DescriptionThis study will examine the Intervention and Referral process (I&RS) in Gardenia School District. This district has been cited by the State of New Jersey Department of Education for overrepresentation of minority students in special education. Overrepresentation of minority students in special education is problematic because it implies students may be inappropriately placed in special education and/or denied access to general education placements. Thus, this study discusses the disproportionate representation of minority students placed into special education programs, with a specific focus on English Language Learners (ELLs), while exploring school practices that may improve the quality of education for both ELLs and non-ELLs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the teacher and administrator perceptions of the I&RS process in terms of procedures in meeting the needs of all students and determining correct placements of students in general education or special education settings. Additionally, this study aims to determine areas for improvement in terms of essential components of the I&RS process such as multi-disciplinary teams, teacher training, instructional interventions and assessment for ELLs, and follow-up. This study employs a qualitative case study approach with mixed methods data analyses to provide a comprehensive analysis of the I&RS process at the elementary school level in this District. Data collection included a survey distributed to the four elementary schools in Gardenia School District, interviews with ten key participants in the I&RS process, and document review based on public documents pertaining to demographic data. Findings of this study suggest that Gardenia School District has been adjusting the I&RS process to help meet the needs of students who are struggling in general education and to determine appropriate special education referrals. However, there are still areas for improvement for essential components of the I&RS process. Gardenia School District could further improve I&RS the process by enhancing multi-disciplinary teams, teacher preparation and training with language-based interventions, varied instructional interventions and assessment for ELLs, and providing both short and long-term follow-up throughout the I&RS process. An advanced process could better service students in general education and provide meaningful data to determine appropriate educational placements.