RESOURCE MANUAL

INTRODUCTION
The New Jersey State Board of Education has established that the primary
mission of schools is to enhance student achievement of high academic
standards in safe and disciplined learning environments. The effectiveness
of public education in fulfilling this mission depends largely upon the
capacity of school systems to respond to the diverse educational needs of
students. Constantly evolving social conditions and the changing
educational needs that tend to emerge with these changes can pose dramatic
barriers to student achievement. The educational mission is made more complex by the increased incidence,
prevalence and intensity of problems students bring to schools. These
problems include high risk behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco and other
drug abuse, violence, vandalism, child abuse and neglect, early sexual
involvement, youth pregnancies and parenting, suicide attempts and
suicides, eating disorders, low self-regard, poor socialization skills,
lack of readiness for school, as well as chronic medical conditions and
physical disabilities. The types of at-risk behaviors students manifest while in school include
not concentrating or focusing on learning, not completing assignments, not
achieving to demonstrated skill level or tested potential, declining or
failing grades, cheating, absenteeism, tardiness, falling asleep, inability
to stay in seat or work within structure, decreased participation, self-
defeating responses to peer pressure, deteriorating personal appearance and
hygiene, erratic behavior, loss of affect, acting out, fighting, defying
authority, violating rules and dropping out of school. These and other
problems place students at risk for school failure and other problems,
leaving parents and teachers frustrated and in need of assistance. In response to these circumstances and the attendant needs of students, the
New Jersey Department of Education continues to provide leadership to
schools for educational improvement and whole-school reform. One such
effort to be addressed in this manual is the school's program of
intervention and referral services (I&RS). Introduction
In April 2001, the State Board of Education adopted new rules to provide
district boards of education with standards for the delivery of
intervention and referral services (N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7, Intervention and
Referral Services*). (A copy of N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7 is provided in Appendix
A.) The requirements set forth in the regulations are intended to provide
schools with direction in formulating coordinated services and team
delivery systems to address the full range of student learning, behavior
and health problems in the general education program, such as those
identified in the Overview section above. Under the new regulations,
however, schools may also provide intervention and referral services for
students who have been determined to be in need of special education
programs and services.
Pursuant to these regulations, district boards of education are required
to: "... establish and implement a coordinated system in each
school building for the planning and delivery of intervention
and referral services that are designed to assist students who
are experiencing learning, behavior, or health difficulties..."
[N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)]; and which are designed to: "...assist staff who have difficulties in addressing students'
learning, behavior, or health needs." [N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)] The regulations make it clear that I&RS activities should be focused on
concerns with students, and that the end result of I&RS activities should
be student improvement. It is equally important to note, however, that, an
I&RS program must consist of a formal, coordinated and well-articulated
system of supportive activities and services for staff who have identified
student difficulties and those who will be involved in the amelioration of
the identified educational concerns. ____________________________________________________________________________
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*These rules replaced the preceding regulations that required schools to
provide a program of Intervention and Referral Service for General
Education Pupils, which replaced the regulations that required the
establishment of Pupil Assistance Committees (PACs) in all public school
buildings.
Introduction Administrative Code, continued Under the code, the typical means for facilitating student progress is
through the provision of direct assistance and support to all staff who
have roles to play in helping children move forward in their educational
careers.
Multidisciplinary Team
In configuring building programs of I&RS, district boards of education are
required to: "...choose the appropriate multidisciplinary team approach
for planning and delivering the services..." [N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)] A multidisciplinary team is at the core of a well-coordinated system of
I&RS services. Bringing together representatives from all professional
constituencies in a school to support staff in helping students grow is
essential for effective problem solving.
Student Populations
The regulations set forth that the intervention and referral services shall
be provided to:
"... aid students in the general education program;"
(N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)1) The regulations for intervention and referral services, however, also
permit the provision of services, as appropriate, for:
"... students who have been determined to be in need of
special education programs and services."
(N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)2) For I&RS services provided to students with learning disabilities, the
regulations articulate the following condition: "The intervention and referral services provided for
students with learning disabilities shall be coordinated
with the student's Individualized Education Program team,
as appropriate." (N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)2i) The regulations permit the provision of services to students with learning
disabilities, for example, because school staff sometimes can benefit from
Introduction Administrative Code, continued assistance in managing the special circumstances that can result from the
inclusion of students with learning disabilities in the general education
classroom. Since one of the primary purposes of the I&RS program is to
assist staff who have difficulties in addressing students' learning,
behavior or health needs [N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1(a)], the IRS team, for
example, could help a teacher who requests assistance of the team in
developing strategies, obtaining materials or expanding skills in managing
a classroom that includes both general education students and students
determined to have learning disabilities, or the team could help the
teacher with strategies, materials or skills for better addressing the
individual academic, behavior or health needs of students in their classes
who have learning disabilities. Child study teams primarily provide services to students. I&RS teams
primarily provide services to staff for the benefit of students. For years, drug and alcohol core teams in the general education program
have intervened with students who are high risk for substance abuse. A
portion of the student caseload for core teams has included students with
diagnosed learning disabilities. Under the I&RS regulations, it is
possible for I&RS teams that choose to fulfill the functions of drug and
alcohol core teams or the functions of other problem-solving teams to work
with both general education and special education student cases. The code, however, imposes a condition on I&RS team work with special
education cases: When at any point an action by the I&RS team could or will
affect students' Individualized Education Programs (IEP), the team is
required to coordinate with students' IEP teams.
Per the provisions of N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.2(a), the required functions of the
coordinated system of intervention and referral services in each school
building are as follows: "1. Identify learning, behavior and health difficulties of students; 2. Collect thorough information on the identified learning, behavior
and health difficulties; Introduction Administrative Code, continued
3. Develop and implement action plans which provide for appropriate
school or community interventions or referrals to school and
community resources, based on the collected data and desired
outcomes for the identified learning, behavior and health
difficulties; 4. Provide support, guidance, and professional development to school
staff who identify learning, behavior and health difficulties; 5. Provide support, guidance, and professional development to school
staff who participate in each building's system for planning and
providing intervention and referral services; 6. Actively involve parents or guardians in the development and
implementation of intervention and referral services action plans; 7. Coordinate the access to and delivery of school resources and
services for achieving the outcomes identified in the inter