Minnesota Administrative Rules

8710.5700 TEACHERS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION: LEARNING DISABILITIES.

Subpart 1.

Scope of practice.

A teacher of special education: learning disabilities is authorized to provide evaluation and specially designed instruction to eligible students from kindergarten through age 21 who have specific learning disabilities or related learning difficulties. Teachers collaborate and consult with families, other classroom and special education teachers, and specialized service providers in designing and implementing individualized educational program plans.

Subp. 2.

License requirements.

A candidate for licensure to teach students from kindergarten through age 21 who have specific learning disabilities or related learning difficulties shall:

A.

hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university that is regionally accredited by the association for the accreditation of colleges and secondary schools;

B.

demonstrate the standards of effective practice for licensing of beginning teachers in part 8710.2000;

C.

demonstrate core skill requirements in part 8710.5000; and

D.

show verification of completing a Board of Teaching preparation program approved under part 8700.7600 leading to the licensure of teachers of special education: learning disabilities in subpart 3.

Subp. 3.

Subject matter standard.

A candidate for licensure as a teacher of special education: learning disabilities must complete a preparation program under subpart 2, item D, that must include the candidate's demonstration of the knowledge and skills in items A to E.

A.

Foundational knowledge. A teacher of special education: learning disabilities understands the foundations of special education services for students with learning disabilities and related learning difficulties on which to base practice. The teacher must demonstrate knowledge of the:

(1)

historical and philosophical foundations, legal bases, and contemporary issues pertaining to the education of students with mild to moderate academic, behavioral, social, emotional, communication, and functional needs;

(2)

educational definitions, issues relating to identification, medical diagnoses, and eligibility criteria for students with learning disabilities and related learning difficulties, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds;

(3)

etiology and characteristics, including deficits in basic psychological processes, of specific learning disabilities and related learning difficulties and the implications for learning and performance across ages and grade levels;

(4)

impact of coexisting conditions or multiple disabilities;

(5)

impact of learning disabilities and related learning difficulties on social or emotional development, including social skill deficits, challenging behaviors, mental health issues, juvenile delinquency, learned helplessness, and other conditions that occur in students with learning disabilities, as well as factors that build and support student resilience;

(6)

information regarding theories, research, medical terminology and implications, and legal requirements and their relationship to education; and

(7)

factors that influence accurate identification of culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students as students with specific learning disabilities.

B.

Referral, evaluation, planning, and programming. A teacher of special education: learning disabilities understands and applies principles of prevention and intervening early and procedures for referral, assessment, evaluation, individualized planning, programming, and placement specific to teaching students with learning disabilities or related learning difficulties. The teacher must be able to:

(1)

apply competencies in measurement and assessment, including technical adequacy and ethical concerns, throughout the evaluation process and communicate the purpose, procedures, and results to the students, families, educators, and other professionals;

(2)

collect and interpret data and information specific to scientific research-based interventions and supports provided prior to referral and integrate into the special education evaluation processes;

(3)

adapt and modify evaluation methods, including the use of assistive technology, to identify and accommodate the unique abilities and needs of students;

(4)

use multiple methods of data gathering, such as progress monitoring, record reviews, interviews, test administration, work sampling, observation, functional behavioral assessments, curriculum evaluation, dynamic assessment, and testing of limits, from multiple stakeholders, including families and interpreters;

(5)

select, integrate, and interpret appropriate sources of data relevant for determining the needs of students and compliance with legal requirements for eligibility, continuing service, transition services, and exit of special education services;

(6)

address factors that influence the disproportional identification of culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students as students with learning disabilities or related learning difficulties;

(7)

collaborate with families, educators, and specialists to identify patterns of strengths and weaknesses that require systematic explicit instruction, accommodations, and modifications, including the use of assistive technology for access to the curriculum; and

(8)

design individualized education program plans, considering a range of educational placement options and required levels of support in the least restrictive environment, that integrate student strengths, needs, assessment results, and student and family priorities, incorporating academic and nonacademic goals.

C.

Instructional design, teaching, and ongoing evaluation. A teacher of special education: learning disabilities understands how to use individualized education program plans to design, implement, monitor, and adjust instruction for students with learning disabilities or related learning difficulties. The teacher must be able to:

(1)

apply multiple evidence-based instructional practices, including those supported by scientifically based research when available, and materials that meet the needs of students with specific learning disabilities and related learning difficulties in the areas of language development, listening comprehension, oral and written expression, reading, and mathematics;

(2)

use multiple sources of data, including basic psychological processes and links to achievement, to understand persistent lack of progress, inform instruction, and select accommodations and assistive technologies, as well as determine appropriate participation in district and statewide assessments;

(3)

design, implement, monitor, and adjust instruction and supports to accelerate the rate of learning, provide access to grade level content standards, promote social competence, and facilitate the transition to postsecondary life;

(4)

apply specialized methods, including universal design for learning, accessible instructional materials, assistive technology, task analysis, multisensory methods, modifying the scope and pace of instruction, use of feedback, ration of student response, and schedules of practice and review, for delivering developmentally and culturally appropriate instruction and services to meet student needs related to increasing demands of grade-level curriculum;

(5)

apply knowledge of prerequisite skills, instructional language, learning progressions, and student strengths and weaknesses to design and adjust instruction;

(6)

implement, monitor, and adjust individualized education programs that integrate evaluation results and family priorities, resources, and concerns, and assist students and their families in making choices that impact academic, nonacademic, and transition goals;

(7)

adjust instruction based on student data and knowledge of the developmental sequence of language and its relationship to listening and reading comprehension and oral and written expression;

(8)

instruct students in how to self-monitor, use effective learning strategies, and accommodate for strengths and weaknesses as well as generalize new skills to educational and noneducational settings;

(9)

coach students in the use of self-advocacy skills, including attending to relevant contextual factors, to develop resilience and maintain self-determination for educational progress;

(10)

support and manage the range of social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students during academic instruction and nonacademic situations; and

(11)

use individual and collective data to identify gaps and needs and to align instruction to grade level content standards in guiding the selection and implementation of evidence-based practices for the purposes of classroom and schoolwide improvement.

D.

Collaboration and communication. A teacher of special education: learning disabilities cultivates and maintains positive, collaborative relationships with students, families, educators, other professionals, and the community to support development and educational progress. The teacher must be able to:

(1)

collaborate with students and their families in making choices that impact academic, occupational, and other domains across the life span;

(2)

promote collaborative practices that respect individual and family culture and values relative to the impact that learning disabilities and related learning difficulties may have on the individual and family across the life span;

(3)

access services, networks, agencies, and organizations, including interpreters or other resources specific to culturally diverse communities, to improve the outcomes of students with learning disabilities or related learning difficulties and their families;

(4)

provide and receive consultation and collaborate with educators, specialists, families, paraprofessionals, and interagency professionals for the purposes of observation, problem-solving, providing positive behavior supports, and coaching in order to improve the academic and nonacademic performance of students with learning disabilities and related learning difficulties;

(5)

collaborate with stakeholders to develop, implement, and refine schoolwide systems of academic and behavioral support;

(6)

access and evaluate information, research, and emerging practices relevant to the field of learning disabilities and related learning difficulties through consumer and professional organizations, peer-reviewed journals, and other publications; and

(7)

engage in continuing professional development and reflection to increase knowledge and skill as a special educator and inform instructional practices, decisions, and interactions with students and their families.

E.

Clinical experiences. A teacher of special education: learning disabilities applies the standards of effective practice through a variety of early and ongoing clinical experiences teaching students who have specific learning disabilities or related learning difficulties in primary (kindergarten through grade 4), intermediate (grades 5 through 8), and high school (grades 9 through 12, including transition programs) settings across a range of service delivery models.

Subp. 4.

Continuing licensure.

A continuing license shall be issued and renewed according to rules of the Board of Teaching governing continuing licenses.

Subp. 5.

Effective date.

Requirements in this part for licensure as a teacher of special education: learning disabilities are effective on January 1, 2013, and thereafter.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 122A.09; 122A.18

History:

23 SR 1928; 36 SR 1243

Published Electronically:

January 8, 2013