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 235.133 - Special Education Standards: Grades 6-12

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 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.