How do third grade teachers in a middle socioeconomic school district meet the needs of students who are at risk for special education referral

The purpose of this qualitative study was to focus on how 3rd grade general education teachers in a middle socioeconomic school district meet the needs of students who are at risk for special education referral. These teachers had an opportunity to anonymously voice their perspectives about how the needs of students who are at risk because of one of these problems are met in their classroom. The results from this study came from a questionnaire, interviews, and classroom observations of these teachers. The researcher also used the ethics of justice, critique, care, and the profession to determine why these teachers meet or do not meet the needs of these students. Furthermore, the researcher interviewed members from the Intervention and Referral Service Committee at the school of these 3rd grade teachers to see how they assist them, as well as other teachers at the school with students who are at risk with the previous problems.; This study was also intended to add to the existing literature about "how and why" these teachers meet the needs of students who are at risk for special education referral. The researcher also identified what pre-referral accommodations and strategies were effective in particular circumstances by the teachers in this study. This could hopefully lead to alleviating too many unnecessary referrals of students who are at risk for these problems while still at the early stage of their education. Lastly, this study focused on the discrepancies between NCLB and IDEA '97 and how the participants in this study were faced with many ethical dilemmas when meeting the needs of students who are on the verge of being referred for special education evaluation.