Step 1: Student is identified as possibly needing special
education and related services.
“Child Find” – Each school district shall be responsible for actively
seeking out and identifying all children from birth through age 21 within the
district, including children not enrolled in the public schools, who may be
eligible for special education and related services. Procedures developed to fulfill this responsibility include
preschool screening, ongoing review of each child’s performance and progress by
teachers and other professional personnel, ongoing coordination with early
intervention programs to identify children from birth through two years, and
coordination and consultation with nonpublic schools located within the
district.
Referral or request for evaluation – Any concerned
person, including but not limited to school district personnel, the parents of
the child, or an employee of the Illinois State Board of Education may make a
referral. Referrals should be signed
and in writing, include the reasons for suspecting the child has a disability
that interferes with his/her performance, and submitted to the building
principal where the child attends school or would attend school if enrolled.
Within 10 school days of the request for evaluation,
the school district will schedule a meeting to discuss evaluation domains or
inform the parent/guardian that their request for an evaluation is denied and
advise them of the right to request a due process hearing.
Step 2: Student is evaluated
The evaluation must assess the student in all areas
related to the suspected disability.
Results of the evaluation will be used to decide the student’s
eligibility for special education and related services and to make appropriate
decisions about an appropriate educational program for the child. Upon receipt of the referral, the district
will schedule a meeting of the IEP team, including appropriate potential
evaluators, to determine whether and to what extent, further evaluation data is
needed in each of the relevant domains and from what sources data will be
obtained.
Following the delineation of the evaluation
components, parents will be requested to sign consent for the evaluation. The evaluation may not be initiated until 10
days following the signed consent unless the parent waives the 10-day
timeframe. If parent refuses to
consent, the school district may file a due process to secure consent.
If parents disagree with the evaluation, they have
the right to take their child for an Independent Educational Evaluation. They can ask that the school system pay for
this evaluation.
Step
3: Eligibility is decided
A group of qualified professionals and the parents review the
evaluation results and determine if the student is a “child with a disability”
as defined by IDEA. The IEP meeting to
consider eligibility must be held within 60 school days of the date of written
consent to conduct the evaluation.
The decision regarding eligibility can only be made by the IEP team at
the conclusion of the IEP meeting where the evaluation results are shared and
interpreted.
Step
4: Student is found eligible
for services.
If the student is found to be a “child with a disability,” as defined
by IDEA, he or she is eligible for special education and related services. The team will use evaluation data to
determine: 1) if the student has a disability and meets the eligibility
criteria established by the school district; 2) has a disability which has an
adverse effect on educational performance; and, 3) as a result of the adverse
effect on education al performance is in need of special education and related
services. If the team determines that
the student meets eligibility criteria, an individualized educational program
(IEP) must be developed.
Step
5: IEP Meeting is scheduled.
The IEP meeting to develop the IEP may be held immediately following
the eligibility determination or may be scheduled at a later date. If a separate meeting is held, it must be
convened within 30 calendar days of the IEP meeting to discuss eligibility and
no later than 60 days following the date of the referral. The school will promote and encourage
parental participation in the IEP meeting.
Step 6: IEP Meeting is held and the IEP is written.
The IEP is a written statement of services for a child with a
disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting. The IEP must include the following: 1) a statement of the student’s present
levels of educational performance in all areas of educational performance
adversely affected by the student’s disability; 2) a statement of measurable
annual goals including
short-term objectives; 3) a description of the specific special education and
related services to be provided; 4) projected dates for beginning of services
including location and duration; 5) explanation of the extent, if any, the
child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class and
in extracurricular and nonacademic activities;
6) a statement of any vocational services to be provided; 7) a statement of any extended school year
services to be provided; 8) a statement
of any individual modifications in the administration of state or district-wide
assessments of student achievement that are needed in order for the child to
participate in such assessments;
9) a statement of special
factors; 10) objective criteria and
evaluation procedures and schedules for monitoring goals/objectives; 11) a statement describing how the child’s
parents will be regularly informed of the child’s progress; 12) the placement determined to be
appropriate; 13)signatures and
positions of IEP members, and; 14) for
a child who has reached the age of 17, a statement that the student and parents have been informed
that educational rights transfer to the student when the student reaches the
age of 18.
Prior to the provision of services for the first
time, the parents must provide signed consent.
The services may not be initiated until 10 days following consent unless
the parent agrees to waive the 10-day timeframe. Services are to begin as soon as possible after the meeting.
Parents should be provided a copy of the IEP at the
conclusion of the meeting.
If parents do not agree with the IEP and placement
decisions, they should discuss their concerns with members of the IEP team and
try to work out an agreement. District personnel will provide parents a
copy of their procedural rights including mediation and due process.
Step
7: Services are provided.
An IEP must be in effect for each child with a
disability at the beginning of each school year. The school district must provide the services that are listed on
the IEP. Each of the student’s teachers
and service providers should be provided access to the student’s IEP and be knowledgeable
of his/her specific responsibilities for carrying out the IEP. IEP summary reports will be provided to
the classroom teacher and other staff members responsible for implementing the
IEP. Teachers may request to review the
entire IEP. This includes
accommodations, modification, and supports that are to be provided to the
child.
No changes will be made to the IEP outside of an IEP meeting.
Step
8: Progress is measured and
reported to parents.
The student’s progress toward the annual goals is measured as stated in
the IEP. Parents are regularly informed
of their child’s progress toward annual goals and the extent to which that
progress is sufficient to enable the student to achieve the goals by the end of
the year. This notification must be
provided at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled child’s
progress.
Step
9: IEP is reviewed.
The student’s IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year or more often if the parents or school ask for a review. At the annual review meeting, the IEP will be reviewed to determine whether the annual goals are being achieved and revised as appropriate to discuss any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals and in the general curriculum, the results of any reevaluation, and anticipated needs or other matters. A set of services will be proposed for the following year. When a request to review a child’s IEP is received, within 10 days of receipt of the request, the district shall either agree and schedule an IEP meeting or notify the parents in writing of its refusal to meet, including an explanation of the reason no meeting is necessary to ensure the provision of FAPE.
Parents will receive proper notice for all IEP meetings. Parent consent is not required for a continued placement or change in placement. However, parents must be notified of any change in placement and the placement change should not occur for 10 days unless the parents have waived the 10-day waiting period.
Step
10: Child is reevaluated.
At a minimum, a reevaluation will be completed every
three years, prior to a change in eligibility, if the parent or teacher
requests a reevaluation, or when ordered by a hearing officer. The purpose of the reevaluation is to
determine if the student continues to be a child with a disability and what the
student’s education needs are.
Prior to the conduct of the evaluation, the IEP team
will meet to discuss the evaluation domains and to determine what additional
information, if any, is needed. If the
team determines that no additional information is needed and the parent agrees,
the IEP team must document continued eligibility. If the parent requests that additional testing be conducted, the
testing will be completed. Parental
consent must be obtained only if the IEP team determines that additional
assessment data is needed. For requests
for reevaluations other than the three-year evaluation, if the district
determines that a reevaluation is not warranted, the parent must be notified of
the district’s decision not to conduct the evaluation and be advised of the
procedure for challenging this decision.