This article provides guidance on Instructional Arrangements (IAs) and the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH), focusing on how services are determined and documented within special education processes.
Designed for K–12 educators, administrators, and support staff using Frontline Education tools, this resource highlights key concepts from "Section IV: Determination of Services" and outlines important SAAH requirements for instructional setting codes and attendance reporting.
By summarizing procedures, system functionality, and compliance guidelines, this article helps users understand how to accurately calculate, manage, and report instructional arrangements in alignment with state standards and student IEPs.
Section IV: Determination of Services
Clicking the link in the table of contents will take you directly to screenshots and step-by-step processes.
Edit Customization Option – The Commensurate Day Checkbox
The "Commensurate Day" checkbox calculates the instructional arrangement without requiring entry of each general education subject or time.
Three schedules can be generated in "Section IV":
- Current
- Next
- Alternate
Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH)
Guidance for the autocalculation of the IA/SC for students receiving speech therapy is available in the TEA Student Attendance Accounting Handbook.
“In developing a student’s IEP, the ARD committee should base the determination of the appropriate instructional setting code for the student on the percentage of the instructional day that the student receives direct, regularly scheduled special education and related services, as required in the student’s IEP, not on the student’s disability” (p. 95).
“A student will have an instructional setting code of 00 reported on the TSDS PEIMS StudentSpecialEducationProgramAssociation Entity when:
- a student is receiving speech therapy (regardless of whether the therapy is provided by a push-in model in a general education classroom or pull-out model in another location) and no other special education instructional or related services; or
- a student is receiving speech therapy and one or more related services (supportive services that do not constitute instructional services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.), regardless of whether the related services are provided by a push-in model in a general education setting” (p. 103).
4.7.10.1 Requirements
“For a student to be coded with an instructional setting code of 40 - Special Education Mainstream, the student must have:
- special education and related services provided in a general education classroom on a regularly scheduled basis;
- an IEP specifying the special education and related services that enable the student to access the enrolled grade level general curriculum and to make progress toward individual goals and objectives; and
- certified special education personnel involved in the implementation of the student’s IEP through the provision of direct, indirect, and/or support services:
- to the student in the general education classroom and/or
- in collaboration with the student’s general education classroom teacher(s)” (p. 114).
Examples of special education and related services provided to a student in the general education instructional setting include, but are not limited to, direct instruction, helping teacher, team teaching, co-teaching, interpreter, education aides, curricular or instructional modifications or accommodations, special materials or equipment, consultation with the student and general classroom teacher(s), staff development, and reduction of the ratio of students to instructional staff members (p. 106).