An Illinois elementary school district concerned about unnecessary referrals for possible special education designed and piloted a regular education assistance team system which brought about greater regular teacher collaboration and increased accuracy in referral for case study evaluation. The building level teams consisted of regular education teachers who provided support for regular teachers with problem students and prevention of unnecessary referrals. The pilot system in one school over a 6-month period handled 12 cases in an average of 3.17 months, of which only 2 were referred to special education services. Program strengths included non-threatening support for teachers, especially first year teachers, and clarification of service needs, while the major drawback was teacher time factors. Referral patterns included 67% males, 80% from the primary grades, and a high proportion of cases from dysfunctional families. The team functioned more as a support for teachers than as an indirect change agent for students. Program forms are appended. (Includes seven references.) (DB)