TEA Special Needs & Inclusive Education 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with an emotional disturbance is recommended for a 10-day out-of-school suspension for a behavioral incident. What must the ARD committee determine before the suspension is implemented?
- Whether the student's behavior was a manifestation of their disability. (Correct answer)
- Whether the student's parents consent to the suspension.
- Whether the suspension will affect the student's graduation timeline.
- Whether the student has prior disciplinary referrals on record.
Correct answer: Whether the student's behavior was a manifestation of their disability.
A Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) is required when a student with a disability faces a suspension of 10 or more days, to determine if the behavior was caused by the disability.
Question 2: A parent of a student with an IEP invokes their right to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense after disagreeing with the district's evaluation. What must the district do?
- Automatically fund the IEE requested by the parent.
- Either provide the IEE at public expense or initiate a due process hearing to defend its evaluation. (Correct answer)
- Conduct a second evaluation using the same instruments before granting the IEE.
- Deny the request if the original evaluation was conducted within the past year.
Correct answer: Either provide the IEE at public expense or initiate a due process hearing to defend its evaluation.
When a parent disagrees with a district evaluation, the district must either fund an IEE or file for due process to show its evaluation was appropriate.
Question 3: A principal is developing a campus-wide approach to support English Learners who also have disabilities. Which framework best addresses both linguistic and disability-related needs?
- Ensuring EL students are evaluated only after one full year of English instruction.
- Implementing a multi-disciplinary evaluation and IEP process that distinguishes language acquisition needs from disability-related needs. (Correct answer)
- Placing all EL students with suspected disabilities in bilingual special education automatically.
- Delaying referral for special education evaluation until EL students reach English proficiency.
Correct answer: Implementing a multi-disciplinary evaluation and IEP process that distinguishes language acquisition needs from disability-related needs.
Evaluations for EL students must distinguish between typical language acquisition processes and true disability-related deficits, requiring a multi-disciplinary and culturally responsive approach.
Question 4: Which of the following scenarios describes the 'least restrictive environment' (LRE) principle under IDEA most accurately?
- All students with disabilities must be educated in general education classrooms regardless of individual needs.
- Students with disabilities should be educated with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with supplementary aids and services. (Correct answer)
- LRE means the most academically rigorous environment available on campus.
- Students are placed in the least structured behavioral setting available.
Correct answer: Students with disabilities should be educated with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with supplementary aids and services.
LRE requires that students with disabilities be educated alongside peers without disabilities to the greatest extent appropriate, using supports to enable participation.
Question 5: A campus receives a transfer student whose IEP was developed in another Texas district. What must the receiving campus do to ensure compliance?
- Develop an entirely new IEP before the student begins classes.
- Provide comparable services in consultation with the parent until a new or adopted IEP is in place. (Correct answer)
- Wait for the previous district to forward all records before providing any services.
- Conduct a new Full and Individual Evaluation before honoring any prior IEP.
Correct answer: Provide comparable services in consultation with the parent until a new or adopted IEP is in place.
Texas law requires that receiving districts provide comparable services while coordinating with the family and previous district to adopt or revise the existing IEP.
Question 6: Extended School Year (ESY) services must be considered for students with disabilities. What is the primary criterion for determining ESY eligibility?
- The student scored below 70% on state assessments.
- The student is likely to experience substantial regression of critical skills during breaks that cannot be recouped in a reasonable time. (Correct answer)
- The student's parents request ESY services in writing.
- The student receives services in a self-contained special education setting.
Correct answer: The student is likely to experience substantial regression of critical skills during breaks that cannot be recouped in a reasonable time.
ESY eligibility is based on evidence that the student will substantially regress on critical IEP goals during school breaks and cannot recover those skills in a reasonable timeframe.
Question 7: A principal is conducting a walkthrough and observes that a special education paraprofessional is providing all instruction to a student with a disability while the general education teacher works only with non-disabled students. What concern should the principal address?
- The paraprofessional is providing unauthorized instruction and should be replaced by a certified teacher immediately.
- Over-reliance on paraprofessionals can isolate students with disabilities and undermine their access to qualified instruction. (Correct answer)
- This is an acceptable arrangement as long as the student is physically present in the general education classroom.
- The general education teacher should be relieved of responsibility for students with IEPs.
Correct answer: Over-reliance on paraprofessionals can isolate students with disabilities and undermine their access to qualified instruction.
Paraprofessionals are supports, not substitutes for qualified teacher instruction; over-reliance can reduce the quality of education and limit peer interactions for students with disabilities.
TEA Special Needs & Inclusive Education 3
A student with an emotional disturbance is recommended for a 10-day out-of-school suspension for a behavioral incident.
What must the ARD committee determine before the suspension is implemented?