Whenever a child is referred for special education

services, parents or teachers usually suspect that

a child might have a disability due to the
discrepancy that they notice in learning,
behavior, or development. However, before a child
must undergo a series of reliable evaluation tests
or screening, schools must first conduct a pre-
referral intervention.
 Pre-referral intervention is a collaborative
process designed to identify and address a
student's academic or behavioral needs within
the general education setting whenever
possible that happens before the conduct of a
special education evaluation.
Small Group Instruction – Providing additional
support in a small group setting for students who
need extra help in a specific subject.

Differentiated Instruction – Modifying lessons,

assignments, or assessments to accommodate
different learning styles and needs.
Peer Tutoring – Pairing a student with a peer to
provide additional academic support and
reinforcement.
Scaffolding – Breaking down complex tasks into
smaller, manageable steps to help students grasp
concepts.
Graphic Organizers – Using visual aids like charts,
diagrams, or concept maps to help students organize
their thoughts.
Extended Time on Tasks – Allowing students more
time to complete assignments or assessments.

Reading or Math Interventions – Implementing

evidence-based programs (e.g., phonics instruction,
fluency drills, number sense activities) to improve
skills.
Behavior Contracts – Creating a written agreement
between the student and teacher outlining
expectations and rewards for positive behavior.

Check-In/Check-Out System – Assigning a mentor

or teacher for daily check-ins to provide
encouragement and track progress.
Positive Reinforcement – Rewarding appropriate
behaviors with praise, privileges, or tangible incentives.
Structured Routines – Establishing clear, consistent
classroom procedures to help students with
organization and expectations.
Self-Monitoring Strategies – Teaching students to
track their own behavior or academic progress using
charts or logs.
Social Skills Training – Providing direct instruction on
communication, conflict resolution, and self-
regulation strategies.

Sensory Breaks – Allowing movement or quiet breaks

for students who struggle with attention or self-
regulation.
Preferential Seating – Placing a student in a quieter
area of the classroom to minimize distractions.

Use of Assistive Technology – Providing text-to-

speech software, audiobooks, or other tools to
support learning.
Modified Assignments – Reducing the number of
problems or adapting assignments to match a
student’s ability level.
Visual Schedules – Using pictures or written schedules
to help students understand classroom routines.
Alternative Assessments – Allowing oral responses or
project-based assessments instead of written tests.
Often, schools conduct a more systematic and
formal pre-referral intervention called
Response to Intervention (RtI), a multi-tiered
approach used to identify and support
students with learning and behavioral needs.
 Response to Intervention (RtI) is a multi-tiered
approach designed to provide early and systematic
support to students struggling academically or
behaviorally. The goal is to prevent failure by
identifying and addressing challenges early through
high-quality instruction, targeted interventions,
and continuous monitoring of progress.
• Universal Screening – All students are assessed to
identify those at risk for academic or behavioral
difficulties.

• Tiered Interventions – Students receive increasing

levels of support based on their needs.
• Progress Monitoring – Frequent assessments
track student progress and determine if
interventions are effective.

• Data-Driven Decision Making – Educators use

data to adjust instruction and interventions
accordingly.
 THE THREE TIERS OF RtI
Tier 1: Universal Instruction (Core Instruction)
• Serves all students (typically 80-90% of the student
population).
• High-quality, research-based instruction in the
general education classroom.
• Universal screenings help identify students who
may need additional support.
• Differentiated instruction is used to meet diverse
learning needs.
Tier 2: Targeted Intervention (Small Group Support)
• Serves students who do not respond adequately to
Tier 1 (typically 5-15% of students).
• Small group interventions provide additional,
structured instruction.
• Interventions focus on specific skills (e.g., reading
fluency, math problem-solving).
• Progress is monitored more frequently (every 2-4
weeks) to assess improvement.
Tier 3: Intensive Intervention (Individualized Support)
• Serves students with significant learning difficulties
(typically 1-5% of students).
• Highly individualized, one-on-one instruction with
specialized strategies.
• Interventions are more intensive and frequent.
• If students do not show progress, they may be
referred for special education evaluation.
Benefits of RtI
• Early identification of learning and behavioral
challenges.
• Prevents unnecessary referrals to special education
by addressing difficulties early.
• Data-driven approach ensures targeted and
effective interventions.
• Supports all students by improving instruction at all
levels.
 Regardless of the type of pre-referral
intervention used, its aim is to provide an
immediate and valuable baseline data for
planning and evaluating for special education
and support services. Hence, the pre-referral
intervention will determine whether the child
will require a formal evaluation or not.
 Under RA 11650, schools are mandated to
perform a multidisciplinary assessment for
learners who are at risk or manifests a
disability in order to determine the eligibility
of the child for special education support and
services.
 A Multidisciplinary Assessment (MDA) is a
comprehensive evaluation process conducted by a
team of professionals from different disciplines to
assess a student's academic, cognitive, behavioral,
emotional, and physical needs. It is commonly used
in special education evaluations, medical diagnoses,
and psychological assessments to ensure a holistic
understanding of an individual’s strengths and
challenges.
 The multidisciplinary evaluation team, in this
case, must use a variety of assessment tools
and strategies to gather relevant functional,
developmental, and academic information,
including information provided by the parent,
that may assist in determining the eligibility of
the child.
If the assessment team concludes that a child
has a disability that is negatively impacting
his/her academic progress, an Individualized
Education Program (IEP) is created. The IEP is a
legal document that outlines the special
education services, accommodations, and
supports that a student with a disability will
receive in school.
It is developed by an IEP team composed of the
parents, special education teacher, general
education teacher, a specialist who can
interpret the instructional implications of
evaluation results, and others.
The IEP team is responsible for determining the
learning goals and objectives, specialized
instruction and related services, teachers and
related-service providers, and frequency of
specialized instruction and related services for
a child's special education program.
 4. What specialized methods of instruction,
accommodations, modifications, related
services, and/or supplementary supports are
necessary to meet those needs so the
student can achieve increased levels of
academic achievement and functional
performance to thrive in the school
community?
Teaching learners with disabilities requires
educational adjustments in the form of
accommodations, modifications, and
adaptations.
Accommodations are changes that the teachers make
to allow learners with disabilities to access the general
education curriculum and demonstrate their
understanding without changing the content, academic
standards, or curriculum.

For instance, providing extended time in a 15 -minute

quiz for a learner with executive functioning problems
or using an assistive device for a learner with hearing
impairment to demonstrate performance.
 Meanwhile, a modification involves altering the content,
academic standards, or curriculum by lowering the level of
difficulty or complexity to aid the learning of learners with
disabilities.

For example, changing the learning objective of the lesson

to a simpler one, reducing the number of concepts or
assignments of a certain lesson, or grading a learner
based on different performance criteria from the rest.
Lastly, adaptation is a more significant change
in the content, process, products, and learning
environment compared to modification and
accommodations.
Special education follows a collaborative
approach to planning and teaching. As a
crucial component for the success of
special education, collaboration involves
various stakeholders working together to
support students with disabilities and
ensure their educational needs are met
effectively.
 Coordination requires continuous
communication and collaboration with other
stakeholders to ensure the correct and
continuous implementation of relevant
services for learners with disabilities.
Consultation happens when an IEP team
member provides expertise to the rest of the
team.
 For instance, a general education teacher
seeking advice from a special education
teacher on the appropriate accommodations
to use in his inclusive classroom with diverse
learners with disabilities. Teaming is a more
complex type of collaboration that requires
the group to work together for the benefit of
learners with special needs.
 A Least Restrictive Environment is mistakenly
understood as a mere criterion in choosing a
physical location for the education of a learner with
disability. Rather, the Least Restrictive Environment
is a guiding principle that requires a learner with a
disability must be educated alongside their non-
disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate.
 "Least restrictive" means that the placement
where the learner with a disability will receive
their education does not hinder their
opportunities towards their full participation. To
meet the unique needs of learners, the IEP team
must decide on the "least restrictive
environment" for each student with IEP. For
schools to better accommodate learners, they
must provide a continuum of placement options.
 In order to determine whether the specialized
instruction, placement, and additional services
serves its purpose based on the child's IEP, an on-
going progress monitoring is crucial.
Progress monitoring is the ongoing process of
collecting data to measure a student's
progress toward achieving their annual IEP
goals. This is done through various methods of
collecting data such as assessment tools,
observations, and feedback from parents on
their child's behavior.
 Additionally, the child's IEP must be reviewed at
least annually to determine if any changes are
needed based on the student's progress and current
needs. This is to ensure whether the manifested
knowledge, skills, and behavior from the child match
the expected results from the IEP and revise the IEP
goals, services, or placement if necessary.
 If for some reason, the IEP team decides
whether the child should continue with the
existing special education support and
services, the child must undergo a
reevaluation. A reevaluation is a
comprehensive reassessment of a student's
needs and eligibility for special education
services.
 The reevaluation process involves reviewing
existing data, conducting assessments as
needed, and determining if the student
continues to be eligible for services and what
services are appropriate based on their
current needs.
1. How can you detect a student who might need special
education services?
2.How to determine whether the child is eligible for special
education services?
3.How do stakeholders in special education plan for instruction?
4.How to determine the best placement option for a child with
special needs?
5.How do you assess whether special education support and
services and services are helpful?
I. Venn Diagram. Compare and contrast special and
inclusive education using a Venn Diagram

II. Infographic. Create an infographic that will explain the

different models of disability.

III. Worksheet. Discuss the steps in the process of special

education by answering the worksheet below.
1. Which student might need special education?
2. Is the student eligible for special education programs and services?
3. What specific educational needs result from the child's disability?
4. What specialized methods of instruction, accommodations,
modifications, related services, and/or supplementary supports are
necessary to meet those needs so the student can achieve increased
levels of academic achievement and functional performance to thrive in
the school community?
5. What educational setting is the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in
which the student can receive an appropriate education?
6. Is special education helping? If not, what changes should be made in
the student's program?