Lesson 4 Journal - Sarah Holgado

This week we learned about the pre-referral process to special education, IEPs, and 504s. There are six steps to the pre-referral process. It begins with an initial concern for a student, based on performance or behavior. Then the teacher and others involved with the student begin to gather information on the student's background, family relationships, etc. Once that is complete, the team shares and discusses the information and what it means. The next step involved the discussion of strategies - what they can do to better serve the struggling student. Then the team begins implementation and monitoring strategies. This is when they test out certain strategies and document what works best. The final step is evaluation and decision making. This involves the team to decide if the student is eligible for an IEP or 504.