what is prerequisites analysis?

The first thing I think of would be some form of assessment or a screening. As an educator, I must assess what the child knows or does not know before I can begin to teach him/her. Assessment and data drives classroom instruction.

Another form of assessment is some sort of diagnostic screening to see if a child has the symptoms or characteristics of a certain disability. The second thing I think of with a “prerequisites analysis” is once again when planning to teach a concept or a skill, the teacher must do task analysis. This is figuring out what skills or knowledge is needed before a subject can be taught, and what steps will be needed to teach it. An over simplification of this would be to teach someone how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In order to do this, there are steps involved and knowledge that needs to be known. The child must know what a knife is and what it is used for, what is and where to get the peanut butter and jelly…. and so forth…

In summary, I have no clue what a prerequisites analysis is and these are just my thoughts from the top of my head. What I would do is to go back to the person that used that term and ask them just what it is. As a parent, you are a part of the assessment process, and the process of creating an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). You are a part of these teams and should be involved every time they meet to discuss your child and make decisions. You also have the right to know what things are and how they will effect your child. If you don’t know what something is, just ask. Special educators tend to use a lot of jargon and acronyms without realizing that we’re doing it sometimes.