Special Services
Welcome to D200 Special Services.
We are located on the second floor of Clay Academy at 112 Grove Street in Woodstock.
- Programs & Services
- Assistive Technology
- Coordinator Locations
- Best Buddies Program
- Extended School Year (ESY)
- Life Connections
- Resources
Programs & Services
The Special Education Referral Process
All children with disabilities who are between the ages of 3 and 21, and have not yet graduated from high school are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). District 200 is committed to providing a continuum of special education programs and services for children ages 3 through 21 with special needs who qualify for special education services.
District 200 uses a variety of methods to identify children with disabilities including:
- Referral by parents or guardians, concerned adults, and children themselves
- Preschool screening for children ages 3-5 at the Verda Dierzen Early Learning Center
- Hearing and vision screenings at regular intervals during the child’s career
- An ongoing referral process completed by teachers and other professional personnel identifying children who exhibit difficulty performing in the classroom
When a referral is made, a team of professionals will meet to determine whether a case study evaluation is warranted. If so, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team will meet with parents to collect information from parents or guardians, teachers and others to review existing information and determine the specific domain areas to be assessed in an evaluation. This domain meeting will address the areas of Health, Vision, Hearing, Social/ Emotional Status, General Intelligence, Academic Performance, Functional Performance, Communication Status, and Motor Abilities. Once the domain areas have been determined, the parents will then give consent or refuse consent for evaluation of the determined assessments.
After determined assessments are completed, a meeting to share the results will be held within 60 school days. This purpose of this meeting will be to summarize, interpret and document evaluation results, and determine eligibility for special education services.
A child eligible for special education programs and services is one whose disability significantly impacts educational performance in the classroom.
This disability interferes with the child’s ability to learn in the classroom environment without specific accommodations, modifications and specialized instruction.
If the child is eligible for special education services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be developed that will enable the child to be involved in and progress in the general education curriculum.
The IEP includes: the child’s strengths and needs, annual goals and short-term objectives/benchmarks, appropriate special education and/or related services, and appropriate educational placement.
If the child is eligible for special education services, the child’s IEP will be reviewed annually. At this annual review, information regarding the child’s progress will be shared. After reviewing the current IEP, a new IEP will be developed that will enable the child to be involved and progress in the general education curriculum. The goals and objectives will be updated quarterly and again at the annual review of the IEP.
The child’s eligibility will be reevaluated every three years. A meeting will be scheduled to review existing evaluation data, in collaboration with the parent or guardian, to determine the specific assessment(s) needed to evaluate. The parent or guardian will give or refuse consent for the reevaluation. The eligibility meeting will take place, and if the child is found eligible, an IEP will be developed and appropriate special education and/or related services and educational placement will be determined.
A special education student’s educational rights are transferred from the student’s parents to the student on the student’s 18th birthday. District 200 will provide written notice of the transfer of rights at an IEP meeting during the year in which the student turns 17, and again when the student turns 18.
This evaluation process is standard for all children within District 200’s boundaries whether enrolled in a District 200 school or not. However, home-schooled students or students enrolled in a private or parochial school that are found eligible for special education services are only entitled to services relevant to a Proportionate Share Plan.
Children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired may be eligible for the services of the Illinois School for the Deaf or another local school that provides similar services. Eligibility for entrance is determined by the student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) team. Questions about these services can be directed to Lisa Pearson, Director of Special Services, 815-337-5146.
Assistive Technology
The Special Services department at Woodstock District 200 has an assistive technology team that is available to meet with parents, teachers, and school teams to discuss and support the needs of students who are currently using assistive technology or other students who may benefit from assistive technology. The purpose of assistive technology is to help a person function more independently.
As stated in the Federal Definition, “Assistive technology device means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability…” (Illinois Assistive Technology Guidance Manual)
Assistive technology is generally classified as low tech, mid tech, and high tech with the cost increasing as it goes up the continuum.
- Low Tech Examples: pencil grip, slant board, highlighters, magnifying glass
- Mid Tech Examples: calculator, books on CD, computer software programs
- High Tech Examples: laptop computer, powered wheelchair, Braille machines
Standard Practices
- Assistive technology should always be matched to the person, rather than the person being matched to the technology.
- Low tech is usually tried first and then progression up the continuum until a match is made to meet the needs of the student.
- When assistive technology is being considered, the team looks at the student’s needs, the environment where it will be used, the task it will be used for, and the tool needed to do the task.
- Implementation is typically done on a trial basis, which may be four to six weeks. Over that time, there is documentation of effectiveness. Equipment may be rented or borrowed during the trial period.
Caution: assistive technology cannot give a person a skill that they are not developmentally or cognitively ready to do.
If you have any questions about assistive technology, please contact: Melinda Schuldt at 815-337-8413, or Lindsey Serpe at 815-337-5146.
Common Myths about Assistive Technology
- All assistive technology is “high tech” and expensive.
(There is a continuum of assistive technology from low tech to high tech.) - Only people with certain types of disabilities find assistive technology useful.
(Assistive technology can benefit numerous types of disabilities.) - Assistive technology is a magic cure-all for people with disabilities.
(Assistive technology cannot give a person a skill they are not developmentally or cognitively ready to do.) - Determining assistive technology needs is done only once.
(Assistive technology is an ongoing process as the person may change and their needs may change.) - Assistive technology is a luxury.
(It is not a luxury, it is something the person needs to help them achieve.) - The most expensive is always the best.
(Sometimes not, if the technology is too complex, hard to use or implement, it is often abandoned and consequently of no benefit to the person.)
Coordinator Locations
Best Buddies Program
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Best Buddies has been at Creekside Middle School since 2008. The program has grown from 25 members the first year to 145 in years past. Peer buddies (students without a disability) are matched in one-to-one friendships with a buddy (students with a disability).
Students who are interested in being a peer buddy or associate in Best Buddies must fill out a survey and have two teacher references sheets turned in. Peers must then attend a five-minute interview with Best Buddies Advisors. The interview is to find out what each peer/associate knows about disabilities and their comfort level. We do not want a student to feel scared or uncomfortable around their buddy. If accepted in the program, peers are matched with a buddy with the same interests and grade level when possible.
Matches are required to see each other at least once a week. They have lunch together, see each other outside of school, visit each other classrooms, and attend monthly events. Peer Buddies are required to fill out an online Friendship Update at the end of each month. This lets advisors and program managers know if matches need some support and if they are seeing each other.
Each month, Best Buddies officers and advisors plan an event. Some of the events have been included: crafts, fitness day, painting pumpkins or making ornaments, playing board games, cleaning Hercules Road, movies, and visiting with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Extended School Year (ESY)
ESY (Extended School Year) services are provided to some students that are eligible for special education services. The IEP (Individualized Education Plan) team can recommend ESY services to students that qualify during a student's IEP meeting. There are various ways that students can qualify for these services, but the most common are due to either the child's severity of their disability or when the child shows a significant regression in learned skills following a break in special education services.
Services can include but are not limited to: Speech / Language Therapy, Early Childhood Education, Academic Instructional Programs, and Life Skills / Target (ASD) Programs.
If you would like more information about ESY programs offered in District 200, please contact your child's Case Manager or Special Services Coordinator.
Life Connections
Life Connections Transition Program
Who Qualifies for the Life Connections Transition Program?
- A student who has an IEP
- A student whose IEP team recommends the student for continued services to address transition goals specified within the student’s IEP
- District 200 also outlines that a student who will be entering the program should have met all of their graduation requirements prior to entering Life Connections to ensure they will leave with a high school diploma.
Life Connections is currently a four-tier program designed to meet the needs of our diverse learners. Tier 1 is housed at WNHS and Tiers 2-4 are housed at an off-site location.
The program focuses on the six pillars of transition which include: Post-secondary education, Vocational Education, Integrated Employment, Continuing and Adult Education, Independent Living, and Recreation and Leisure. Students who are in the program participate in vocational training within the school setting and in the community.
Resources
Contact Us
Department of Special Services
112 Grove Street Road
Woodstock, IL 60098
- Phone: 815-337-5146
- Fax: 815-334-3402
Lisa Pearson
Director of Special Services
Email
Janine Weith
Secretary to the Director
Debra Valdez
Special Services Secretary
Julie Jennett
Special Education Coordinator
Kristie Carbajal
Special Education Coordinator
Jamie Zimmerman
Special Education Coordinator
Lindsey Serpe
Speech/Language Pathologist
Melinda Schuldt
Assistive Technology
Joan Layton
Special Education Curriculum Facilitator
Sarah Rieger
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Marylu Bernal
Special Services MIS Data Manager