Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 7 - STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION › Chapter 235 - CLASSROOM TEACHER CERTIFICATION STANDARDS › Subchapter G - SPECIAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATE STANDARDS › Section 235.131 - Special Education Standards: Early Childhood-Grade 6

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(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).