TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF SPECIAL EDUCATION EHBAC

TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS IN NONDISTRICT PLACEMENT
MAINSTREAMING
EHBAC
Students are admitted to TSD following a referral by a local school
district, or a referral by a parent or adult student when the parent or
adult student chooses TSD rather than the program offered locally.
Students enrolled at TSD benefit from TSD’s communication-rich
environment, specialized services, deaf peers and role models. As
part of its mission to pursue the highest quality education programs
for enrolled deaf and hard-of-hearing children, Texas School for the
Deaf sometimes places its students in public school classrooms
whenever such arrangements are considered appropriate, feasible
and beneficial. This policy commonly known as “mainstreaming,”
enables TSD students to access regular education classrooms
when it is necessary to meet their individual learning needs
When a TSD enrolled student is considered for mainstreaming, the
district shall convene an admission, review, and dismissal (ARD)
committee to determine whether the TSD can offer the child a free
appropriate public education (FAPE) without mainstreaming or if
mainstreaming is recommended. If TSD determines that it can
offer FAPE without mainstreaming, it is not responsible for
providing mainstreaming services to the child.
CRITERIA FOR
MAINSTREAMING
Adopted: 04.20.2012
In considering the student’s eligibility for mainstreaming the ARD
committee shall consider, among other factors, the following
objective criteria for evaluating whether to approve the request for
one or more mainstream classes. The ARD committee is guided
by the overriding principle that mainstreaming requires a student to
meet enrolled grade level requirements of regular education
without special education and related services support (excluding
interpreters) and that TSD as an educational institution is designed
to provide students with an academic, linguistic and cultural
environment that allows them to access the general curriculum and
achieve academic excellence:
1.
Scores on state assessments and other academic
performance data.
2.
Class schedule (does the other schools schedule fit into the
needs and scheduling of TSD’s classes);
3.
The appropriateness of the mainstreaming class within the
IEP goals established by TSD;
4.
The availability of the particular subject at TSD;
5.
The disruption to the student’s overall curriculum;
6.
Whether the disability would prevent the student from being
educated satisfactorily in a regular education classroom.
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TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS IN NONDISTRICT PLACEMENT
EHBAC
7.
Whether it is possible to educate a disabled child satisfactorily
in the regular classroom, using an interpreter or if the child
will, educationally, benefit more from being in a similar
classroom at TSD (that is, which environment best fits that
child's particular educational needs);
8.
The nature and severity of the child’s disabilities and how the
disabilities will hinder the ability of the mainstream teacher(s)
to educate the child;
9.
The benefits to be derived from the child being placed for a
short period of the day into the public school’s regular
classrooms;
10. Whether or not the IEP is reasonably calculated to provide
appropriate educational benefit to the student without the
necessity of the regular classroom;
11. Whether or not the grades of the student in other TSD
courses will decline due to placement in the regular
classroom;
12. Whether the placement in the regular classroom will impede
the progress of any of the goals in the student’s IEP; or,
conversely, will the student continue to show progress in all of
the student’s IEP goals in spite of the absence of the student
from TSD’s campus.
13. Whether or not the communication skills of the student will
digress due to not attending school for the full day and
missing certain extended periods from TSD’s campus and
environment even for the period of time necessary for the
placement in the regular classroom(s);
14. The student’s need for peer specific contact;
15. Whether the social and emotional development and wellbeing of the student will be enhanced or hindered by the
placement in the regular classroom;
16. The overall ability of the student to function in the regular
classroom;
17. The child’s disciplinary record;
18. The unique needs of the student, such as advanced IQ, or
availability of specialized academic classes not otherwise
available to the student at TSD;
Adopted: 04.20.2012
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TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS IN NONDISTRICT PLACEMENT
EHBAC
19. Is the educational methodology to be employed by the regular
school versus the methodology utilized at TSD best suited for
the child;
20. Whether the placement will assist in developing the student’s
self-reliance (socialization) and ability to adequately provide
for him- or herself as the student grows into maturity and
adulthood;
21. Is there a material difference between the class available at
the mainstream school and the comparable TSD class;
22. Is the teacher at either TSD or the mainstream school better
equipped to teach this particular student and, in general, a
deaf or hard-of-hearing student;
23. Whether the mainstreaming of the child is contrary to the
purpose for which children are placed at TSD (and TSD’s
mission of providing educational opportunities not available in
the; and
24. How the regular class harmonizes with the total
communication and academic program of TSD;
PARENT
PLACEMENT IN
MAINSTREMING
If TSD made FAPE available to an enrolled child with a disability
and the parents elect to place the child in a mainstreamed setting
in a regular school, TSD is not required to pay for the cost of
education, including special education and related services. 20
U.S.C. 1412(a)(10)(C)(i); 34 CFR 300.148(a)
SERVICES PROVIDED
BY TSD
If the TSD ARD Committee recommends mainstreaming TSD shall
provide the cost of transportation and interpreting services for the
time approved for mainstreaming in the ARD.
EXCLUSIONS
TSD does not mainstream students into special education
environments in public schools.
TSD does not assume responsibility for interpreting and
transportation services for mainstreamed students in nonacademic, social and extracurricular activities.
An ARD committee may not approve mainstreaming if the student
will be off campus (including time for transportation) for a period
greater than 3 hours. The parent of a student (or an adult student)
who wishes to have more than three contact hours of instruction in
regular classes will be referred to the local school district for
enrollment.
HOME SCHOOL
DISTRICTS
Adopted: 04.20.2012
Students are generally mainstreamed to their home school
campus.
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TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS IN NONDISTRICT PLACEMENT
EHBAC
Exceptions may be made for high school students and residential
students who may be mainstreamed in schools in geographic
proximity to Texas School for the Deaf or for students refereed for
mainstreaming in specific career technical vocational programs or
elective classes not offered by TSD.
MAINSTREAMING FOR
DUAL CREDIT
CLASSES
Adopted: 04.20.2012
A TSD high school student is eligible to enroll in dual credit courses
if the student is in the eleventh or twelfth grade, has passed
relevant assessments, and meets other requirements determined
by the ARD committee.
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