Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 39, March 25, 2024
Subp. 2.
Core skill
areas.
A teacher of special education possesses understandings and
skills in special education foundations: referral, evaluation, planning, and
programming processes; instructional design, teaching, and ongoing evaluation;
and collaboration and communication in items A to D.
A. Foundational knowledge: A teacher of
special education understands the foundations of special education, including
information about students served by special education. The teacher must
demonstrate knowledge of the:
(1) role of
special education within the structure of a single, evolving, and changing
education system that provides, based on an individualized planning and
programming process, free appropriate public education to students in special
education through a continuum of services;
(2) relationship of special education to
other components of the education system, including access to grade-level
content standards, prevention efforts and early intervening services, Title 1,
bilingual education, the education of English learners, Section 504
accommodations, and gifted education;
(3) historical and philosophical foundations,
legal bases, ethical principles and standards of professional practice,
principles of evidence-based practice, the effects of attitudes and
expectations, and contemporary issues pertaining to the education of
individuals with disabilities;
(4)
definitions, characteristics, and educational implications for students with
disabilities eligible for special education services;
(5) similarities and differences among the
cognitive, physical, sensory, cultural, social, emotional, behavioral, and
communication needs of individuals with and without disabilities and across
different disabilities;
(6) impact
of coexisting conditions, multiple disabilities, and gifts and the implications
for the provision of educational services;
(7) impact of gender, familial background,
socioeconomic status, racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity on
disabilities and involvement in all aspects of special education;
(8) rights and responsibilities of students,
parents, teachers, other professionals, and schools related to students with
disabilities;
(9) medical
terminology and educational implications of medical conditions, including the
effect of medication and specialized health care in educational
settings;
(10) standards for
restrictive procedures, alternatives to using those procedures, the risks of
using those procedures including medical contraindications, and principles of
individual and schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports,
including the roles of systems, data, and practices;
(11) the importance and utility of parent
involvement in student academic achievement, and the implications for the
provision of educational services;
(12) legal, judicial, medical, and
educational systems and their terminologies and implications in serving
students with disabilities; and
(13) roles and organizational structures of
general and special education and the part they play in providing total
services to all students.
B. Referral, evaluation, planning, and
programming: A teacher of special education understands and applies principles
of prevention and intervening early and procedures for referral, assessment,
evaluation, individualized planning, programming, and placement. The teacher
must be able to:
(1) convey the rights and
responsibilities of students, parents, teachers, and schools regarding the
provision of educational services to students with disabilities;
(2) satisfy the due process, data privacy,
procedural safeguards, and ethical requirements of the referral, evaluation,
planning, and programming processes of special education;
(3) satisfy child find requirements during
universal screening and early intervening efforts;
(4) integrate multiple sources of student
data relative to progress toward grade-level content standards from prior
prevention and alternate instruction efforts into the referral
process;
(5) implement required
prereferral intervention procedures;
(6) design, facilitate, and support a
comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation process using unbiased assessment
measures;
(7) select and use
assessment measures and procedures that are technically adequate and
appropriate for the student and specific assessment purpose, including
assistive technology supports where appropriate;
(8) communicate the results of assessments
and the evaluation process to students, families, teachers, and other
professionals;
(9) understand the
effects of various physical and mental health conditions, including the effects
of medications, on the educational, cognitive, physical, social, and emotional
behavior of individuals with disabilities when planning and administering
assessments;
(10) conduct
functional behavioral assessments and use the results to develop behavior
intervention plans;
(11) assess the
impact of environmental factors on assessment results and the special education
evaluation, planning, and programming process;
(12) assess the impact of gender, familial
background, socioeconomic status, and cultural and linguistic diversity on
assessment results and the special education referral, evaluation, planning,
and programming process;
(13)
integrate multiple sources of data to develop individualized educational
programs and plans;
(14) produce
and maintain the reports, plans, and student assessment and performance data
that are required by due process procedures and the school system according to
the timelines for each;
(15)
support the selection, acquisition, and use of assistive technology and
supplementary aids and services in collaboration with parents and specialists;
and
(16) address the transition
needs of students to enhance participation in family, school, recreation or
leisure, community, and work life, including personal self-care, independent
living, safety, and prevocational and vocational skills.
C. Instructional design, teaching, and
ongoing evaluation: A teacher of special education understands how to provide
and evaluate specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of
students in special education through individualized educational plans. The
teacher must be able to:
(1) adapt and modify
curriculum and deliver evidence-based instruction, including scientific
research-based interventions when available, aligned with state and local
grade-level content standards to meet individual learner needs;
(2) lead individual education plan teams
through statewide assessment options to make appropriate decisions for a
learner's participation within the statewide assessment system;
(3) apply evidence-based methods, strategies,
universal design for learning, and accommodations including assistive
technologies to meet individual student needs and provide access to grade-level
content standards;
(4) use
evidence-based instruction, knowledge of subject matter, grade-level content
standards, task analysis, and student performance data to sequence instruction
and accelerate the rate of learning;
(5) collaborate with other professionals and
parents on the design and delivery of prevention efforts, early intervening
services, prereferral interventions, English learning, gifted education, and
intervention strategies to promote the academic, behavioral, linguistic,
communication, functional, social, and emotional competency of
students;
(6) apply behavioral
theory, student data, evidence-based practices, and ethics in developing and
implementing individual student and classroom behavior management
plans;
(7) design and manage
positive instructional environments that convey high expectations for students
to develop independence, self-motivation, self-direction, self-regulation, and
self-advocacy;
(8) teach in a
variety of service delivery models, including the delivery of specially
designed instruction in the general education classroom and collaboration with
other educational professionals and paraprofessionals;
(9) apply systematic procedures for compiling
and using data for the purposes of continuous progress-monitoring, modification
of instruction, and program and schoolwide improvement;
(10) apply knowledge of comprehensive
scientifically based reading instruction including phonemic awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension as required in
subpart
1, item B;
(11) construct and implement instructional
sequences to address and teach transition skills based on the cognitive,
affective, and academic strengths of each student and plan for transition from
school to community living, recreational and leisure, postsecondary training,
career training, and employment.
D. Communication and collaboration: A teacher
of special education cultivates and maintains positive, collaborative
relationships with children and youth, families, educators, other
professionals, and the community to support student development and educational
progress. The teacher must be able to:
(1)
understand how disabilities can impact families as well as the student's
ability to learn, interact socially, and contribute to the community throughout
the life span;
(2) take into
account the dynamics, roles, and relationships within families and communities
resulting from differences in familial background, socioeconomic status, and
cultural and linguistic diversity and collaborate with language interpreters
and cultural liaisons when communicating with families and planning and
implementing services;
(3) assist
families in identifying resources, priorities, and concerns in relation to a
child's development and education;
(4) work collaboratively with family members,
including children and youth, in designing, implementing, and evaluating
individual educational plans and programs;
(5) facilitate and manage student-specific
teams, including those for child study, individualized education program
planning, and planning for transitions;
(6) understand and make use of structures
supporting interagency collaboration, including interagency services,
agreements, referral, and consultation;
(7) provide consultation to and receive it
from other professionals regarding specially designed instruction and program
organization and development for children and youth and families;
(8) direct and monitor the activities of
paraprofessionals, aides, volunteers, and peer tutors;
(9) access services, networks, agencies, and
organizations relevant to the needs of the children and youth and their
families;
(10) access and evaluate
information, research, and emerging practices relevant to the field of special
education through consumer and professional organizations, peer-reviewed
journals, and other publications;
(11) engage in continuing professional
development and reflection to increase knowledge and skill as a special
educator and inform instructional practices, decisions, and interactions with
children and youth and their families; and
(12) cultivate professional relationships
that encourage peer observation, coaching, and systems for giving and receiving
feedback from colleagues to enhance student instruction and program
outcomes.