| (a) Special Education Standards. The standards identified
in this section are targeted for teachers of students who receive
special education services. The standards address the discipline associated
with the theory and practice of teaching students who receive special
education services. The standards inform appropriate teaching techniques,
methods, and teacher actions, judgments, and decisions by taking into
consideration philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of
special education, characteristics of students who receive special
education services, understandings of the needs and strengths of students
who receive special education services, and the backgrounds and interests
of individual students.
(b) Legal and Ethical Guidelines. The Early Childhood-Grade
6 special education teacher demonstrates knowledge of all applicable
state and federal laws, including Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) of 2004; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and ADA Amendments
Act (ADAAA) of 2008; Texas Education Code specific to students with
disabilities; Texas Administrative Code specific to students with
disabilities; and Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. The Early
Childhood-Grade 6 special education teacher must:
(1) demonstrate knowledge of the major state and federal
legislation (e.g., IDEA, Section 504, ADA, ADAAA) that has affected
knowledge and practice of the education of individuals with high support
needs;
(2) demonstrate knowledge of the history of exclusion
of and discrimination against people with disabilities;
(3) demonstrate knowledge of IDEA 2004 eligibility
categories;
(4) demonstrate knowledge of all required components
of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as outlined in federal
and state law;
(5) demonstrate knowledge of all sections of the special
education legal folder and where to store required documentation;
(6) demonstrate knowledge of the legal responsibility
of all school staff to fully implement an IEP;
(7) demonstrate knowledge of the legal responsibility
of all teachers and school staff to protect the confidentiality and
dignity of students with disabilities;
(8) demonstrate knowledge of the special education
teacher's roles and responsibilities regarding Child Find;
(9) demonstrate knowledge of the special education
teacher's roles and responsibilities in creating and implementing
the IEP with fidelity, including monitoring student IEP goal progress,
implementing data collection of IEP goal progress, and reporting progress
to the student and parents/guardians throughout the IEP year;
(10) use a variety of assessment data to write annual
measurable goals and present levels of academic achievement and functional
performance and identify appropriate accommodations (academic, behavior,
state, and district testing) and modifications based on individual
student needs, and contribute to drafting the IEP;
(11) maintain student legal folders and store ongoing
documentation according to local education agency (LEA) requirements
and keep records to document receipt of the IEP by all required school
staff;
(12) audit student class schedules to ensure compliance
with least restrictive environment and schedule of services in the
IEP;
(13) demonstrate knowledge of the role and responsibilities
of the special education teacher in preparing for an Admission, Review,
Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting, including collecting required data,
interpreting the results of progress monitoring and classroom assessment
data, and visually representing and interpreting data to show student
progress;
(14) demonstrate knowledge of the roles and responsibilities
of the required members of an ARD committee;
(15) demonstrate knowledge of the required components
of a typical ARD committee meeting agenda;
(16) interpret the results of a variety of assessment
data (i.e., classroom, state and district transition assessment) in
plain language to explain present levels of student academic achievement
and functional performance, student progress on annual IEP goals,
and mastery of grade level TEKS to the ARD committee members;
(17) prepare and support students in leading ARD committee
discussion regarding progress on IEP goals, mastery of grade level
TEKS, appropriate accommodations (academic, behavior, state and district
assessment), transition needs and goals, and other supplements as
needed;
(18) apply knowledge of individuals served through
special education as well as special education laws and policies to
facilitate and advocate for families' full participation in the education
of their students;
(19) demonstrate understanding that students served
through special education may also have other special populations
identifiers (i.e., gifted and talented, English learners, highly mobile
and at risk, dyslexia);
(20) advocate for family and student participation
in the IEP, ARD meetings, and transition plan;
(21) foster and support students in their development
of self-reliance and self-advocacy;
(22) advocate for high academic and behavioral expectations
for students with disabilities;
(23) demonstrate understanding that individuals with
high support needs deserve to be challenged with high expectations
and provided with meaningful inclusive participation opportunities
to develop the highest possible learning outcomes; and
(24) demonstrate a foundational knowledge of the Individualized
Family Service Plan (IFSP).
(c) Understanding and Addressing Each Individual's
Developmental and Learning Needs. The Early Childhood-Grade 6 special
education teacher must:
(1) demonstrate knowledge about relevant physical and
emotional development from birth through adolescence;
(2) demonstrate knowledge of how stress, trauma, protective
factors, resilience, and supportive relationships may impact learning,
behavior, and development in young children;
(3) demonstrate knowledge of how exceptionalities can
interact with development and learning;
(4) demonstrate understanding that students with all
support needs may also come from a different cultural background,
may speak other languages than those of the dominant culture, or may
come from a unique racial or ethnic group;
(5) demonstrate knowledge of the multiple biological,
physical, psychological, and social influences that affect learning
and development when working with individuals with high support needs;
(6) demonstrate knowledge of strategies to support
students' development and independence given relevant grade level
expectations for academic and behavior for students from birth through
adolescence;
(7) apply a variety of evidence-based, age-appropriate
classroom routines and procedures that support individual developmental
and learning needs;
(8) demonstrate knowledge of a variety of assistive
technologies to support individual developmental and learning needs;
(9) demonstrate knowledge of how developmental academic,
social, and functional characteristics of individuals with high support
needs impact levels of support needs;
(10) apply knowledge of evidence-based practices to
identify and intervene when students are not making progress in functional,
academic, or behavioral goals; and
(11) demonstrate the knowledge and ability to adapt
instruction when students with high support needs do not meet milestones.
(d) Subject Matter Content and Specialized Curricular
Knowledge. The Early Childhood-Grade 6 special education teacher must:
(1) demonstrate knowledge of the Emergent Literacy-Writing,
Mathematics, Science, and Fine Arts domains of the Texas Prekindergarten
Guidelines;
(2) demonstrate knowledge of the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills (TEKS) for English language arts and reading, mathematics,
science, and fine arts (Kindergarten-Grade 6);
(3) demonstrate specific knowledge of early numeracy,
early literacy, and pre-academic skills according to the TEKS and
the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines;
(4) apply content-specific knowledge to develop individualized
goals and objectives that are aligned with the appropriate grade-level
TEKS and the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines;
(5) design appropriate learning and performance accommodations
and modifications for students with exceptional learning needs in
academic subject matter content of the general curriculum;
(6) apply content-specific knowledge to modify and
differentiate instruction as well as provide access to instructional
materials for a wide range of student performance levels;
Cont'd... |
