SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY (SLD)/ LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)
Definition:
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language. The disability may be exhibited as an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. SLD also includes conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia. The current Minnesota Rule for SLD was adopted in September 2008.
According to IDEA (2004), SLD is “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.
Eligibility:
A. Documentation of Inadequate Achievement The child does not achieve adequately in one or more of the following areas in response to appropriate classroom instruction:
_____Oral Expression
_____Listening Comprehension
_____Written Expression
_____Basic Reading Skills
_____Reading Comprehension
_____Reading Fluency
_____Mathematics Calculation
_____Mathematical Problem Solving AND
_____The child does not make adequate progress to meet age or state-approved grade-level standards in one or more of the areas listed above when using a process based on the child's response to scientific, research-based intervention; OR
_____The child exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, state-approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development, that is determined by the group to be relevant to the identification of a specific learning disability (SLD).
AND
_____Documentation to support this finding must be both representative of the pupil's curriculum and useful for developing instructional goals and objectives. Documentation includes evidence of low achievement from the following sources, when available:
_____Cumulative record reviews
_____Class work samples
_____Anecdotal teacher records
_____Statewide and district-wide assessments
_____Formal, diagnostic, and informal tests
_____Results from targeted support programs in general education
_____Curriculum based evaluation results
B. Information Processing The child has a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes, which includes an information processing condition that is manifested in a variety of setting by behaviors such as inadequate:
_____Acquisition of information
_____Organization
_____Planning and sequencing
_____Working memory, including verbal, visual, or spatial
_____Visual and auditory processing
_____Speed of processing
_____Verbal and nonverbal expression
_____Transfer of information
_____Motor control for written tasks (pencil and paper assignments, drawing, and copying)
_____Other: ________________________________________________
C. Severe Discrepancy The child demonstrates a severe discrepancy between general intellectual ability and achievement in at least one of the identified areas of achievement. The demonstration of a severe discrepancy shall not be based solely on the use of standardized tests. The instruments used to assess the child’s general intellectual ability and achievement must be individually administered and interpreted by an appropriately licensed person using standardized procedures. For initial placement, the severe discrepancy must be equal to or greater than 1.75 standard deviations below the mean on a distribution of regression scores for the general population at the student's chronological age.
General Intellectual Ability Assessment Measure: ___________________________________________
Overall Composite Score: ___________________
Regression Score: _____________
Achievement Measure: ________________________________________________________________
Cluster Area Composite Score Oral Expression _____________
Listening Comprehension _____________
Written Expression _____________
Basic Reading Skills _____________
Reading Fluency Skills _____________
Reading Comprehension _____________
Mathematical Calculation _____________
Mathematical Problem Solving _____________
D. Inadequate rate of progress in response to scientific research-based intervention (SRBI) The child demonstrates an inadequate rate of progress in response to intensive SBRI and the following components are documented:
_____ Rate of progress is measured over at least 7 school weeks on a minimum of 12 data points;
_____ Rate of improvement is minimal and continued intervention will not likely result in reaching age or state-approved grade-level standards;
_____ Progress will likely not be maintained when instructional supports are removed;
_____Level of performance in repeated assessment of achievement falls below the child’s age or state approved grade-level standards; and
_____ Level of achievement is at or below the 5th percentile on one or more valid and reliable achievement tests using either state or national comparisons. Local comparison data that is valid and reliable may be used in addition to either state or national data, but if it differs from either state or national data, the group must provide a rationale to explain the difference.
Review of Eligibility Determination To determine compliance with eligibility determination, one of the following MUST be checked.
____ The documentation supports the team decision.
____ The documentation does not support the team decision. (MDE, n.d.)
Statistics:
Nationally-
State-
Definition:
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language. The disability may be exhibited as an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. SLD also includes conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia. The current Minnesota Rule for SLD was adopted in September 2008.
According to IDEA (2004), SLD is “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.
Eligibility:
A. Documentation of Inadequate Achievement The child does not achieve adequately in one or more of the following areas in response to appropriate classroom instruction:
_____Oral Expression
_____Listening Comprehension
_____Written Expression
_____Basic Reading Skills
_____Reading Comprehension
_____Reading Fluency
_____Mathematics Calculation
_____Mathematical Problem Solving AND
_____The child does not make adequate progress to meet age or state-approved grade-level standards in one or more of the areas listed above when using a process based on the child's response to scientific, research-based intervention; OR
_____The child exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, state-approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development, that is determined by the group to be relevant to the identification of a specific learning disability (SLD).
AND
_____Documentation to support this finding must be both representative of the pupil's curriculum and useful for developing instructional goals and objectives. Documentation includes evidence of low achievement from the following sources, when available:
_____Cumulative record reviews
_____Class work samples
_____Anecdotal teacher records
_____Statewide and district-wide assessments
_____Formal, diagnostic, and informal tests
_____Results from targeted support programs in general education
_____Curriculum based evaluation results
B. Information Processing The child has a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes, which includes an information processing condition that is manifested in a variety of setting by behaviors such as inadequate:
_____Acquisition of information
_____Organization
_____Planning and sequencing
_____Working memory, including verbal, visual, or spatial
_____Visual and auditory processing
_____Speed of processing
_____Verbal and nonverbal expression
_____Transfer of information
_____Motor control for written tasks (pencil and paper assignments, drawing, and copying)
_____Other: ________________________________________________
C. Severe Discrepancy The child demonstrates a severe discrepancy between general intellectual ability and achievement in at least one of the identified areas of achievement. The demonstration of a severe discrepancy shall not be based solely on the use of standardized tests. The instruments used to assess the child’s general intellectual ability and achievement must be individually administered and interpreted by an appropriately licensed person using standardized procedures. For initial placement, the severe discrepancy must be equal to or greater than 1.75 standard deviations below the mean on a distribution of regression scores for the general population at the student's chronological age.
General Intellectual Ability Assessment Measure: ___________________________________________
Overall Composite Score: ___________________
Regression Score: _____________
Achievement Measure: ________________________________________________________________
Cluster Area Composite Score Oral Expression _____________
Listening Comprehension _____________
Written Expression _____________
Basic Reading Skills _____________
Reading Fluency Skills _____________
Reading Comprehension _____________
Mathematical Calculation _____________
Mathematical Problem Solving _____________
D. Inadequate rate of progress in response to scientific research-based intervention (SRBI) The child demonstrates an inadequate rate of progress in response to intensive SBRI and the following components are documented:
_____ Rate of progress is measured over at least 7 school weeks on a minimum of 12 data points;
_____ Rate of improvement is minimal and continued intervention will not likely result in reaching age or state-approved grade-level standards;
_____ Progress will likely not be maintained when instructional supports are removed;
_____Level of performance in repeated assessment of achievement falls below the child’s age or state approved grade-level standards; and
_____ Level of achievement is at or below the 5th percentile on one or more valid and reliable achievement tests using either state or national comparisons. Local comparison data that is valid and reliable may be used in addition to either state or national data, but if it differs from either state or national data, the group must provide a rationale to explain the difference.
Review of Eligibility Determination To determine compliance with eligibility determination, one of the following MUST be checked.
____ The documentation supports the team decision.
____ The documentation does not support the team decision. (MDE, n.d.)
Statistics:
Nationally-
- There are 2.4 million students in the American public school system (roughly 5% of all public school enrollment) identified with learning disabilities under IDEA. These 2.4 million represent 42% of the 5.7 million school children who are served under special education.
- 5.23% of all students in the US are identified as LD.
- 14.2% of the total SLD population attend a separate Special Education Class, Separate School, or Residential Facility.
- The prevalence of identified SLD is higher for those in poverty; 2.6% versus 1.5% for those living above poverty.
State-
- 3.97% of all students in the state of Minnesota are identified as LD.
- There are 31,350 students in the Minnesota public school system identified with LD.
- 0% of the Minnesota SLD population attend a separate Special Education Class, Separate School, or Residential Facility.
- Racial breakdown of students in MN with SLD: 13.1 % African American: 14.8% White: 61.6% Asian: 5.0% American Indian/Native Alaskan: 3.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.1% Two or more races: 2.2% (Minnesota Report Card, n.d.)