Understanding the

intervention process
Establishing Special Education Referral Procedures

Fall 2014

H I S DINDEPENDENT
Becoming #GreatAllOver
HOUSTON
SCHOOL DISTRICT

Help is Available!
Access handouts and referral questions
at www.hisdsped.wordpress.com (Click
Professional Development)
Access information on the districts
Response to Intervention (RtI)
initiatives at www.hisdrti.com
All Special Education Referral Forms
(excluding Chancery Reports & iStation
Reports) are located at the
Special Education Operating Guidelines
Website
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver
.

What is Response to
Intervention (RtI)?
Establishes a comprehensive assessment
and intervention process to support
students in need of academic and
behavioral supports.
Serves as the framework of interventions
that must be documented as part of the
Special Education referral process.
RtI is prior to, and a part of the evaluation!
Teacher data documented during the RtI process
is the most powerful component of a Special
Education evaluation!
Teacher data sets the scope of a Special
Education evaluation!
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

What is Response to
Intervention (RtI)?
Tier I: Represents the delivery of the core
curriculum and is on-going for ALL students.
Tier II: Represents intensified support to
meet specific academic and behavioral
needs in addition to Tier I.
Tier III: Reserved for students most in
need of academic or behavioral supports.
Represents individualized or intensive
intervention.
Those who fail to respond to Tier III interventions
are the best candidates for a Special Education
evaluation.
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

What is the Intervention

Assistance Team (IAT)?
Works within RtI to coordinate a series of tasks
Universal screenings (i.e., iStation, BM & common
assessments, etc)
Progress monitoring (i.e., iStation)
School-wide data review to trigger the intervention
process
Academic and behavioral interventions

Facilitates all referrals for Section 504 or Special

education
Even those in which intervention is not needed!
Students suspected of significant health related
disabilities, intellectual delays, vision and hearing
impairments should not go through the RtI process.
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

Child Find
Continuous process of public
awareness activities, screening,
and evaluation designed to
locate, assess and identify
children with disabilities.
Campus IATs serve the Child Find
function at your campus

H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

Parent Referrals
When a formal request for special education
evaluation is made by a parent (i.e. in
writing) the IAT must respond within 10
school days.
The response should be to either formally REFER
or to REFUSE the parent request for evaluation.

Use the Notice of Refusal form located in

the Special Education Operating Guidelines
if the decision is to refuse a parent request
for evaluation.
Refusals are allowed, but must be supported
with data.
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

Who should be on the

iat?
IAT coordinator (Honest broker of data).
Campus administrator or designee.
Classroom teacher(s) who specializes in the
presenting problem.
Classroom teacher of the student.
Parent, nurse, counselor, social worker, and
campus instructional coordinator as needed.
Evaluation Specialist, Speech Therapist,
Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (if
behavioral issues are a concern) at Tier
Three.
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

IAT TIME-SAVING TIPS

Standard-Protocol Approach
Matches appropriate intervention
strategies to specific student needs (i.e.
Interventions are prescribed, the need
for IAT meetings at Tier II is eliminated).
Reserves IAT meetings for Tier III only
Establishes the Assumption, the
campus knows what to do immediately
for Tier II (i.e. Standard-protocol) and
there is no need for an IAT meeting at
Tier II.
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

IAT TIME-SAVING TIPS

Consider having multiple IATs to
decrease the time on task for one
IAT team.
Consider IAT by level, by curriculum area,
or alternating IATs.

H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

Documenting
Interventions in
Chancery
SMSwhat!!!!
Supports the HISD
appraisal process by

establish a record of differentiated

instruction for at risk students
Ensures the intervention record travels
with the student
Assists with parent meetings
Eliminates IAT paperwork
Establishes intervention consistency
between grades
Eliminates Special Education referral
paperwork for the teacher
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

Documenting
Interventions in
Chancery
SMSrelax!!!!
ALL teachers with
the teacher role in
Chancery SMS already have access
ALL administrators already have access
If you are in need of school-wide access
and you do not have the administer
role in Chancery, simply request the
role View Only w/ Discipline role
Additional training is available at SIS HELP
Course Number SP0911 (RTI). Easy to view
online video if additional assistance is
needed.
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver

TIPS for the IAT Chair

Set aside time with the Campus
Evaluation Specialist to understand:
The Referral for Disability Evaluation form
NEW: iStation Student Summary Handout
is now a part of all Special Education
Referrals
Detailed and overview steps for a Special
Education referral
Additional documents needed in the
referral process
How to enter referral dates in Chancery
SMS to trigger the data transfer to EasyIEP
H I S D Becoming #GreatAllOver