Student Services

Overview

Community Unit District 95 offers a continuum of special education services to meet the unique educational needs of the three to five year old students with disabilities. A range of available services is designed in compliance with the federal and state guidelines supporting the least restrictive environment in which services can be provided.

Preschool Screening & Referrals

Community Unit School District 95 conducts developmental preschool screenings several times a year for children ages three through five. Children are screened in the developmental areas of Language Development, Fine and Gross Motor Development, Concept Development, and Vision and Hearing. For those children who are identified during the screening process as being at risk for learning and/or behavioral difficulties, a Domain Meeting may be scheduled for the IEP Team, including the parents/guardians, to meet together to discuss and determine how to best respond to the concerns observed during the screening process. Visit the Preschool Screening section on this page for more information.

Children currently in Early Intervention Programs (birth-to-three years old)

A child may also be eligible to receive Early Childhood or other related special services as the child ages out of Child and Family Connections or another Early Intervention program. As the child enrolled in Child and Family Connections' Early Intervention program approaches the age of three, Child and Family Connections contacts District 95 and a transition plan is established among the early intervention agency, District 95 and the parents/guardians, in order to provide appropriate services without interruption when the child turns three.

Children transferring from another school district

The Early Childhood Education team reviews records and meets with the family of the preschool child who has participated in Early Childhood Education services in another district and is transferring to District 95. After the family establishes district residency, the existing IEP is reviewed and implemented as written by the previous district. Further assessment and changes may be recommended at the initial IEP meeting.

Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 provides a continuum of services based on students individual needs. These services are provided through a variety of program options including consultative services, resource services and instructional level services at all age levels. We have Instructional Cross-Categorical classrooms that focus on students with academic needs, social-emotional needs, multiple needs, and needs that may fall on the Autism Spectrum. These services are available to students at all levels if needed. All service decisions are team driven.

Extended School Year (ESY) is defined as special education and related services that are provided to a child with a disability beyond the normal school year of the public agency in accordance with the child’s IEP and at no cost to the parents of the child. Eligibility for ESY services is determined by the student’s IEP team members, which includes parents. Teams 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. 

For more information on ESY, please see the Communication on Extended School Year Services provided by the Illinois State Board of Education. 

Transition Services as defined in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (P.L. 101-476) is a "coordinated set of activities for a student designed within an outcome-oriented process, that promotes movement from school to post school activities, including post secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living or community participation."

Transition planning becomes formalized when the child reaches age 14½ and a Transition Planning document is added to the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of the Transition Plan is to initiate a process of assisting in the movement from school to an adult life style based on the individual's needs.

The transition program focuses on the development of those skills needed for the implementation of an individual's plan for adult life. This plan is identified in transition planning conferences and includes the student, parents, school and other service providers. Major components of the program include vocational training, life skills training, personal advocacy training, social and survival skills education and parent education.

Students eligible for special education services, may need specific services in order to meet their individual education needs. As determined by a student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) the following related services may be provided.

What is Assistive Technology (AT)?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004, provides a legal  definition of AT. The definition at 34 C.F.R. § 300.5 reads as follows:

"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 the functional capabilities of a child with a disability…"(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401 (1)).

What does this mean?

This basically means anything that you can purchase, modify or create that allows students to access the curriculum. There is assistive technology for all academic areas including: reading, math, organization, writing, communication, computer access, access to materials, and aids for daily living. It can be anything from a simple, low tech device such as a pencil grip, to a complex, high tech device, such as a dynamic display communication system.

Who Can Benefit from AT?

AT is considered at least annually for students who have IEP or 504 plans. However, any student can benefit from AT depending on their learning needs.

District 95 has AT tools that are available for all students to support reading and writing skills. Co:Writer Universal and Snap&Read Universal are programs that any student can access both at school and at home. Co:Writer Universal provides word prediction support, including topic dictionaries that provide vocabulary support on specific topics. This program is available on iPads, Chromebooks and laptops. Snap&Read Universal is a text reader and text leveler that enables students to listen to text on laptops and Chromebooks. Links to more information about these tools, as well as video tutorials, can be found under Resources on this page.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

In an effort to support the communication skills of our students in the Early Childhood and Social Communication classrooms, we have adopted a universal approach to AAC (augmentative and alternative communication). AAC includes all forms of communication other than verbal speech, including gesture, facial expression, pictures, symbols, and writing. For students with complex communication needs, use of communication boards/books or devices that produce voice output can be used to enhance communication.

Each classroom in the Early Childhood program and the Social Communication program has low tech core vocabulary boards accessible for all students. In addition, iPads are available with the TouchChat HD AAC with WordPower communication application. Teachers and staff use these iPads to provide language modeling for students. If teachers observe a positive change in communication from a student when AAC is being utilized, parents will be contacted, and an informed consent form will be sent home to parents to initiate a trial. An intervention planning form will be completed by the student's team, data will be gathered regarding response to aided language input provided with TouchChat, and results will be reviewed with parents and the team. If 1:1 AAC is indicated, the team will hold a domains, eligibility, and IEP meeting that incorporates the AAC trial results. AAC will then be implemented across school and home environments per the student's IEP.

Overview

If a student attends a private or parochial school or is home schooled within the boundaries of District 95, he or she is eligible for consideration for a special education evaluation and services in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). IDEA 2004-Section 612 requires each public school district to utilize a portion of its Federal Part B special education funds in order to provide students with disabilities, who attend private schools within the boundaries of the district, the opportunity to equitably participate in special education and services offered by the district. When there is reason to believe that a student may have a disability requiring special education and related services, the student can be referred for a special education evaluation.

Students who attend private schools receive an Individual Service Plan (ISP) if they are found eligible for special education services.

Timely and Meaningful Consultation

Each year, District 95 invites all recognized private/parochial school officials and known parents of homeschooled students to attend a meeting at the District Administrative Office in which information about plans for working with students with disabilities in the upcoming school year are discussed. This meeting is called the Timely and Meaningful Consultation (TMC).

Parents of students attending a private or parochial school or students who are home-schooled and need further information regarding evaluation and/or services  should contact the Student Services Office at 847-540-7060 for any additional questions.

ISBE Guidance on Proportionate Share