Parental Involvement in the Prereferral Process

Little is known about parental involvement in the prereferral intervention team (PIT) process. To shed light on the role of parental involvement in PIT meetings and referred student outcomes, this study used a stratified sample of 88 PIT student records from 14 elementary schools within one district. The records were randomly selected and reliably coded. Analyses revealed that greater parental involvement, measured in two ways—parent presence at PIT meetings and parent implementation of PIT interventions—was associated with an indicator of the quality of the PIT process. Parent presence at PIT meetings was also linked with a student outcome. When parents attended more PIT meetings, there was a decreased likelihood of referral for special education evaluation. Practical implications about why and how parents may influence the PIT process and student outcomes are offered.