Special Education and Support Services
Overview
The Illinois State Board of Education partners with school districts to provide programs and services for students with specialized educational needs.
Special Education Services assures that these programs and services meet state and federal requirements. This involves both compliance and technical assistance functions. Compliance functions include monitoring least restrictive environment compliance, administering due process system, providing mediation services, conducting compliant investigations, approving policies and procedures, conducting focused and comprehensive reviews and approving nonpublic special education facilities. Technical assistance functions involve providing information and guidance on promising practices in educating students with disabilities, including the operation of numerous statewide training and technical assistance initiatives, administering the comprehensive system of personnel development for special education and management of grant programs to schools for special education service delivery.
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What's New
- 2012-2013 Nonpublic Special Education Program Calendar and Instructions (1/30/12)
- New Recommended Form - Mutual Written Agreement to Extend Evaluation Timeline (SLD Only)
- SPP Indicator 11 Webinar - December 1, 2011
- LRE Data Cohort (8/11)
The Special Education and Support Services division at the Illinois State Board of is seeking LEA’s to participate in an exciting opportunity.
The purpose of the LRE Data Cohort is to provide districts hands-on assistance in using their data to improve placement options for students with disabilities. Districts will take part in activities that will assist them in (1) identifying relevant data to address problems/concerns, (2) conducting data analysis to generate a hypothesis, (3) conducting data analysis to test the hypothesis to determine root cause, (4) planning for improvement, and (5) evaluating progress toward measurable goals. Con't. - The recent memo from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) that reinforces the fact that local education agencies may not delay or deny a special education evaluation on the basis of a student not having participated in a response to intervention (RtI) process can be located at http://www.isbe.net/spec_ed/pdfs/OSEP_RtI_memo11-07_012111.pdf. The memo’s message is consistent with 23 Illinois Administrative Code 226.130(b), which states “…When a district implements the use of a process of this type [RtI], the district shall not use any child’s participation in the process as the basis for denying a parent’s request for an evaluation.” The content of the memo is also consistent with information contained in the March 2010 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) document titled “Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] about Special Education Eligibility and Entitlement within a Response to Intervention (RtI) Framework,” which is available at http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/rti_speced.htm. (3/11)
- Learning Disabilities Association of America White Paper Update and Response Update from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
In February 2010, the Learning Disabilities Association of America issued a white paper, The Learning Disabilities Association of America’s White Paper of Evaluation, Identification, and Eligibility Criteria for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. NASDSE did not formally respond to the white paper, believing that researchers and practitioners across the country with far more knowledge and experience would provide a better response. Now that has happened. A paper, A Response to the Learning Disabilities of America (LDA) White Paper on Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Identification was released in December 2010. Please find attached the original Learning Disabilities Association of America white paper and the response by leading researchers and implementers. - Illinois Student Records Keeper for Parents of Students Who Receive Special Education Services
This booklet is for parents to use to keep important information about their child and his/her special education and related services. It is a companion to Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois.
Records play an important role as you plan your child’s education. Dates, people, meetings and reports are important throughout your child’s educational career. The records keeper was developed to assist parents in preparing for Individualized Education Program (IEP) and transition meetings; getting ready for evaluations and reevaluations; and keeping track of paperwork and other materials.
This booklet cross-references the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) publication, Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois. At the bottom of each page, locate the page number(s) that references a section or pages in the guide. The guide offers information to increase your knowledge and understanding about the topic or issue. - ARRA VR Community College Initiative
The Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) is pleased to announce the creation of the Community College Initiative (CCI). The purpose of CCI is to encourage people with disabilities to pursue college training that will enhance skills and provide for greater employment opportunities. DRS believes that up to 1,500 individuals may benefit from the initiative through the end of the ARRA funding in September 2011. For further information, please visit the website at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=51686. -
Other Items of Interest
- Data Road Map for Special Education
(12/11) - Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP) now offers evaluations in addition to device loans through the ISBE grant: http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/pdfs/iatp_flyer.pdf
- Charter Schools - Special Education Certification
- Focused Monitoring Overview
- 2011 Annual Conference on Best Practices for Nonpublic Special Education Programs November 15-16
- Deviations
(4/11) (4/11)
