Wisconsin administrative rules for identifying disability category criteria can be found in Wisconsin Administrative Code, Section PI 11.36. This covers the areas of autism, blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing, deafblind, emotional behavioral disability, intellectual disability, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, significant developmental delay, speech or language impairment, specific learning disability, and traumatic brain injury.
Disability Category Criteria Forms
DPI special education content area consultants developed disability category criteria forms for each disability category. When school districts use the disability criteria forms, the IEP team documentation of disability category criteria more likely adequately addresses all of the required elements and results in fewer cases of inappropriate identification. Use of the disability category criteria forms will also increase Wisconsin's performance when measured against Indicator #9 and #10 of the State Performance Plan related to the disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in specific disability categories.
Disability category criteria forms are available in the following disability categories. All criteria forms were most recently updated June 2023, except SLD forms ER-2-A and ER-2-B (May 2022). All translations are current.
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Autism |
Orthopedic Impairment |
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Blind and Visually Impaired |
Other Health Impairment |
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Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
Significant Developmental Delay |
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Deafblind |
Specific Learning Disability
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Emotional Behavioral Disability |
Speech or Language Impairment |
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Intellectual Disability |
Traumatic Brain Injury |
If a student is determined to meet disability category criteria in one or more of the disability categories, the IEP team must then consider whether the student needs specially designed instruction. To assist IEP teams in addressing whether there is a need for specially designed instruction, see the guidance for model form ER-1, Evaluation Report. The model ER-1 form can be found on the DPI Sample Special Education Forms web page.
Disability Category Criteria Guides and Resources
DPI special education content area consultants developed disability category criteria guides to assist districts in appropriately applying disability criteria to individual students. These guides and other resource materials are available on the individual disability webpages:
Autism
Blind and Visually Impaired
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Deafblind
Emotional Behavioral Disability
Intellectual Disability
Other Health Impairment
Orthopedic Impairment
Significant Developmental Delay
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Additional Evaluation Tools and Resources
Guidance and Worksheet for Obtaining a Valid Cognitive Abilities Assessment