The purpose of this study was to investigate whether vignettes could allow for differentiation of perceived effort, and if so, would perceived student effort have an effect on teacher impressions of students and whether they would refer for special education services. Eighty-six teachers with an average of eight years of teaching experience participated in the study. They read four vignettes of students experiencing learning difficulties and answered questions regarding their perceptions of student effort, overall impression of the student, and whether they would refer the student for special education services. Results indicated that the vignettes can be used to differentiate between perceptions of high and low effort. Results further indicated that high effort was associated with overall positive impressions of students, while low effort was associated with negative impressions. There was no significant relationship between perceived effort and referral for special education services.