N.J. Admin. Code § 6A:14-3.6

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 6A:14-3.6 - Determination of eligibility for speech-language services

(a) "Eligible for speech-language services" means a speech and/or language disorder as follows:

1. A speech disorder in articulation, phonology, fluency, voice, or any combination, unrelated to dialect, cultural differences, or the influence of a foreign language, that adversely affects a student's educational performance; and/or

2. A language disorder that meets the criteria at N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.5(c)4 and the student requires speech-language services only.

(b) The evaluation for a speech disorder shall be conducted pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.4(g). Documentation of the educational impact of the speech problem shall be provided by the student's teacher. The speech disorder must meet the criteria at (b)1, 2, and/or 3 below and require instruction by a speech-language specialist:

1. Articulation/phonology: On a standardized articulation or phonology assessment, the student exhibits one or more sound production error patterns beyond the age at which 90 percent of the population has achieved mastery according to current developmental norms and misarticulates sounds consistently in a speech sample.

2. Fluency: The student demonstrates at least a mild rating, or its equivalent, on a formal fluency rating scale and, in a speech sample, the student exhibits disfluency in five percent or more of the words spoken.

3. Voice: On a formal rating scale, the student performs below the normed level for voice quality, pitch, resonance, loudness, or duration and the condition is evident on two separate occasions, three to four weeks apart, at different times.

(c) When the initial speech-language evaluation is completed, classification shall be determined collaboratively by the participants at a meeting pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-2.3(k). The speech-language specialist who conducted the evaluation shall be considered a child study team member at the meeting to determine whether a student is eligible for speech-language services. A copy of the evaluation report(s) and documentation of eligibility shall be given to the parent at least 10 calendar days prior to the meeting.

(d) The IEP shall be developed in a meeting pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-2.3 and 3.7. The speech-language specialist shall be considered the child study team member, the individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, and the service provider at the IEP meeting. The speech-language specialist shall not be excused from an IEP meeting pursuant to N.J. A.C. 6A:14-2.3(k)10. The speech-language specialist may serve as the agency representative at the IEP meeting.

(e) When a student has been determined eligible for speech-language services and other disabilities are suspected or other services are being considered, the student shall be referred to the child study team.

N.J. Admin. Code § 6A:14-3.6

Amended by R.2000 d.230, effective 6/5/2000.
See: 32 N.J.R. 755(a), 32 N.J.R. 2052(a).
In (c), deleted a reference to adult students; and in (d), substituted "may" for "shall not" in the last sentence.
Amended by R.2006 d.315, effective 9/5/2006.
See: 38 N.J.R. 2253(a), 38 N.J.R. 3530(b).
In the introductory paragraph of (b), substituted "(g)" for "(e)"; in (c), substituted "(k)1" for "(i)1", and added "not less than 10 calendar days prior to the meeting" at the end; in (d), substituted "(k)2" for "(i)2" and inserted "The speech-language specialist shall not be excused from an IEP meeting pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-2.3(k)10.".

Amended by 52 N.J.R. 1822(b), effective 10/5/2020