(1) School districts must ensure that a student who is suspected of having a specific learning disability is observed in the student's learning environment, including the general education classroom setting, to document the student's academic performance and behavior in the areas of difficulty.

(2) The evaluation group must:

(a) Use information from an observation in routine classroom instruction and monitoring of the student's performance that was done before the student was referred for an evaluation; or

(b) Have at least one member of the evaluation group conduct an observation of the student's academic performance in the general education classroom after the student has been referred for an evaluation and parental consent is obtained.

(3) In the case of a student of less than school age or out of school, a group member must observe the student in a learning environment appropriate for that student.