The perceptions of intervention assistance teams (IATS) in reducing special education referrals in urban elementary schools

This was a quantitative study of 100 educators from various job codes within the intervention assistance teams (IATs) of 16 schools. This study examined the perceptions of IAT members of factors impacting referrals to special education. The results of this study yielded the following as it related to the perceptions and self-reported behaviors of IAT members in an urban school district: 1. Intervention assistance team members perceived that four factors impacted referrals: intervention strategies, team contribution, teacher efficacy, and coping strategies. 2. Analyses of data did not support differences by position among IAT members in their perceptions of factors impacting referrals as being dependent on schools. The teachers, administrators, and other (support staff) in all of the 16 sample schools perceived each factor similarly. 3. IAT members exhibited mixed perceptions concerning their job code duties as relative to team efficacy. 4. Behaviors of IAT members were inconsistent in making routine visits to the classroom to observe candidates and inspecting samples of student work prior to meeting with the IAT and graphing progress and results of IAT