The Academic and Behavior Learning Environment (ABLE) program is an intensive educational program for students who are preschool through 8th grade with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disorders that require highly structured and individualized intervention for the development of functional communication skills and socially appropriate behaviors.  

The program has a lower staff to student ratio than is available in less restrictive environments and a smaller class size. Interpersonal and learning supports are developed and used to engage the student actively and productively in meaningful and purposeful routines and activities. Individual progress and active participation is regularly measured and documented to determine effectiveness of interventions or the need for adjustments to the child’s program. 

The ABLE Program provides a higher degree of structure and support for those students who have demonstrated a need for a more restrictive educational placement in order to make adequate yearly progress.

The Academic and Behavior Learning Environment II (ABLE II) program is an educational program for students who are in kindergarten through 8th grade with Autism Spectrum Disorders who are able to function academically in the general education or resource setting, but require social or behavioral support from a specially-trained staff member in order to facilitate the development of socially appropriate behaviors. 

Students who participate in the ABLE II program receive their core subject instruction in the general education, support facilitation, or resource setting.  Students will attend the ABLE 2 classroom for direct social skills instruction with their peers.  These services typically will consist of 30-45 minutes per day to target skills identified within the student’s IEP.  Typically, students who are eligible to participate in the ABLE II program have social skills and mild behavioral difficulties.  Prior to proposing a more restrictive placement (ABLE II), the campus should attempt to provide the required social skills and behavioral supports for a minimum of 6 weeks.  If the data indicate the social skills and behavioral supports are unsuccessful, the campus should contact the district level specialist to schedule a staffing to review behavioral data.  

Students assigned to the ABLE II program will be included in the general education setting to the maximum extent possible as determined by the ARD committee.  The level of support provided to the student during times in an inclusive setting shall be determined by the ARD committee.  Participation in inclusion should change via an ARD committee decision as deemed appropriate for each individual student and will depend on the student’s ability to reach mastery criteria on the specific IEP objectives.  

The ABLE II program is founded on the belief that students benefit behaviorally from educational experiences within the mainstream setting and academically from participation in the general education curriculum.  The function of ABLE II services is to target socially inappropriate behaviors, identify replacement behaviors, and provide the opportunity for practice of appropriate behaviors across school settings.  The ABLE II program implements an intensive monitoring schedule to allow for students with social and behavioral difficulties to participate as fully as possible in the general education environment.  

The schedule of services for students participating in the ABLE II program should document the social skills instructional services, as well as expected amount of behavioral support required from the ABLE II program (i.e., 30 minutes per week).  If the student is requiring more than the ARD agreed upon behavioral support minutes, the campus will hold a staffing to discuss the student’s behavior and propose an increase in time for the ARD committee. 

The Alternative Curriculum Centered for Exceptional Student Success program generally serves students with severe physical and/or mental impairments.  It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision, and the ARD Committee ultimately determines placement.  These students are not independently mobile and oftentimes require full assistance to care for their daily needs. Focus of instruction is visual and auditory stimulation, motor skills development, assistive technology, interaction with others and, if possible, communication skills. Often times these children are medically fragile and they may require custodial care. 

The Pasadena ISD Adult Transition Services (ATS) will allow students to begin experiencing adult life activities in the community while having the support of the school system.  Locations include work based learning sites and paid employment sites, post-secondary education options, community sites such as grocery stores, and adult agencies.  Community sites for recreation/leisure are included in the transition programming options for ATS students.  The specific locations where the instruction occurs and the supports needed are based on the individual needs of the adult student’s IEP developed by the ARD committee. Age-appropriate settings can include, but are not limited to businesses, community services, living arrangements, transportation and recreation/leisure locations.  

ATS is a community-based program that uses the community to facilitate the transition to adult life.  Adult students collaborate with their families and ATS staff to work on the IEP for each adult student which is designed to be implemented in a natural environment in the community that have been identified as post-secondary goals for the adult student.  All current evaluation data is used to identify strengths, preferences, and student interest related to their post-secondary goals.  The IEP is the guiding framework to implement instruction for work-based learning, post-secondary education, independent living, service learning, recreation/leisure activities, or other areas of need identified by the ARD committee. 

The Behavior Support Services (BSS) program is designed to serve special education students who have been identified as having serious emotional and/or behavior problems, typically associated with an Emotional Disturbance, Autism, or Other Health Impairment, that interfere with their ability to be successful in the general education setting.  The purpose of the program is to provide support, as well as in-depth, intensive, and individualized instruction in the areas of academics, challenging behavior, and social and emotional development.  Doing so allows students to succeed academically, become more self-sufficient, and function appropriately in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

Placement in the program should ensure that students:

1. Develop academic/social/emotional/behavioral competencies
2. Develop skills necessary for regulating behavior within appropriate expectations, as stated in the student’s Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
3. Develop skills to improve academic performance as stated in the Individual Education Plan (IEP)
4. Develop skills in critical thinking and problem solving
5. Develop skills for building and maintaining satisfactory  relationships with peers and adults
6. Develop skills in decision making and self-management
7. Prepare students to transition back into the inclusive environment

Referral and Evaluation Procedures for ECI Students with a Visual Impairment

Birth to 3 years – Parent referral

1. Parent contacts the school district.
2. Refer the student to the appropriate ECI agency. They are listed below:
   1.  Bay Area Rehab Center, Holly Evans, 281-838-4477, 5313 Decker Drive, Baytown, TX 77520
   2. United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Houston, Deena Day, 713-838-9050, 4500 Bissonet, Suite 340, Bellaire, TX 77401

Birth to 3 - ECI Referral Process

1. ECI Service Coordinator contacts the VI Department and sends a copy of The State of Texas Eye Report Form to the VI Clerk.
2. The VI Teacher contacts ECI Service Coordinator and sets up evaluation time within 3 weeks. The VI Teacher will:
   1. Get family’s address and phone number
   2. Request a copy of the child’s birth certificate from ECI
   3. Invite O&M instructor to the evaluation
   4. The VI Teacher completes the evaluation at the child’s home-this may take several visits-typically ECI Service Coordinator is present during the evaluation)
   5. VI Teacher and the ECI Service Coordinator set up IFSP time

Early Childhood Special Education includes a range of services available for children who are ages 3-5 and who qualify for special education services. 

The students who are served on Homebound are those who will be confined to the home for at least 4 weeks or more due to a physical condition that is confirmed by a licensed physician. If a disabled student is pregnant, she may receive CEHI for 6 weeks after the date of delivery.  The pregnancy must be verified by a report from a licensed physician or nurse practitioner. It should be noted that the diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision, and the ARD committee ultimately determines placement.

The Outcome-Based Measures Educating Growing Adults program generally serves high school students with intellectual disabilities or autism who require curriculum focusing on functional academics, communication, social skills, vocational training, and/or independent living skills training as determined by their postsecondary goals.  It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision, and the ARD Committee ultimately determines placement. 

Pasadena ISD has the responsibility of providing each special education student a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).  If the special education student cannot be serviced appropriately in the school district, then Out-of-District placements may be utilized.  It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision, and the ARD Committee ultimately determines placement. 

The Pre-School Alternative Curriculum Centered for Exceptional Student Success program generally serves students with severe physical and/or mental impairments.  It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision, and the ARD Committee ultimately determines placement.  These students are not independently mobile and oftentimes require full assistance to care for their daily needs. Focus of instruction is visual and auditory stimulation, motor skills development, assistive technology, interaction with others and, if possible, communication skills. Often times these children are medically fragile and they may require custodial care.

Public school districts are responsible for Child Find and some special education services for students are parentally-placed in a private school or who are home schooled. These responsibilities are based on the location of the private or home school location. The private school or home school must physically reside in the Pasadena ISD boundaries. A private school student who lives in another district but attends a private school in the Pasadena ISD boundaries receives services from Pasadena ISD, if found eligible for private/home school services. Child Find responsibilities include the intervention and evaluation process to identify students with disabilities. The special education services provided to private/home schooled students are determined annually through a consultation process with parents and administrators of private schools/home school. These services are defined in the Pasadena ISD Private School Plan.  

Mission Statement

The Region 4 Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (Region 4 RDSPD) is committed to providing high-quality instructional programming and equal access to educational opportunities for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Region 4 RDSPD recognizes that the population of children who are deaf or hard of hearing is both culturally and linguistically diverse, and as such, focuses its energies on providing support for districts as they seek to cultivate each child’s individual cognitive, social-emotional, and language development.

The Resource Program is designed to provide instruction for students who have been identified as being multiple grade levels behind their peers and/or who have skill deficits based on their disability(ies) which require more intensive, research-based direct instruction, which cannot be provided in the General Education classroom.

Support Facilitation is based on student needs, focuses on instruction in the general education classroom, is characterized by high expectations versus learned helplessness and is compatible with state standards.  Support Facilitation provides grade level curriculum instruction, using any accommodations and/or modifications the student may need.

Speech-Only Kids (SOK) is a preschool program for speech (only) impairment. SOK is recommended as the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for speech impaired students, ages 3 & 4, who need direct speech therapy instruction by a Speech-Language Pathologist/Assistant.  Students in the SOK program only attend school during the speech therapy time defined by the ARD committee.  

The Students Utilizing Curriculum Concepts for Succeeding in Society program generally serves students with cognitive disabilities who require a “life skills” curriculum focusing on functional academics, communication / social skills, vocational training, and/or independent living skills training.  It should be noted that diagnosis/disability does not drive the programming decision, and the ARD Committee ultimately determines placement. 

The Vocational Experience Work Program (VOCEX) provides special education services to a student who is employed. VOCEX is designed in conjunction with the student’s transition goals in mind. PISD career and technology classes may also be considered for the student. This co-op helps support students in competitive employment.