Factor deep dive · A
Factor A: how much service, how often
Every domain you rate starts with the same four questions. Factor A is the first — the one that decides whether there's anything to rate at all. Here's the four-level scale, and how it reads in each domain.
Every domain you rate starts with the same four questions, called Factors A through D. Factor A is the first one, and it's the one that decides whether there's anything to rate at all.
Factor A asks: how much direct special education does this student get in this area, how often, and how much of the day does it take up?
A quick definition before we go further, because the whole rubric rests on it. Specially designed instruction (SDI) means adapting how a student is taught — the content, the method, or the delivery — to their disability-driven needs. It's what the teacher or provider does because of the disability, not something the student does. A direct service is one delivered to the student themselves; an indirect service supports staff who serve the student. Factor A is about direct service. (Fuller definitions: glossary.)
You rate what the IEP requires, not what the student seems to need. If the IEP documents a small amount of service, it's a low rating even for a student with significant needs. How to rate a student
The four levels
The same gradient applies in four of the five domains. Learn it once:
| Level | What it means | The feel of it |
|---|---|---|
| 0 — None required | No direct SDI in this area. Any supports are light accommodations. | The student accesses this area about like peers do. |
| 1 — Minimum | Direct SDI is targeted and limited — addresses a specific, discrete need. At least one goal in this area. | A small, predictable slice of the week. |
| 2 — Moderate | Direct SDI is regular and structured — multiple times a week and/or across settings. Multiple goals. | Woven through the week. |
| 3 — Significant | Direct SDI is intensive and pervasive — daily or near-daily, structures the whole day. | The day is built around the service. |
The simplest way to hold it: a slice (1), several reliable slices (2), or the day itself (3).
What the service is, domain by domain
The question is the same everywhere. What the service is — and the exact line between levels — changes per domain.
Curriculum & Instruction. The service is academic instruction: specialized reading/math/writing teaching, modified content, alternate routes into grade-level material. This domain measures in hours per subject, not minutes — Level 2 is roughly 1–5 hours weekly per core subject; Level 3 is daily intensive instruction across subjects with significant curriculum modification. Almost every student has something here, so Level 0 is uncommon. Domain 1
Behavior. The service is behavioral instruction: teaching replacement skills, regulation and coping supports, counseling, a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). The line that's specific to this domain: Level 2 is preventive (planned supports, a consistently run BIP), while Level 3 adds crisis response — de-escalation, emergency procedures, safety-driven intervention. A student with lots of preventive behavior service is still a 2; what makes it a 3 is reactive/crisis support. Domain 2
Communication. The service is speech and language therapy, AAC (augmentative and alternative communication — devices or systems a student uses to communicate), and communication-partner support. Level 2: regular service the student relies on, AAC used mostly independently. Level 3: pervasive support shaping how the student communicates all day, AAC needing ongoing staff help.
Independent Functioning. The service is instruction for routines, transitions, organization, and self-management. The gradient tracks how much the staff do the work: Level 2 builds independence in specific routines; Level 3 is near-continuous facilitation that structures the day rather than just supporting it.
Personal Care / Health. The service is help with toileting, feeding, mobility, hygiene, nursing, and health procedures. Same shape, but Level 3's stakes are physical: health or safety risk if the support is reduced or delayed — care that can't be postponed.
Two boundary lines that aren't like the others
The minute markers differ between Curriculum and the rest. Curriculum thinks in hours per subject. Domains 2–5 use "less than 60 minutes weekly" as the Level 1 marker. Don't carry Curriculum's hour-scale into the other four.
Dyslexia instruction has its own Level 1→2 line in Curriculum. For a student receiving dyslexia instruction, the move from Level 1 to Level 2 turns on whether the IEP requires delivery through an evidence-based program with fidelity (under Texas Education Code §38.003), at 225+ minutes per week. Level 3 is instruction intensified beyond the standard program. This is the clearest example of the anchor rule: if the IEP doesn't require the fidelity-based program, you rate it a 1 — you can't rate up to a 2 on the strength of the diagnosis alone.
How Factor A fits with B, C, and D
Factor A is about the service itself. The other three each ask something different about that same service:
- B — does the IEP require a specific kind of person to deliver it? Factor B
- C — does it require a specific staffing ratio? Factor C
- D — does it require specific equipment or technology? Factor D
The domain's score is its highest factor — so one factor at Significant makes the whole domain Significant. Factor A is the gate: if it's 0 across the board, you can usually move past the domain quickly. How scores become a tier