Answer to Question 1
Briefly describe the process for assessing a child for eligibility into special education and the program planning
that follows.
Answer to Question 2
What are the advantages for establishing a pre-referral committee for the assessment of a child?
First, the cost of a complete assessment for special education is expensive since it requires a multi-disciplinary
team of school professionals to complete reliable and valid assessment of each child referred. By using a prereferral
process, many schools have reduced the number of students who are actually referred to special
education because classroom teachers are able to modify their instructional environments to meet the needs
of unique learners. Second, the pre-referral committee assists in increasing the knowledge and skills of
classroom teachers since the solutions that meet the needs of one student are often beneficial for other
students as well. Finally, if a student needs to be referred for assessment for special education services, some
information has already been collected informally to assist the staffing team in making its decisions about
whether a student qualifies for special education services.