What is the Special Education Referral process?
Any adult in a child’s life can start the Special Education Referral process (teacher, nurse, parent, counselor, etc.), but the parents must consent in order for anything to occur. Someone mentioned that a specialized school intervention team may devise strategies to use with the child before the actual process, and this is true. It’s called prereferral intervention. Most states mandate/recommend this step, but different state regulations cause different protocols. Once the Special Education Referral process begins, a child is evaluated through a Multifactored Evaluation (MFE). This is a group of tests which assess the child’s various academic, functional, and behavioral abilities. According to these findings, a determination of the child’s disability/exceptionality is made and then an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) starts to form. IEPs are made together with the special education teacher, general education teacher, school administrator, advocate for educational instruction, anyon
