09+Pre-Referrals


 * What is a Referral? **

Children may be eligible for special education services at birth. In these cases, your child’s services are provided through the Albert Lea School District and Freeborn County.

Identification of school-age children is usually based on the child’s performance in school.

__Pre-referral: __ Before referring a school-aged child for an evaluation, the classroom teacher will plan strategies to see if his or her performance improves with simple changes in curriculum or environment. These are called “pre-referral interventions.”

__Referral: __ When classroom interventions are not successful, the classroom teacher may make a referral for a Child Study Team to consider whether the child should receive further evaluation. This team decides the areas to be evaluated and the types of evaluation(s) to be completed. The referral is the starting point of the special education process. A referral does not mean the student has a disability.