Basics of Special Education: General Education Interventions

General Education Interventions

Problem-Solving, Child Study Teams

Check for the general education intervention process used within your district.

A general education intervention is an attempt by a child's classroom teacher, with input from others, to resolve a problem the child is having before a referral is made for a full and individual evaluation. Interventions require direct instruction and data is collected to determine if the intervention is effective. The premise behind the practice is that many concerns can be resolved by the classroom teacher resulting in the child remaining in general education classes. Each AEA and LEA has developed individual procedures and practices to conform to this rule. Check within your district for the process used. The practice of general education interventions being implemented prior to referral is part of Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education:281-41.48(2).

Prior to conducting a full and individual evaluation the LEA in conjunction with the AEA shall attempt to resolve the presenting problems or behaviors of concern in the general education environment.

General education interventions shall include:

Teacher consultation with special education support and instructional support personnel.
Measurable and goal-directed attempts to resolve the concern.
Communication with parents.
Collection of data.
Intervention design.
Implementation.
Systematic progress monitoring to measure the effects of interventions.

Roles & Responsibilities

Research tells us that students will be more successful and progress will be made if parents are considered full partners in the general education interventions process.

Parents as partners in the process, are essential if general education interventions are to be successful. Effective schools have family centered practices as one of their core beliefs. Research tells us that students will be more successful and progress will be made if parents are considered full partners in the process. Parents have critical information about their child. Parents know their children best and want to be involved in decisions affecting their children, however parents also have the right to determine the amount of participation they wish to have. Parents are able support and reinforce at home, the interventions implemented, they can help educators be sensitive to cultural or individual family differences and can encourage their children to be full participants in the process.

Possible participants and their roles:

Teacher(s). Confers with parents, completes required forms, is recipient of the support offered by the Problem Solving team, states concern, sets the expectation, implements the intervention, monitors progress, collects data, reports progress.
Chair person. Sets meeting date, time, & location, informs participants, starts meeting, assigns roles & tasks, facilitates discussion, ensures participation by all members, reviews problem to be discussed, establishes time limits, summarizes, schedules follow-up meetings.
Case Manager. Gathers relevant data, assists the teacher in prioritizing concerns, supports the teacher as implementation occurs, follows up with teacher, monitors implementation of action plan.
Recorder. Records proceedings, disseminates proceedings to all participants.
Timekeeper. Keeps team on track, allocates time, and monitors process.
Content experts/support. Provides expertise in specific area, has knowledge of effective interventions

Components of General Education Interventions

The components of systematic problem solving are outlined in the Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education.

Helpful Questions in Narrowing the Concern to More Specific Terms

Problem Statement Examples and Non-examles

Problem Statement. Provides a description of the concern in specific and measurable terms (See Helpful Questions in Narrowing the Concern to More Specific Terms and Problem Statement Examples and Non-examples).
Data Collection and Problem Analysis. Describes the baseline level of the problem behavior before interventions begin. Compares that baseline to specifically defined standard of expectation for that behavior. A problem is defined when there is a significant mismatch between what is occurring with the student and what is expected of similar students in that setting. Data collection procedures are developed and measures are taken at frequent intervals.
Intervention Design and Implementation. Interventions are designed based upon an analysis of the baseline data, parental and teacher input. Interventions may focus on:
- Skills and Strategies
- Content
- Environment
- Time
- Motivation/Behavioral Strategies
Goals. They are established to define the desired behavior, criterion for success and the length of the goal period. An action plan is developed and interventions are implemented and modified on the basis of the data collected.
Progress Monitoring. Answers the question, "How will we know if the intervention is working?" Progress monitoring involves frequent and repeated data collection and analysis of student performance data. It includes sampling, summarizing, analyzing and decision making about the effectiveness of each intervention. Monitoring and adjusting the intervention is also part of progress monitoring.
Evaluation of Intervention Effects. The effectiveness of an intervention is evaluated by comparing the baseline data to the desired goal behavior. If progress has been made and the student's performance is at or near the goal, consider continuing the current intervention plan. If the student's performance is not meeting the goal or the interventions exceed the resources of a general education classroom the team will consider the need for ongoing special education services. A referral can then be made for an evaluation and a determination of entitlement is completed.

(Adapted from Problem Solving for Effective Interventions, AEA 7 2002-2003)

The Basics of Special Education