SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY

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SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY

Authorities: 20 USC §§ 1021, 7801; 34 CFR Part 300; and 19 TAC Chapter 89

	FEDERAL AND STATE REQUIREMENTS
Practice Citations	The child must be assessed in all areas of suspected disability.
Practice	The group must comply with the EVALUATION PROCEDURES framework.
Practice	In Texas, the group of qualified professionals that determines whether the child is a child with a disability and the educational needs of the child is the child's ADMISSION, REVIEW, AND DISMISSAL COMMITTEE.
	EVALUATION PROCEDURES
Practice Citations	Specific learning disability (SLD) is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations:
Practice Citations	The term includes conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia; and
Practice Citations	The term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of an intellectual disability, or emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Document Citations	The group of qualified professionals that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of the child's eligibility based on an SLD must include:
Document Citations	The child's regular teacher; or
Document Citations	If the child does not have a regular teacher, a regular classroom teacher qualified to teach children of this age; or
Document Citations	For a child whose age is less than school age, an individual qualified by the Texas Education Agency to teach children of this age; and
Document Citations	At least one person qualified to conduct individual diagnostic examinations of children such as:
Document Citations	A licensed specialist in school psychology;
Document Citations	A speech-language pathologist; or
Document Citations	A remedial reading teacher.
	OBSERVATION
Practice Citations	The local education agency must ensure that the child is observed in the child's learning environment, including the regular classroom setting, to document the child's academic performance and behavior in the areas of difficulty.
Practice Citations	In determining whether the child has an SLD, the admission, review, and dismissal committee must decide to either:
Practice Citations	Use information from an observation in routine classroom instruction and monitoring of the child's performance that was done before the child was referred for an evaluation; or
Practice Citations	Have at least one member of the group conduct an observation of the child's academic performance in the regular classroom after the child has been referred for an evaluation and CONSENT is obtained from the PARENT.
Document Citations	For the child less than school age or out of school, a member of the group of qualified professionals must observe the child in an environment appropriate for a child of that age.
Document Citations	The documentation of the determination of an SLD eligibility must contain a statement of:
Document Citations	The relevant behavior, if any, noted during the observation of the child; and
Document Citations	The relationship of that behavior to the child's academic functioning.
	DETERMINANT FACTORS
Practice Citations	As part of the evaluation, and in order to ensure that underachievement by the child suspected of having an SLD is not due to lack of appropriate instruction in reading or math, the group of qualified professionals must consider:
Practice Citations	Data that demonstrates the child was provided appropriate instruction in reading and/or math in the general education settings delivered by qualified personnel; and
Practice Citations	Data-based documentation of repeated assessments of achievement at reasonable intervals, reflecting formal evaluation of progress of the child during instruction, which was provided to the parent of the child. Data-based documentation of repeated assessments may include, but is not limited to:
Practice Citations	Response to intervention (RtI) progress monitoring results;
Practice Citations	In-class tests on grade-level curriculum; or
Practice Citations	Other regularly administered assessments.
Practice Citations	Intervals are considered reasonable if consistent with the assessment requirements of the child's specific instructional program.
	PARTICIPATION IN THE RTI PROCESS
Document Citations	If the child suspected of having an SLD participated in a process that assesses the child's response to evidence-based intervention, the documentation of the determination of eligibility must contain a statement of:
Document Citations	The instructional strategies used and the child-centered data collected; and
Document Citations	The documentation that the parent of the child was notified about:
Document Citations	The state's policies regarding the amount and nature of performance data of the child that would be collected, and the general education services that would be provided;
Document Citations	Strategies for increasing the child's rate of learning; and
Document Citations	The parent's right to request an evaluation.
	ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Document Citations	A child with an SLD impairment is one:
Document Citations	Who has been determined through a variety of assessment tools and strategies to meet the criteria for the SLD stated above;
Document Citations	Who does not achieve adequately for the child's age or to meet state-approved grade-level standards, in one or more of the following areas:
Document Citations	Oral expression;
Document Citations	Written expression;
Document Citations	Listening comprehension;
Document Citations	Basic reading skills;
Document Citations	Reading fluency skills;
Document Citations	Reading comprehension;
Document Citations	Mathematics calculation; or
Document Citations	Mathematics problem-solving;
Practice Citations	Whose lack of adequate achievement is indicated by performance on multiple measures such as:
Practice Citations	In-class tests;
Practice Citations	Grade average over time (e.g., six weeks, semester);
Practice Citations	Norm- or criterion-referenced tests;
Practice Citations	Statewide assessments; or
Practice Citations	A process based on the child's response to evidence-based intervention;
Practice Citations	Who does not make sufficient progress under the additional criteria of the RtI Model or the child meets the additional criteria under the Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses Model.
	RTI MODEL
Practice Citations	When applying the RtI Model, a finding that the child meets the for an SLD must include a determination that, when provided a process based on the child's response to evidence-based intervention, the child did not make sufficient progress to meet age or state-approved grade-level standards in one or more of these areas:
Document Citations	Oral expression;
Document Citations	Listening comprehension;
Document Citations	Written expression;
Document Citations	Basic reading;
Document Citations	Reading fluency skills;
Document Citations	Reading comprehension;
Document Citations	Mathematics calculation; or
Document Citations	Mathematics problem solving.
	PATTERN OF STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Practice Citations	When applying the pattern of strengths and weaknesses model, to find that the child meets the ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA for an SLD, a determination must be made that:
Practice Citations	The child exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in:
Practice Citations	Performance;
Practice Citations	Achievement; or
Practice Citations	Both;
Practice Citations	The pattern is relative to:
Practice Citations	Age;
Practice Citations	State-approved grade-level standards; or
Practice Citations	Intellectual development; and
Practice Citations	The pattern is relevant to the identification of an SLD using appropriate assessments.
	EXCLUSIONARY FACTORS
Document Citations	The documentation of an SLD eligibility must contain a statement of the determination of the group of qualified professionals concerning the effects on the child's achievement level of:
Document Citations	A visual, hearing, or motor disability;
Document Citations	An intellectual disability;
Document Citations	Emotional disturbance;
Document Citations	Cultural factors;
Document Citations	Environmental or economic disadvantage; or
Document Citations	Limited English proficiency.
Document Citations	The group of qualified professionals must determine that its findings are not primarily the result of:
Document Citations	A visual, hearing, or motor disability;
Document Citations	An intellectual disability;
Document Citations	Emotional disturbance;
Document Citations	Cultural factors;
Document Citations	Environmental or economic disadvantage; or
Document Citations	Limited English proficiency.
	ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION
Document Citations	The documentation of the determination of eligibility must contain a statement of:
Document Citations	Whether the child has an SLD;
Document Citations	The basis for making the determination, including an assurance that the determination has been made in accordance with EVALUATION PROCEDURES; and
Document Citations	The educationally relevant medical findings, if any.
Document Citations	Each member of the group of qualified professionals must certify in writing whether the report reflects the member's conclusion.
Document Citations	If the report does not reflect a group member's conclusion, that group member must submit a separate statement presenting the member's conclusion.
Practice Citations	Whose lack of adequate performance is not primarily the result of Exclusionary Factors; and
Practice Citations	Whose lack of adequate achievement is not due to Determinant Factors.

Last Updated : Thu, Nov 17, 2022

34 Code of Federal Regulations § 300.311 Specific documentation for the eligibility determination.

(a) For a child suspected of having a specific learning disability, the documentation of the determination of eligibility, as required in §300.306(a)(2), must contain a statement of—
    (1) Whether the child has a specific learning disability;
   (2) The basis for making the determination, including an assurance that the determination has been made in accordance with §300.306(c)(1);
   (3) The relevant behavior, if any, noted during the observation of the child and the relationship of that behavior to the child’s academic functioning;
   (4) The educationally relevant medical findings, if any;
   (5) Whether—
       (i) The child does not achieve adequately for the child’s age or to meet State-approved grade-level standards consistent with §300.309(a)(1); and
      (ii)
          (A) The child does not make sufficient progress to meet age or State-approved grade-level standards consistent with §300.309(a)(2)(i); or
          (B) The child exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, State-approved grade level standards or intellectual development consistent with §300.309(a)(2)(ii);
    (6) The determination of the group concerning the effects of a visual, hearing, motor disability, or an intellectual disability; emotional disturbance; cultural factors; environmental or economic disadvantage; or limited English proficiency on the child’s achievement level; and
   (7) If the child has participated in a process that assesses the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention—
       (i) The instructional strategies used and the student-centered data collected; and
      (ii) The documentation that the child’s parents were notified about—
         (A) The State’s policies regarding the amount and nature of student performance data that would be collected and the general education services that would be provided;
         (B) Strategies for increasing the child’s rate of learning; and
         (C) The parents’ right to request an evaluation.
. . .

Last Amended: 82 FR 31913, July 11, 2017
Entered: Aug. 7, 2017

19 Texas Administrative Code § 89.1040. Eligibility Criteria.

. . .
(c) Eligibility definitions.
. . .
(9) Specific learning disability.
. . .
(B) A student with a specific learning disability is one who:
(i) has been determined through a variety of assessment tools and strategies to meet the criteria for a specific learning disability as stated in 34 CFR, §300.8(c)(10), in accordance with the provisions in 34 CFR, §§300.307-300.311; (ii) when provided with learning experiences and instruction appropriate for the student's age or state-approved grade-level standards as indicated by performance on multiple measures such as in-class tests, grade average over time (e.g. six weeks or semester), norm- or criterion-referenced tests, and statewide assessments, does not achieve adequately for the student's age or to meet state-approved grade-level standards in one or more of the following areas: (I) oral expression; (II) listening comprehension; (III) written expression; (IV) basic reading skill; (V) reading fluency skills; (VI) reading comprehension; (VII) mathematics calculation; or (VIII) mathematics problem solving; (iii) meets one of the following criteria: (I) does not make sufficient progress to meet age or state-approved grade-level standards in one or more of the areas identified in clause (ii)(I)-(VIII) of this subparagraph when using a process based on the student's response to scientific, research-based intervention; or (II) exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both relative to age, state-approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development that is determined to be relevant to the identification of a specific learning disability, using appropriate assessments, consistent with 34 CFR, §300.304 and §300.305; and (iv) does not meet the findings under clauses (ii) and (iii) of this subparagraph primarily as the result of: (I) a visual, hearing, or motor disability; (II) an intellectual disability; (III) emotional disturbance; (IV) cultural factors; (V) environmental or economic disadvantage; or (VI) limited English proficiency.
. . .

Last Amended: June 7, 2022, 47 TexReg 3248
Entered: June 9, 2022