Special Education
Aiding Students Who Have Learning Difficulties or Who Need Special Education or Section 504 Services
For those students who are having difficulty in the regular classroom, all school districts and open enrollment charter schools must consider tutorial, compensatory, and other academic or behavior support services that are available to all students, including a process based on Response to Intervention (RtI). The implementation of RtI has the potential to have a positive impact on the ability of districts and charter schools to meet the needs of all struggling students.
If a student is experiencing learning difficulties, his or her parent may contact the individual(s) listed below to learn about the school’s overall general education referral or screening system for support services. This system links students to a variety of support options, including making a referral for a special education evaluation or for a Section 504 evaluation to determine if the student needs specific aids, accommodations, or services. A parent may request an evaluation for special education or Section 504 services at any time.
Special Education Referrals:
If a parent makes a written request for an initial evaluation for special education services to the director of special education services or an administrative employee of the school district or open enrollment charter school, the district or charter school must respond no later than 15 school days after receiving the request. At that time, the district or charter school must give the parent a prior written notice of whether it agrees to or refuses to evaluate the student, along with a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. If the school district or charter school agrees to evaluate the student, it must also give the parent the opportunity to give written consent for the evaluation.
Please note that a request for a special education evaluation may be made verbally and does not need to be in writing. Districts and charter schools must still comply with all federal prior written notice and procedural safeguard requirements and the requirements for identifying, locating, and evaluating children who are suspected of being a child with a disability and in need of special education. However, a verbal request does not require the district or charter school to respond within the 15-school-day timeline.
If the district or charter school decides to evaluate the student, it must complete the student’s initial evaluation and evaluation report no later than 45 school days from the day it receives a parent’s written consent to evaluate the student. However, if the student is absent from school during the evaluation period for three or more school days, the evaluation period will be extended by the number of school days equal to the number of school days that the student is absent.
There is an exception to the 45-school-day timeline. If a district or charter school receives a parent’s consent for the initial evaluation at least 35 but less than 45 school days before the last instructional day of the school year, it must complete the written report and provide a copy of the report to the parent by June 30 of that year. However, if the student is absent from school for three or more days during the evaluation period, the June 30th due date no longer applies. Instead, the general timeline of 45 school days plus extensions for absences of three or more days will apply.
Upon completing the evaluation, the district or charter school must give the parent a copy of the evaluation report at no cost.
Additional information regarding special education is available from the district or charter school in a companion document titled Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process.
Cómo ayudar a aquellos estudiantes que tienen dificultades de aprendizaje o precisan servicios de educación especial o de la Sección 504
Para aquellos estudiantes que tienen dificultades en el salón de clases normal, todos los distritos escolares y las escuelas autónomas de inscripción abierta deben contemplar servicios de tutoría y compensatorios, y otros servicios de apoyo académico o conductual que estén disponibles para todos los estudiantes, incluido un proceso basado en la Respuesta a la Intervención (RtI). La implementación de la RtI tiene el potencial de impactar positivamente en la capacidad de los distritos y escuelas autónomas de satisfacer las necesidades de todos los estudiantes con problemas.
Si un estudiante está experimentando dificultades de aprendizaje, sus padres pueden comunicarse con la(s) persona(s) mencionada(s) más abajo para obtener información sobre el sistema general de remisión o control de la educación general de la escuela para los servicios de apoyo. Dicho sistema vincula a los estudiantes con una variedad de opciones de apoyo, entre las que se encuentra la remisión para que se realice una evaluación de educación especial o una evaluación de la Sección 504 con el fin de determinar si el estudiante necesita asistencia, adaptaciones o servicios específicos. Los padres pueden pedir una evaluación para los servicios de educación especial o de la Sección 504 en cualquier momento.
Remisiones de educación especial:
Si los padres solicitan, por escrito, al director de servicios de educación especial o a un empleado administrativo del distrito escolar o de la escuela autónoma de inscripción abierta que se realice una evaluación inicial para recibir servicios de educación especial, el distrito o la escuela autónoma deben responder dentro de los 15 días lectivos después de haber recibido la solicitud. En ese momento, el distrito o la escuela autónoma deben entregar a los padres notificación previa por escrito respecto de si están de acuerdo o no en evaluar al estudiante, además de enviarles una copia de la Notificación de salvaguardas procesales. Si el distrito escolar o la escuela autónoma están de acuerdo en evaluar al estudiante, también deben darles a los padres la oportunidad de prestar su consentimiento por escrito para la evaluación.
Por favor tenga en cuenta que una solicitud para una evaluación de educación especial puede hacerse verbalmente y no necesita hacerse por escrito. Los distritos y escuelas “chárter” deben seguir cumpliendo con todas las notificaciones previas por escrito y los requisitos sobre las salvaguardas procesales de la ley federal para identificar, localizar y evaluar a los niños que se intuya puedan ser niños con alguna discapacidad y que necesite educación especial. Sin embargo, una petición verbal no requiere que el distrito o la escuela “chárter” respondan dentro del periodo establecido de los 15 días escolares.
Si el distrito o la escuela autónoma deciden evaluar al estudiante, deben completar la evaluación inicial y el informe de la evaluación dentro de los 45 días lectivos posteriores al día en que reciban el consentimiento por escrito de los padres para evaluar al estudiante. Sin embargo, si el estudiante se ausenta de la escuela por tres días lectivos o más durante el período de evaluación, dicho período se extenderá la misma cantidad de días lectivos que el estudiante haya faltado.
Existe una excepción al plazo de 45 días lectivos. Si un distrito o una escuela autónoma reciben el consentimiento de los padres para la evaluación inicial entre los 35 y 45 días lectivos previos al último día de clases del año, deben completar el informe escrito y proporcionarles una copia del mismo a los padres, a más tardar, el 30 de junio de dicho año. No obstante, si el estudiante falta a la escuela tres días o más durante el período de evaluación, no se aplica la fecha límite del 30 de junio, sino que se aplica el plazo general de 45 días lectivos más prórrogas por ausencias de tres días o más.
Al completar la evaluación, el distrito o la escuela autónoma deben proporcionar a los padres una copia del informe de evaluación en forma gratuita.
Hay disponible información adicional sobre educación especial del distrito o la escuela autónoma en el documento complementario titulado Guía para padres sobre el proceso de admisión, revisión y retiro.
Instructional Arrangements/Service
SPECIAL EDUCATION
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) is the federal law that governs the special education process. One of the main purposes of IDEA is to ensure that children with disabilities have available to them a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. Special Education means specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. Related services are special services needed to support the students’ special education services so they can make progress to meet their academic and functional goals.
FAPE is defined by the student’s Admission Review Dismissal Committee (ARDc) in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) based on the ARD committee’s decision. Educational programming and placement decisions are always made on an individual basis as determined by appropriate assessment data. After a student’s IEP has been developed, the ARDc considers where the required services can best be implemented. The general education classroom is the primary placement option that is always considered first. Students are removed only as far from this setting as their individual needs dictate.
Instructional Arrangements/Services
MAINSTREAM
The general education program is accommodated through the use of special education support services, supplemental aids, or other special arrangements in the general classroom setting.
Content Mastery
Supports the general education classroom by providing accommodations of informational, instructional, and behavior intervention strategies. Content Mastery provides special tutorial and instructional assistance to support learning the content being taught in the classroom. The purpose of content mastery is to help the students become independent. This program is for student with disabilities (both 504 and special education).
Resource
A specialized classroom where special education students with a specific learning disability receive direct, specialized instruction and academic remediation.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Early Childhood Special Education is a state and federally mandated program for young children with disabilities ages 3-5.
Functional Life Skills (FLS)
A special education teacher provides instruction in daily, functional living skills, and academics within the classroom. These students also participate in the regular education according to their abilities as determined by the ARD committee.
Community Based Instruction (CBI)
A special education teacher provides instruction in daily, functional daily living skills, and academics with the classroom and the community. These students also participate in the regular education program according to their abilities as determined by the ARD Committee.
Speech Therapy
This service is provided by a speech language pathologist or speech language pathology assistant to those students who qualify. Instruction is offered for articulation, voice, stuttering, and language development.
Homebound Services
A teacher provides instruction to eligible students in their homes. This short-term service enables the student to keep up with assignments and is not intended for minor illnesses.
Transition Services
This service is coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability that will prepare the student for successful living and vocational experiences after leaving high school.
Related Services
ECSSA provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, behavior management, transportation, audiology, and orientation & mobility with disabilities in maximizing their educational benefits.
Full and Individual Evaluations (FIE)
The FIE is available by appropriate referral to students residing in the ECSSA boundaries. Evaluation personnel serve the schools by administering evaluations, making recommendations for Individual Education Plan (IEP) development, and assisting school staff.
Resources on Special Education in Texas
https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/special-education/resources