Requirements for a Referral to Special Education for SLD

The following items must be part of a referral to evaluate a child for special education when a specific learning disability is suspected.

Please click the arrows to view the following data that should be collected as part of the school’s overall general education referral process:

Reading and/or Math as Main Concern(s)

1. If Reading or Math are the main concerns prompting the referral, provide data that demonstrates the student was provided appropriate instruction in the essential components of reading as defined by 20 USC §6368(3):

The term ‘essential components of reading instruction' means explicit and systematic instruction

- - phonemic awareness;
  - phonics;
  - vocabulary development;
  - reading fluency, including oral reading skills and
  - reading comprehension strategies

2. If mathematics is the main concern prompting the referral, data demonstrating the student was provided appropriate mathematics instruction.

Referral Data Must Demonstrate:

Data that demonstrates the student was provided instruction by qualified personnel.
Data that demonstrates the student was considered for all support services available to all students, such as tutorial, remedial, compensatory, and other services †.
Evidence that the student was provided with interventions †.
Data-based documentation of repeated achievement assessments at reasonable intervals (an interval is considered reasonable if consistent with the assessment requirements of a student’s specific instructional program).
- ‘Repeated assessments’ should reflect formal assessment of student progress during instruction
  - Assessments may include, but are not limited to, the following:
    - RTI progress monitoring results
    - In-class tests on grade-level curriculum
    - Other regularly administered assessments
Evidence that the data-based documentation of repeated assessments of achievement was provided to the student’s parents ‡.

Evidence from Formal and Informal Data Sources

Evidence that the child does not achieve adequately for the student’s age and/or meet state-approved grade-level standards using multiple measures in one or more of the following areas:
- Oral expression
- Listening comprehension
- Written expression
- Basic reading skill
- Reading fluency skills
- Reading comprehension
- Mathematics calculation
- Mathematics problem solving

Multiple measures include, but are not limited to, the following:

- - - In-class tests
    - Grade average over time (e.g., six weeks, semester)
    - Norm- or criterion-referenced tests
    - Statewide assessments
    - RTI data
An observation of the child in the student’s learning environment (including the regular classroom setting) to document the student’s academic performance and behavior in the areas of difficulty °.

* Unless otherwise specified, these items are required by Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §89.1040(c)(9)

† As required by Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §89.1011

‡ As required by 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §300.309(b)(2)

°As required by 34 CFR §300.310(a)

Contact:

Kristi Jordan Special Education Evaluation Consultant

Email Kristi Jordan 210-370-5781