers. They share their ideas on dealing with various kids who are having issues, and see if similar methods work for the others.

• Should there be a time frame to complete the referral process?

The process should be rolling, there should be adequate time frame that allows the teachers to try out the varied methods of instruction, and give ample time for the student absorb the learning. However there are instances where the students have not had any intervention for a whole year and have missed out on support due to not speeding up on the support process. Hence a time frame would be useful to move in as soon as possible with the appropriate intervention strategies.

The full audio recording can be found Clover Hicks recording

Interview

Special Education Administrator about referrals for special education.


Myrle Wasko- Head of Learning Support

• How is a student identified for special education referral?

There are a variety ways a student is identified for support

- Records form previous support services- Evaluation is done as to what services the student received and how best it would fit our program.

-The teachers recognize difficulties and try various strategies and if the strategies are not working then the referral process begins rolling.

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

The referral process is similar to the RTI in US.  We try all learning support strategies so that students will be successful .Thereafter once referral is made the Learning Support team joins in and they work with the teachers to make sure the IEP is being carried out.

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

It is to make it as inclusive a possible in the so that students with disabilities are in the least restrictive environment so that the students are in the class with their peers.

•  What provisions are made for students identified for special education?

It varies according needs of the particular students. Here Differentiation can make a big difference, in many ways not only do students with disabilities but for all students. The product could be oral vs. written, differentiation more important for those gifted and talent and well as those with disabilities

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

Parent permission is sought during the pre-referral process. The families are involved in the team process  ,parents and families are informed of the evaluation, they are informed in creating the learning plan and participating throughout the process

• If the student comes to school with data from a previous assessment what procedure does the school follow?

When Students move in from new environment, give them adjustment time and see if the results are still valid or not and see whether the recommendations would fit into the program and check to see that the students can be served.

• What forms of social, emotional support and services are provided at the pre referral stage?

The student counselor is a part of the Student Services Team [SST] and when students of concern are taken up, if there are any social, emotional type issues that a student needs counseling services it is provided even at pre- referral stage

• Is there a time frame to complete the referral process before a student begins a Learning support program?

There should be systems in place ,that monitor the progress of that student .Definitely within a  quarter the referral process would give a good picture of the student.



 The full interview can be watched on Interview with Head of Special Education at OSC

Analysis

At OSC it is clear that the regular education teachers are aware of children needing support in the classroom and they put their best effort in making the differentiation strategies work for the children. As to how the referral process works is set out in the school policy for Special Educational Needs Policy. This has been streamlined in the current year to enable teachers to try all options before the intervention from the Learning Support team.

However as mentioned some teacher find it difficult to differentiate in groups without assistance.  There lies a gap in support. But as to how they approach the parents is good practice in keeping them informed of their child’s progress through meetings and e mail. The teachers have collaborated in bringing solutions to students with needs, and many strategies have proved to be effective before more serious measures would have to be implemented.

The use of ICT integration is commendable at OSC and it is definitely moving toward a fully inclusive school. The culture being giving the students the least restrictive environment will definitely bring about definite changes in the future.

Role of special education in tomorrow's learning world based on the reviews would mean, collaboration between teachers, parents and administration would definitely be a boost to the learning platform of students who need special educational services. The referral process that begins with one teacher’s keen observation of a student can result in a whole new world of learning for that one student. Looking at the technology available it is imperative that teachers are exposed to this world of learning and teaching that the students receive the best differentiated instruction they can receive in the RTI in the referral process.