All children with disabilities residing in the state, regardless of the severity of their disabilities and who are in need of special education and related services, must be identified, located, and evaluated. This is referred to as Child Find and is the responsibility of International Leadership of Texas (ILTexas) (https://childfindtx.tea.texas.gov/). As of HB 3880, any child suspected of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia is included in the Child Find Process.
Child Find is the affirmative ongoing obligation of ILTexas to identify, locate, and evaluate all students with disabilities who need special education and related services. This may not be a passive approach. It is the obligation and policy of ILTexas to seek out eligible students, regardless of whether the parent explicitly requests a special education evaluation.
ILTexas MTSS and Child Find procedures require information to be collected when students demonstrate difficulty in the general classroom and be considered for all support services available to all students to include: tutorial, remedial, compensatory, response to evidence/MTSS, and other behavior and academic supports. When this data is sufficient to suspect a disability, it must trigger a referral for special education services, regardless of whether the parent submitted a written request for a special education evaluation.
Grade-level MTSS team convenes. (Campus Grade Level AP, GLA, Teacher, Counselor)
Grade level MTSS team reviews data (student assessment, medical diagnosis, student attendance, student discipline) and AP or GLA inputs and submits Initial Referral to MTSS form. The teacher of record will complete (2) Teacher Data Forms.
The MTSS Committee then determines the appropriate next steps based on student information (Tier 3, 504, or SPED). Include - reaching out to Content Experts (e.g., Campus Diagnostician, SLP, school psychologist, Behavior Specialist, Instructional Coach, Crisis Counselor) for support.
MTSS Committee inputs in Tier 3 interventions to support the student before and during the possible evaluation process.
GLA will input Tier 3 interventions and committee recommendations on the MTSS Minutes page.
If SPED Referral: GLA, in MTSS Minutes Page, selects Special Education Referral and then submits. The Submission will send email alerts and document MTSS or 504 committees recommending a referral to Special Education.
Grade-level campus Counselor inputs, completes and submits Referral for Special Education Evaluation Form in Project Education. A referral is time-stamped; the student digital folder will archive referrals and will show on the student page, archived forms. The Referral for Special Education Evaluation Form submission is the official referral requesting evaluation for Special Education services.
Referral alert (email) goes to Campus Special Education Coordinator, Campus Diagnostician, Campus SPED AP, Campus Nurse, Area SPED Director, HQ SPED Director for Evaluation, HQ Counseling Director, HQ Assistant Executive Director of Evaluation and Compliance.
Campus Diagnostician accesses Project Education Referral and uses the Pre-populated PDF, Consent for Evaluation Form, communicates with parent/guardian, and sends Consent.
Campus Diagnostician accesses Project Education, Procedural Safeguards PDF, and the Overview of Special Education Services for Parents and sends to parent/guardian.
The Campus Diagnostician or Campus Special Education Coordinator receives the signed Consent and uploads it into Project Education.
Campus Diagnostician confirms with the Campus Nurse the need for Hearing and Vision Assessment for SPED Evaluation once consent is received.
Campus Diagnostician is the lead for all student Evaluations and is responsible for the timeline.
Note: Parent Communication is an essential component of the process and must be documented and validated.