When considering a student for a learning disability the following areas are evaluated. Severe Underachievement Before a team assesses for severe underachievement, two preeferral interventions must be implemented and evaluated in the area of presenting problem. Then one or mre of the following seven academic areas of functioning must be identified and a classroom observation must be performed when determining there is severe underachievement. Areas of Underachivement
Severe Discrepancy The second component of seve discrepancy is very specific about the difference in scores necessary to determine a severe discrepancy between general intellectual ability and achievement. The required level is -1.75 standard deviations (SD) below the mean of the distribution of difference scores for the general population of individuals at the student's chronological age. The severe discrepancy must be established in one of the following areas.
Information Processing The third component of the specific learning disabilities (SLD) criteria requires teams to identify an information processing condition. Teams may determine a student's information processing condition based on observations. interviews. and other data collection procedures. It is important to determine a student's information processing strengths as well as areas of difficulty and use that information to assist in developing a program of specially designed instruction. The basis for this section is the identification of an information processing condition is integral to SLD eligibility determination and that information processing deficits are assessable and observabnle. Identifying strategies to address information processing condidtions occurs throughout the process of Individual Education Program (IEP) developemnt.