Tier 8: A student in a residential placement — Daniela Rodriguez

The student

Daniela is a second grader identified with an intellectual disability and complex health needs. Her ARD committee has determined that a residential placement is the least restrictive environment in which she can receive a free appropriate public education. Her IEP documents specialized instruction across academic and daily-living skills, occupational therapy 30 minutes a week, physical therapy 30 minutes a week, and substantial personal-care and health supports, with a dedicated one-to-one paraprofessional for 85 percent of her instructional day. Her goals include early academic goals in pre-reading and number sense, independent-functioning goals for participating in classroom routines with support, and personal-care goals for feeding, toileting, and mobility. A nurse manages her health needs across the day. Her IEP documents no behavior intervention plan and no communication service.

Rating the domains

Three domains carry a direct service. They rate the same way as any student's, even though the tier is already set by the override.

Curriculum & Instruction — Significant

• Factor A — Significant. Intensive specialized instruction is delivered daily and structures most of her program, against multiple early-academic goals.
• Factor B — Moderate. It requires a special education teacher's targeted competencies.
• Factor C — Significant. A near-continuous reduced ratio is required for her to access instruction.
• Factor D — Minimum. She uses adapted academic materials.

Independent Functioning — Significant

• Factor A — Moderate. Daily instruction in routines is embedded across the day.
• Factor B — Minimum. Supports are delivered by typically qualified staff with routine training.
• Factor C — Significant. She requires near-continuous staff support to participate in classroom routines, which her dedicated paraprofessional provides.
• Factor D — Moderate. Adaptive equipment is used consistently for her participation.

Personal Care/Health — Significant

• Factor A — Significant. Personal-care and health support is provided throughout the day, across feeding, toileting, and mobility routines she needs in order to attend safely.
• Factor B — Significant. A nurse's clinical judgment is required to manage her health needs.
• Factor C — Significant. A near-continuous reduced ratio is required for her safety and access.
• Factor D — Moderate. Health-related equipment is used routinely across the day.

Behavior and Communication carry no direct service.

Service groups

Service groups follow from two separate things: a student's related services, and any dedicated one-to-one staffing. Daniela's related services are occupational therapy (30 minutes a week) and physical therapy (30 minutes a week), which total 360 minutes over a six-week period, within the band for Service Group 2. Her dedicated one-to-one paraprofessional supports her for 85 percent of her instructional day, which places her in Service Group 5. The two are determined separately, and she is in both.

The determination

Daniela's ARD committee determined a residential placement, which the rater selects as an override and which sets Tier 8, regardless of the domain ratings. The override sets the tier but does not remove the rating work: every factor and domain is still rated, because those ratings inform master scheduling, staffing, and any future reintegration planning. How overrides work.