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(a)Special education services. To be eligible to receive special education services, a student must be a "child with a disability," as defined in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), §300.7(a), subject to the provisions of 34 CFR, §300.7(c), the Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.003, and this section. The provisions in this section specify criteria to be used in determining whether a student's condition meets one or more of the definitions in federal regulations or in state law. (b)Eligibility determination. The determination of whether a student is eligible for special education and related services is made by the student's admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee. Any evaluation or re-evaluation of a student shall be conducted in accordance with 34 CFR, §§300.530-300.536. The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility must include, but is not limited to, the following: (1)a licensed specialist in school psychology (LSSP), an educational diagnostician, or other appropriately certified or licensed practitioner with experience and training in the area of the disability; or (2)a licensed or certified professional for a specific eligibility category defined in subsection (c) of this section. (c)Eligibility definitions. (1)Autism. A student with autism is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for autism as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(1). Students with pervasive developmental disorders are included under this category. The team's written report of evaluation shall include specific recommendations for behavioral interventions and strategies. (2)Deaf-blindness. A student with deaf-blindness is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for deaf-blindness as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(2). In meeting the criteria stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(2), a student with deaf-blindness is one who, based on the evaluations specified in subsections (c)(3) and (c)(12) of this section: (A)meets the eligibility criteria for auditory impairment specified in subsection (c)(3) of this section and visual impairment specified in subsection (c)(12) of this section; (B)meets the eligibility criteria for a student with a visual impairment and has a suspected hearing loss that cannot be demonstrated conclusively, but a speech/language therapist, a certified speech and language therapist, or a licensed speech language pathologist indicates there is no speech at an age when speech would normally be expected; (C)has documented hearing and visual losses that, if considered individually, may not meet the requirements for auditory impairment or visual impairment, but the combination of such losses adversely affects the student's educational performance; or (D)has a documented medical diagnosis of a progressive medical condition that will result in concomitant hearing and visual losses that, without special education intervention, will adversely affect the student's educational performance. (3)Auditory impairment. A student with an auditory impairment is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for deafness as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(3), or for hearing impairment as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(5). The evaluation data reviewed by the multidisciplinary team in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility based on an auditory impairment must include an otological examination performed by an otologist or by a licensed medical doctor, with documentation that an otologist is not reasonably available. An audiological evaluation by a licensed audiologist shall also be conducted. The evaluation data shall include a description of the implications of the hearing loss for the student's hearing in a variety of circumstances with or without recommended amplification. (4)Emotional disturbance. A student with an emotional disturbance is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for emotional disturbance as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(4). The written report of evaluation shall include specific recommendations for behavioral supports and interventions. (5)Mental retardation. A student with mental retardation is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for mental retardation as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(6). In meeting the criteria stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(6), a student with mental retardation is one who has been determined to be functioning at two or more standard deviations below the mean on individually administered scales of verbal ability, and either performance or nonverbal ability, and who concurrently exhibits deficits in adaptive behavior. (6)Multiple disabilities. (A)A student with multiple disabilities is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for multiple disabilities as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(7). In meeting the criteria stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(7), a student with multiple disabilities is one who has a combination of disabilities defined in this section and who meets all of the following conditions: (i)the student's disability is expected to continue indefinitely; and (ii)the disabilities severely impair performance in two or more of the following areas: (I)psychomotor skills; (II)self-care skills; (III)communication; (IV)social and emotional development; or (V)cognition. (B)Students who have more than one of the disabilities defined in this section but who do not meet the criteria in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not be classified or reported as having multiple disabilities. (7)Orthopedic impairment. A student with an orthopedic impairment is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for orthopedic impairment as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(8). The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility based on an orthopedic impairment must include a licensed physician. (8)Other health impairment. A student with other health impairment is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for other health impairment as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(9). Students with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are included under this category. The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility based on other health impairment must include a licensed physician. (9)Learning disability. (A)A student with a learning disability is one who has been determined by a multidisciplinary team to meet the criteria for specific learning disability as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(10), and in whom the team has determined whether a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability exists in accordance with the provisions in 34 CFR, §§300.540-300.543. A severe discrepancy exists when the student's assessed intellectual ability is above the mentally retarded range, but the student's assessed educational achievement in areas specified in 34 CFR, §300.541, is more than one standard deviation below the student's intellectual ability. (B)If the multidisciplinary team cannot establish the existence of a severe discrepancy in accordance with subparagraph (A) of this paragraph because of the lack of appropriate evaluation instruments, or if the student does not meet the criteria in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph but the team believes a severe discrepancy exists, the team must document in its written report the areas identified under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph and the basis for determining that the student has a severe discrepancy. The report shall include a statement of the degree of the discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement. (10)Speech impairment. A student with a speech impairment is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for speech or language impairment as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(11). The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility based on a speech impairment must include a certified speech and hearing therapist, a certified speech and language therapist, or a licensed speech/language pathologist. (11)Traumatic brain injury. A student with a traumatic brain injury is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for traumatic brain injury as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(12). The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility based on a traumatic brain injury must include a licensed physician, in addition to the licensed or certified practitioners specified in subsection (b)(1) of this section. (12)Visual impairment. (A)A student with a visual impairment is one who has been determined to meet the criteria for visual impairment as stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(13). The visual loss should be stated in exact measures of visual field and corrected visual acuity at a distance and at close range in each eye in a report by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist. The report should also include prognosis whenever possible. If exact measures cannot be obtained, the eye specialist must so state and provide best estimates. In meeting the criteria stated in 34 CFR, §300.7(c)(13), a student with a visual impairment is one who: (i)has been determined by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist: (I)to have no vision or to have a serious visual loss after correction; or (II)to have a progressive medical condition that will result in no vision or a serious visual loss after correction. (ii)has been determined by the following evaluations to have a need for special services: (I)a functional vision evaluation by a professional certified in the education of students with visual impairments or a certified orientation and mobility instructor. The evaluation must include the performance of tasks in a variety of environments requiring the use of both near and distance vision and recommendations concerning the need for a clinical low vision evaluation and an orientation and mobility evaluation; and (II)a learning media assessment by a professional certified in the education of students with visual impairments. The learning media assessment must include recommendations concerning which specific visual, tactual, and/or auditory learning media are appropriate for the student and whether or not there is a need for ongoing evaluation in this area. (B)A student with a visual impairment is functionally blind if, based on the preceding evaluations, the student will use tactual media (which includes Braille) as a primary tool for learning to be able to communicate in both reading and writing at the same level of proficiency as other students of comparable ability. (13)Noncategorical. A student between the ages of 3-5 who is evaluated as having mental retardation, emotional disturbance, a specific learning disability, or autism may be described as noncategorical early childhood.
This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed
by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.
Filed
with the Office of
the Secretary of State on February 14, 2001
TRD-200100950 Criss Cloudt
Associate Commissioner, Accountability Reporting and Research
Texas Education Agency
Effective date: March 6, 2001
Proposal publication date: August 18, 2000
For further information, please call: (512) 463-9701
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