Special Populations
Welcome to Uplift Education Special Populations – where every scholar is celebrated, supported, and set up for success.
At Uplift Education, we are dedicated to providing a supportive and inclusive environment for students from all walks of life. Explore our resources, connect with our dedicated team, and discover the many ways we are committed to ensuring every scholar reaches their full potential.
Student Support Team
Each campus will have a Student Support Team (SST). The team has been designed to act as both a student and staff assistance process. The purpose of the team is to provide a knowledgeable group of professionals to consider the special needs of any student on the campus who may need special assistance. This may include tutorial, extra help, crisis intervention, dyslexia services, gifted and talented services, services for students with limited English proficiency, special education, and other special services of either a temporary or permanent nature.
Why the SST Process to Provide Instructional Intervention Strategies?
- The Texas Administrative Code (19 TAC 89.1011) states that students having trouble in the regular classroom should be considered for all support services available to all students (tutorials, remedial, compensatory, and other services).
- Many of the Intervention Strategies are effective teaching and behavior management strategies that benefit all students.
- Interventions are one of the “supplementary aids and services” which allow all students to be educated in the general education classroom.
When to Intervene?
A need to intervene is indicated when:
- Frustration and anxiety are interfering with learning
- A student’s basic reading, writing, and spelling skills are not automatic enough to be smoothly integrated with higher order thinking and organizational skills.
- The student’s behavior is impeding his/her learning or the learning of others
Who to Contact?
Contact your campus Academic Director or Dean.
Section 504 Services
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, commonly known in the schools as “Section 504,” is a federal law passed by the United States Congress with the purpose of prohibiting discrimination against disabled persons who may participate in, or receive benefits from, programs receiving federal financial assistance. In the public schools specifically, §504 applies to ensure that eligible disabled students are provided with educational benefits and opportunities equal to those provided to non-disabled students.
Under §504, a student is considered “disabled” if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Section 504 also protects students with a record of an impairment, or who are regarded as having an impairment from discrimination on the basis of disability. Students can be considered disabled and can receive services under §504 even if they do not qualify for, or receive, special education services under the IDEA.
Procedures are followed by a knowledgeable committee in making decisions regarding this federal law. To be eligible for Section 504 the committee must identify:
- physical or mental impairment
- substantial limitation
- impact on educational performance
Fact Sheets
504 Referrals
Each school district or charter school must have standards and procedures in place for the evaluation and placement of students in the district’s or charter school’s Section 504 program. Districts and charter schools must also implement a system of procedural safeguards that includes notice, an opportunity for a parent or guardian to examine relevant records, an impartial hearing with an opportunity for participation by the parent or guardian and representation by counsel, and a review procedure.
Contact for 504 Referrals
Melissa Short
Titles: Director of Special Programs
Email: MShort@uplifteducation.org
Dyslexia Services
Uplift Education supports the educational concept that reading, writing, and spelling skills provide the foundation for overall academic success. Uplift Education has adopted multiple balanced reading programs which offer a variety of alternative strategies and support to scholars identified with dyslexia.
Pursuant to House Bill 1886, Uplift Education will screen and/or test, as appropriate, for dyslexia and related disorders at the end of the kindergarten and first grade school years. Parents, teachers, staff, and adult students may initiate, in writing, requests for a Full Individual Evaluation to be considered by the Student Support Team, 504 Committee, or ARD Committee any time it is suspected that a student requires reading supports and interventions for dyslexia.
Uplift Education follows all TEA guidelines for assessment, identification, and instruction as per TEA guidelines outlined in the TEA Dyslexia Handbook. (see link below)
- Dyslexia Handbook: Updated on August 9, 2024 –The handbook linked here includes the Dyslexia Handbook Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Texas Education Agency (TEA) Dyslexia Website: here
- Texas State Library and Archive Commission – This website provides students with reading disabilities the ability to borrow audiobooks free of charge, and includes over 100,000 titles, hundreds of which are in Spanish.
Resources:
Special Education Services
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Dyslexia, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Special education provides specially designed instruction to meet the individual needs of a student with a disability. Click through the tabs to learn more.
The TEA’s Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process states:
There is a two-part test for determining whether your child is eligible for special education and related services: (1) your child must have a disability; and (2) as a result of the disability, your child must need special education and related services to benefit from education.
To meet the first part of the two-part test for eligibility, a child between the ages of 3 through 21, except as noted, must meet the criteria for one or more of the disability categories listed below:
- auditory impairment (from birth)
- autism
- deaf blindness (from birth)
- emotional disturbance
- intellectual disability
- multiple disabilities
- noncategorical early childhood (ages three through five)
- orthopedic impairment
- other health impairment
- specific learning disability
- speech or language impairment
- traumatic brain injury
- visual impairment (including blindness from birth)
The ARD committee must make the eligibility determination within 30 calendar days from the date of completion of the initial evaluation report.
Delayed or Denied Evaluations & Compensatory Services
Please click on the links below for information on requesting compensatory services specific to a delay or a denial of a special education evaluation
Special Education Parent Notification- SB 139
In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 139 (SB 139), which requires Texas local education agencies (LEAs) to distribute the following notice, “Updates in Special Education,” to all parents. Please contact your child’s school for more information. Additional notices are available on the TEA website regarding:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Dyslexia, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 197
For information regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Dyslexia, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 please visit https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/special-education/resources or click on the links below.
Parent Resources
Significant Disproportionality
Publicly Report (recommendation to post on the LEA website) if: Significant Disproportionate (SD Year 3) and upon review any revision of policies, practices, and procedures used in the identification or placement in particular education settings, including disciplinary removals are made.
Significant Disproportionality | Texas Education Agency
State and Federal Activity Updates Regarding Significant Disproportionality
34 CFR §300.646(c)
Child Find – What is Child Find?
Child Find is a continuous process of public awareness activities, screening and evaluation designed to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of Early Intervention Program (Part C) or Preschool Special Education (Part B/619) services of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
To receive Early Intervention Program or Special Education, children must meet eligibility guidelines according to the IDEA. States have different eligibility guidelines for their Early Intervention Program and Special Education services. In addition to children with disabilities, some states have elected to provide early intervention services for infants and toddlers who are at risk of developmental delay and their families.
SPEDTex
The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.
Contact information:
Phone: 1-855-773-3839
Email: inquire@spedtex.org
Live Chat: www.spedtex.org
SPEDTex Educator page
IDEA-B Program Guidelines Requirements
Requesting Referrals
Each school district or charter school must have standards and procedures in place for the evaluation and placement of students in the district’s or charter school’s Section 504 program. Districts and charter schools must also implement a system of procedural safeguards that includes notice, an opportunity for a parent or guardian to examine relevant records, an impartial hearing with an opportunity for participation by the parent or guardian and representation by counsel, and a review procedure.
Contact for 504 Referrals
The designated person to contact regarding options for a student experiencing learning difficulties or regarding a referral for evaluation for special education services is:
Contact Person:
Annette Enright, Senior Director of Special Populations
Phone Number: (469) 621-8500
Special Education Referrals
If a parent makes a written request for an initial evaluation for Special Education services to the Director of Special Education services or an administrative employee of the school district or open enrollment charter school, the district or charter school must respond no later than 15 school days after receiving the request. At that time, the district or charter school must give the parent a prior written notice of whether it agrees to or refuses to evaluate the student, along with a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. If the school district or charter school agrees to evaluate the student, it must also give the parent the opportunity to give written consent for the evaluation.
Please note that a request for a Special Education evaluation may be made verbally and does not need to be in writing. Districts and charter schools must still comply with all federal prior written notice and procedural safeguard requirements and the requirements for identifying, locating, and evaluating children who are suspected of being a child with a disability and in need of special education. However, a verbal request does not require the district or charter school to respond within the 15-school-day timeline.
If the district or charter school decides to evaluate the student, it must complete the student’s initial evaluation and evaluation report no later than 45 school days from the day it receives a parent’s written consent to evaluate the student. However, if the student is absent from school during the evaluation period for three or more school days, the evaluation period will be extended by the number of school days equal to the number of school days that the student is absent.
There is an exception to the 45-school-day timeline. If a district or charter school receives a parent’s consent for the initial evaluation at least 35 but less than 45 school days before the last instructional day of the school year, it must complete the written report and provide a copy of the report to the parent by June 30 of that year. However, if the student is absent from school for three or more days during the evaluation period, the June 30th due date no longer applies. Instead, the general timeline of 45 school days plus extensions for absences of three or more days will apply.
Upon completing the evaluation, the district or charter school must give the parent a copy of the evaluation report at no cost.
Additional information regarding special education is available from the district or charter school in a companion document titled Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process.
Contact Person for Special Education Referrals
The designated person to contact regarding options for a student experiencing learning difficulties or regarding a referral for evaluation for special education services is:
Contact Person:
Annette Enright, Senior Director of Special Populations
Phone Number: (469) 621-8500
Please see pages 33-35 in Scholar Handbook for full statement. See Scholar Handbook
Continuum Services and Transition Planning
Continuum of Services
Uplift Education offers a full Continuum of Special Education Services to meet individual student’s needs. IDEA states that students with disabilities should only be removed from general education when they are unable to make satisfactory progress in general education with supplementary aids and services.
The ARD/IEP Committee determines the least restrictive environment and services needed to meet the needs of a student which is documented in the students Individualized Education Program. Schools may utilize a variety of combinations of special education supports and services to serve students with disabilities in general education settings and to promote meaningful access, participation, and progress in the general curriculum.
Transition Planning
Transition is a part of life. It happens when we are born, learn to walk and talk, go to school, learn to drive, graduate from high school, get a job, go to college, etc. As parents we experience transitions as our children grow, develop, and become adults.
As a parent of a child with a disability, the Federal Government, through IDEA, has mandated how a school addresses the transition process. Transition is an outcome-oriented process planning for and guiding a child with a disability into the adult world.
Areas that are addressed are education/training, employment, and independent living. The goal is to equip the student through training and support to be as independent as possible. This is a very individualized process and starts with the ARD.
There are many post-secondary outcomes for a student with disabilities. Outcomes can include college, trade school, on the job training, full time or part time employment, living independently, living at home with parents, and/or independent living with support from outside agencies. The post-secondary outcome is based on age-appropriate transition assessments, including school/classroom assessments, as well as the goals and desires expressed by the student and/or the student’s parents.
Uplift Education is committed to supporting both the student and the families through this transition process. This website will be updated to include new resources or training that become available.
Additional Information
The following websites provide information and resources for students with disabilities and their families.