As the number of referrals for Special Education and 504 are continuing to increase since the start of the Pandemic, the importance of training for evaluation personnel, as well as for school referral teams, becomes critical. Exclusionary Factors are documented at federal and state levels as part of the initial referral process, during the evaluation process, and as part of the meeting/consideration process (IEP/504). A better understanding of Exclusionary Factors and the impact of Covid disruptions on the educational process, at the early referral stage, serves as both documentation and guidance. Knowing that SLD determination has to meet specific criteria, including “rule out” of Exclusionary Factors can help the evaluator form a better referral question. Understanding that vision, hearing, and motor skills have an impact on the ability to learn also needs to be considered at the beginning of the referral process. Ruling out other disabilities as the reason for a student’s failure to learn should be obvious to most, but often, not understanding the educational constructs of these other disabilities can be confusing and can also lead to overidentification in other disability areas. Ruling out cultural differences, environmental and socio-economic disadvantages, limited English proficiency, and “lack of” adequate instruction must also be considered and can at times be a difficult decision to make.