Section 2.22.01: Regents’ Centers for Learning Disorders

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The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) has established three centers for the provision of assessment, resources, and research related to students who have learning disorders that impact academic, cognitive and/or behavioral/emotional functioning.

Each Regents Center for Learning Disorders (RCLD) is responsible for serving designated colleges and universities within a geographic region (referring institutions). The host institution serves as fiscal agent for each Center.

2.22.01.01 Purpose of the Centers

The Regents Centers for Learning Disorders provide:

Comprehensive standardized assessments for students with learning disorders;
Review of documentation submitted by referring institutions in support of student requests for accommodations;
Recommendations regarding appropriate accommodations and services;
Assistance to students, faculty and staff at referring institutions through consultation, networking, and program development;
Clinical training opportunities in graduate level psychology, education, and related programs; and
Research focusing on assessment and accommodation of students with disabilities in postsecondary settings.

And, in addition to their primary mission of serving students enrolled in USG institutions, the Centers may be authorized to serve other groups of students. Current information on the availability of services for non-USG students can be obtained by contacting each RCLD directly.

2.22.01.02 Organizational Structure

The Centers consist of professionals who are specialists in the assessment of adults and in evaluation of disabilities that impair learning. Each Center has, at the minimum, the following personnel:

Director – The director is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the Center and for carrying out Board of Regents policy regarding student disabilities. The Academic Vice President of the host institution is the supervisor of record;
Psychologist – The licensed psychologist oversees the evaluation process, including training, interviewing, scheduling, testing, staffing, and report writing. The psychologist ensures that the professional and ethical standards of the American Psychological Association are followed;
Liaison – The liaison promotes and maintains contact between the referring institutions and each Center, assists in the referral and feedback process for Center evaluations and Center review of documentation of disability, assists referring institutions in the development of policies and procedures to serve students with disabilities on their campuses, and provides community outreach and education to support the mission of the RCLD; and
Other qualified personnel are involved directly in interviewing, testing, and writing reports for students who are evaluated in the Centers.

2.22.01.03 University System Accommodations

In order to assure consistency throughout the System, all Regents Centers for Learning Disabilities (RCLD) use the same general evaluation procedures, test battery and report format. This common evaluation methodology assures that all USG institutions employ the same definition and evaluation model.

Evaluations performed by external professionals or organizations will be reviewed using the same methodology as if the evaluation was conducted by a System Center.

Students requesting accommodations for the purpose of satisfying USG requirements (below) are required to submit documentation to an RCLD for approval.

Admissions - Substitution of the Core Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) foreign language requirement; (Admission Considerations 2.22.03.01)
Learning Support - Testing accommodations for the Collegiate Placement Examination (CPE), or COMPASS modifications or, additional semesters in Learning Support (Learning Support Considerations 2.22.05.01), and
Regents' Tests accommodations, other than those specified by current policy and procedures (Regents' Test Administration 2.22.04).

Each USG institution is responsible for providing approved accommodations or modifications, including assistive technologies. The Director of the Regents Testing Office, the RCLDs and the Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) are available to assist institutions with arranging for these accommodations.

2.22.01.04 Outside Evaluations

Referring institutions must have institutional policies and procedures for reviewing documentation of disabilities that is not based on an evaluation conducted by an RCLD. Institutional policies and procedures must be consistent with Board of Regents policy.

Referring institutions are required to submit documentation of learning disorders to an RCLD when a student requests accommodations to meet University System requirements. (Section 2.22.01.03: University System Accommodations). Referring institutions may also elect to send outside documentation for review to the appropriate RCLD under other circumstances.

2.22.01.05 Referral for Evaluations

Referring institutions are required to submit a referral packet to the appropriate RCLD to initiate the evaluation process. The packet is described below:

Information letter and checklist (completed by the Disability Service Provider.)
Questionnaire on academic strengths and weaknesses, historical information, and behaviors that can affect learning (completed by the student.)
Questionnaire on student's functioning ability (completed by a person who knows the student well and can provide an independent view.)
Academic transcripts from current and/or previous institutions.
Recent vision and hearing sensory screenings.
Samples of written work.
Copies of previous medical or psychological evaluations related to learning difficulties.

The Disability Service Provider at the referring institution is responsible for coordinating the completion of the referral packet and communicating with the RCLD regarding the student's referral, evaluation, and accommodations. See the referral process flowchart for communication timeline. For more information regarding disability documentation, (See Appendix DSP2)

2.22.01.06 Evaluation Considerations

2.22.01.06.01 Professional Standards and Confidentiality

American Psychological Association ethical standards are upheld.
Information gathered before, during, and after an evaluation will be kept strictly confidential.
Information will not be released to any person or institution without written permission of the student.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provide additional guidelines on right of access and disclosure of protected information.

2.22.01.06.02 Liability Issues

Neither the referring institutions nor the RCLDs are liable for students while they are traveling to and from the RCLDs for the evaluation.
A contact person at the referring institution must be designated for emergency purposes while the student is on the RCLD campus.
RCLDs require liability insurance coverage for all RCLD personnel involved in the evaluation process. This liability coverage is necessary to meet the standards of professional practice as outlined in State Licensing Law.

2.22.01.06.03 Cost of Evaluations

Students are assessed a $500 fee for each evaluation (subject to annual review).
Payment schedules may vary across RCLDs.
Evaluation scholarships may be available at individual RCLDs and/or referring institutions.
Students may contact their local Department of Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to determine if they qualify for services, which may include an evaluation.

2.22.01.06.04 Appeals Procedure

Students wishing to dispute a decision of a RCLD with regard to eligibility for accommodations may appeal by submitting a request for independent review of their documentation by the directors of the other two RCLDs.

The request must be:

in writing and specify the issue(s) of disagreement;
submitted to the DSP at the student's home institution; and,
initiated within 30 days of receiving the disputed decision.

Students wishing to appeal the decision of the independent review may appeal to the President of their home institution. The President's decision is final. The Board of Regents does not hear eligibility for accommodation appeals

Last modified: 02/2009

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