| (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 Grades 6-12 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;
and Texas Administrative Code specific to students with disabilities;
and Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. The Grades 6-12 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 Individual Transition Plan (ITP) as outlined in federal and
state law;
(5) demonstrate knowledge of all required components
of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as outlined in federal
and state law;
(6) demonstrate knowledge of all sections of the special
education legal folder and where to store required documentation;
(7) demonstrate knowledge of the legal responsibility
of all school staff to fully implement an IEP;
(8) demonstrate knowledge of the legal responsibility
of all teachers and school staff to protect the confidentiality and
dignity of students with disabilities;
(9) demonstrate knowledge of graduation options for
students with disabilities receiving special education services according
to §89.1070 of this title (relating to Graduation Requirements);
(10) demonstrate knowledge of the federal requirements
for transfer of rights at the age of majority;
(11) demonstrate knowledge of the state and federal
requirements for transition planning beginning at the age of 14;
(12) demonstrate knowledge of the special education
teacher's roles and responsibilities regarding Child Find;
(13) 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;
(14) use a variety of assessment data to write annual
measurable goals and present levels of academic achievement and functional
performance and to identify appropriate accommodations (academic,
behavior, state, and district testing) and modifications based on
individual student needs, and contribute to drafting the IEP;
(15) 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;
(16) audit student class schedules to ensure compliance
with least restrictive environment and schedule of services in the
IEP;
(17) schedule and facilitate ongoing transition activities
to prepare students for postsecondary living according to the IEP;
(18) 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;
(19) demonstrate knowledge of the roles and responsibilities
of the required members of an ARD committee;
(20) demonstrate knowledge of the required components
of a typical ARD committee meeting agenda;
(21) interpret the results of a variety of assessment
data (classroom, state and district transition assessment) in plain
language to explain student progress on annual IEP goals and mastery
of grade level standards to the ARD committee members;
(22) prepare and support students in leading ARD committee
discussion regarding progress on IEP goals, mastery of grade level
standards, appropriate accommodations (academic, behavior, state,
and district assessment), transition needs and goals, and other supplements
as needed;
(23) apply knowledge of individuals served through
special education as well as special education laws and policies to
facilitate and advocate for students' full participation in their
education;
(24) demonstrate understanding that students served
through special education may also have other special populations
identifiers (i.e., gifted and talented, English learner, highly mobile
and at risk, and dyslexia);
(25) advocate for student participation in the IEP,
ARD meetings, and transition plan;
(26) foster and support students in their development
of self-reliance and self-advocacy;
(27) apply knowledge of IEP transition activities to
build students' readiness for postsecondary transition;
(28) advocate for high academic and behavioral expectations
for students with disabilities; and
(29) demonstrate understanding that individuals with
high support needs deserve to be challenged with high expectations
and provided with meaningful and inclusive participation opportunities
to develop the highest possible learning outcomes.
(c) Understanding and Addressing Each Individual's
Developmental and Learning Needs. The Grades 6-12 special education
teacher must:
(1) demonstrate knowledge about relevant physical and
emotional development for early adolescence through early adulthood;
(2) demonstrate knowledge of how specific developmental
characteristics of the teenage brain impact learning (e.g., decision-making,
problem-solving, impulse control, and relationships);
(3) understand the impact of exceptionalities on developmental
milestones, executive functioning, and social skills;
(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 in Grades 6-12;
(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 Grades 6-12 special education teacher must:
(1) demonstrate a foundational knowledge of content
specific TEKS and College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) appropriate
for students in Grades 6-12;
(2) apply content-specific knowledge to develop individualized
goals and objectives that are aligned with the appropriate grade-level
TEKS and CCRS;
(3) design appropriate learning and performance accommodations
and modifications for students with exceptional learning needs in
academic subject matter content of the general curriculum;
Cont'd... |
