INTERESES DE LOS GOBIERNOS Y CONTRAPARTES DE LOS INTERLOCUTORES DEL ECUADOR EN EL PROBLEMA

Guinevere also feels like the referral process has intentionally become so time consuming so that fewer students will be referred. She comments that she has heard of RtI but that she has no intention of referring because the process was too time- consuming and complains that, “You have to keep a running record every day. Like a checklist of the things they can do and the things they can’t do every single day.” Guinevere adds that she will not refer anymore because of this; it was in this response that I began to detect her bitterness and frustration. It seemed that the implementation of a committee to review and design interventions prior to special education evaluation was perceived as a threat and “gotcha” as opposed to a team of professionals working to improve the life of a child. Also, she said that just because a student has failed it doesn’t mean that they can be referred anymore. So, it appeared that failure in grades or on TAKS has been an impetus for special education referrals in the past and that this new intervention process was seen as a way to thwart those kinds of referrals by using data to indicate that research-based instruction and intervention have taken place.

Absent diagnostic procedures, the response to intervention and referral process seemed to be relegated to shooting in the dark, maintaining generic data, and completing the necessary paperwork to lead to an actual evaluation. Assuming that an African American student did have a suspected learning disability in math, had received a targeted intervention without response, and moved forward to a special education evaluation these teachers did not have any idea of what special education services would be necessary. Thus, I identified theme six.

Theme Six: Limited Knowledge Regarding Special Education Services

So not only do these teachers not have a specific idea of what a child’s disability might be or intervention to implement to ensure that a disability is present, but also they really do not have a recommendation of what special education services may be necessary to address the child’s needs. Furthermore, there was little or nothing that they could articulate that could only occur in special education. In fact, all that they described were interventions that could take place in general education.

Blanca described two behaviorally impaired African American students and the services they are going to receive.

Well we did have another one next door but she was so aggressive. She was a little black girl and she was stomping on feet and biting teachers. Yeah she was totally disruptive. Just all sorts of things and so they put her in I guess self contained and they’re gonna take my little boy and pull him out. They’re gonna pull him out for an hour in the morning and two and half or hour and a half in the afternoon. And we think that might help him. We’ll see if that’ll help him… I see him with a ... a smaller group that maybe he’ll function and do something for them and won’t be so distracted. Because there’s just so much going on…it’s too big for him. There’s just so many distractions…Maybe he’ll see that this is what I can do something in this class. And then he’ll come back in here and do what he needs to do with us and it’ll give him some time away from us. I haven’t met his mom or dad, but they need to come up here and speak with us. I’ve sent messages through cousins ... older cousins so we’ll see what happens. Other than them telling me ... she did write a note about S’s homework. They do his homework for him. I can tell from the handwriting. But I ... I’m hoping that he’ll that it will help him focus more and come back to class and not be so frustrated.

Blanca said, “We’ll see if that’ll [pull-out small group resource special education services] help him…” It appeared that data-driven decisions are relegated to hunches. Also, small group instruction is not a special education service. Additionally, she indicated that the services were for the student to get “some time away from us,” so

that “he’ll come back in here and do what he needs to do.” It is almost as if the services are a punishment not specially designed instruction geared towards a disability. Further, she added that she is convinced that his parents do his homework for him.

Along with Blanca, Alba seemed to think small group and one-on-one are also special education services:

Q: So if and when she’s able to come in for let’s say C, you feel like she can