Special Education

Student writing a note while sitting at the computer

Sycamore Community School District 427 provides a free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities who are eligible and between the ages of 3 through 21 years old. The office of student services arranges for an array of services and supports designed to meet a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in the least restrictive environment.

Students between the ages of 3 and 5 years old who reside within school district boundaries may participate in a developmental screening through Sycamore’s Little Spartans Early Learning Program. This screening will determine whether the child is meeting developmental milestones in the areas of speech and language, academic readiness, social emotional readiness, and motor skills. If difficulties are detected from the screening, an evaluation may be initiated, with parental consent, in order to identify possible special education eligibility. To schedule a developmental screening, please visit the Little Spartans Early Learning Program website for more information.

For students currently enrolled at a school within the District's boundaries (including private or parochial and home school students), the school team or family may request that the student be formally evaluated to determine if the child is eligible for special education services. If a family suspects that their student has a disability, a letter should be submitted to the building principal that outlines their concern and request for an evaluation. If the student is a home-schooled student, the request should be sent to the Director of Student Services. To determine whether the student requires an evaluation, the school team may utilize screening data, prior standardized assessments, current grades, social emotional information and progress monitoring data if applicable. The school team will either agree to or deny the request, in writing to the family, within 14 school days.

ISBE Procedural Safeguards (English)

ISBE Procedural Safeguards (SPANISH)

GUIDELINES FOR BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS (English)

GUIDELINES FOR BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS (SPANISH)

Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)

IDEA is a federal law that requires schools to serve the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities. IDEA provides school districts with federal funds to help make special education services available for students with disabilities. It also provides very specific requirements to ensure a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities.

A comprehensive process is followed to determine whether a student is eligible for specialized education. To qualify for services under IDEA, a qualifying disability must adversely impact the student's educational progress and require specially designed instruction. It is important to note that not all students with a disability will be eligible for special education services. A student may be found eligible for these services under one or more of the following categories as deemed by the outcomes of an evaluation:

Autism; deaf-blindness; deafness; emotional disturbance; hearing impairment; intellectual disability; multiple disabilities; orthopedic impairment; other health impairment; specific learning disability; speech or language impairment; traumatic brain injury; visual impairment, including blindness.

Evaluation

In order to receive special education services, a comprehensive evaluation of the student must be completed. The evaluation process follows defined regulations to determine if a student has a disability and if the student requires special education and related services. During the evaluation process, the District must consider the need to complete assessments in the following domains:

Academic performance
Functional performance
Cognitive functioning
Communication
Health
Hearing and vision
Motor abilities
Social and emotional status

Families must sign consent for the evaluation process to begin. Then, the school team must complete the evaluation and convene a meeting within 60 school days.

At this meeting, the results of the evaluation will be reviewed and considered by the school team and the student’s family. These results will be utilized to determine whether the student is, or continues to be, eligible for special education and related services as a student with a disability as defined by federal and state law and the student’s educational needs. A copy of this full eligibility report will be provided to the family.

Special Education and Related Services

Public School Students
Private or Parochial and Home School Students

Public School Students

If a student is found to be eligible for special education services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be developed to address the unique needs of the student. This plan will outline specific goals, accommodations, and services that are needed to provide the student with a free and appropriate public education. Students receiving special education services must have an annually-developed IEP designed to meet their specific educational needs.

Sycamore Community School District 427 provides a full continuum of special education and related services to students who meet requirements in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and mandates from the Illinois State Board of Education. Students may receive services in the regular education classroom, within a small group special education setting, through a specialized classroom, or in a placement outside of the school district. All schools are committed to providing services in the least restrictive environment. This commitment provides the opportunity for students to participate in and benefit from the general education curriculum to the maximum extent appropriate.

Students who qualify for special education services may require related services to benefit from special education. These services may be provided by speech and language pathologists, school social workers, school psychologists, hearing itinerants, vision itinerants, teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, orientation and mobility instructors or adaptive physical education teachers. It is important to note that related services are determined based on educational needs and differ in eligibility and services provided within a medical or clinical model.

The District maintains related service logs that document the type and number of minutes of related service administered under a student's IEP. These related service logs will be available to families at a student's annual review IEP meeting. Families may also request a copy of any IEP related service log maintained for their student. Please direct any requests for a copy of a related service log to building administrators, coordinators, or case-managers.

Private or Parochial and Home School Students

Local public schools, including Sycamore Community School District 427, do not provide the full range of special education services to students attending private or parochial schools or home schools as they do for students in public schools.

Each spring, the District meets with local participating private or parochial schools and home-schooling parents to discuss the types of services that will be provided by the District under Proportionate Share. Through this agreement, students receive a specific amount of service, regardless of the severity of their disability. Currently, Sycamore Community School District 427 provides speech and language services for up to eight students under the Proportionate Share agreement. These services are provided at a school within the District. Once the caseload of eight is reached, a waiting list is created.

If a private, parochial, or home-schooled student qualifies for special education services, an eligibility determination document will be provided which outlines the student's eligibility and educational needs. If a private, parochial, or home-schooled student qualifies for special education services and is able to receive speech language services through the District's Proportionate Share agreement, an Individual Service Plan will be developed by the school team. This plan will outline the speech language services that will be provided to the student. Should the family of a private, parochial, or home-school student wish to access a greater level of support for their child (as recommended by the educational team), they may choose to enroll their child in the public school district or residence in order to receive the full range of services.

The primary service approaches are determined by a student's IEP team. Each service falls under one of four categories: resource, instructional, related services, or transition.

Resource

Resource services consist of specialized instruction provided in the general education setting. This may include direct small group instruction, co-taught classes, or a blended approach.

Instructional

Instructional classes provide a replacement curriculum aligned with the grade-level curriculum and Common Core State Standards. Students requiring this level of programming may have a blended schedule consisting of instructional classes and mainstream general education classes.

Related Services

Related services are recommended through the IEP team. Related services require an evaluation to identify if these services are required on a student’s IEP. The IEP team determines related services based on eligibility. A student may be found eligible for related services such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, orientation and mobility, or hearing or vision itinerant.

Transition

Students with disabilities have the right to receive special education services through age 21 if they have not received their diploma and their educational needs require ongoing instruction in order to transition to adult life. Students eligible for transition services receive programming in our Life School Program.

Early Childhood

Sycamore Community School District 427’s Little Spartans Early Learning Program services both regular education students and students that qualify for special education services. The program follows the District calendar, operates four days per week, and is housed at South Prairie Elementary School. There is a morning and afternoon session.

Students that qualify for special education services are automatically granted the opportunity to enroll in Sycamore’s Little Spartans Early Learning Program. Other families may choose to enroll their child through a tuition-based model.

Please refer to the Little Spartans Early Learning Program website for additional information.

Learning Emotional and Academic Fundamentals (LEAF)

Academic and Behavior Learning Environment (ABLE)

The ABLE program provides students services in a highly structured classroom. A variety of instructional tools and curriculum are utilized to meet students' diverse academic and functional needs. Specifically, curriculum is designed around authentic academic, vocational and community-based instruction. Related services are integrated into the program to further support the generalization of communication skills and social-emotional skills across settings.

IL ABLE “Achieving a Better Life Experience” Accounts give people with disabilities and their families greater financial independence while preserving benefits. A high-quality, low-cost IL ABLE savings and investment Account can be opened by an Eligible Individual, or Authorized Individual, at any time, no matter what state they live in. Click here for a brief overview.

Life School Transition Program

Extended School Year (ESY)

The Extended School Year (ESY) program provides special education and related services to students with disabilities, beyond the normal school year in accordance with the student’s IEP and at no cost to the family of the student (ISBE 2005). Eligibility for ESY services is determined by the student’s IEP team members, which includes families. Teams will consider the severity of the student’s needs, evidence of past loss of skills during extended breaks from school, and patterns of recoupment of skills when returning from breaks. The purpose of ESY is to help students maintain current skill levels.

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