ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Special Education Services in Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205

By: Kevin Rubenstein

The Student Journey of Excellence, the District’s strategic planning framework, envisions students who are educated, engaged, and empowered to be College, Career, and Life Ready. That includes the more than 1,400 students with disabilities who are served by the District’s special education programs. “I look at the strategic plan and recognize that it includes every student - not just those who are high achieving or who speak well. It also includes those students who need a bit of extra support or specialized instruction. Those are the students we serve in special education and the Journey of Excellence certainly calls that out,” said Dr. Kevin Rubenstein, the District’s Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. Rubenstein oversees efforts to ensure that every student experiences a high quality, nurturing, and inclusive learning environment that supports their unique needs so that every learner has an opportunity to thrive.

Governed by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special education services are available to students who have one or more disabilities and who require specialized instruction. Beginning on a child’s third birthday and continuing through the age of 22, special education services allow a student to receive intensive instruction aligned to individualized goals. While many of these services were once offered outside of the general education setting, more than 70% of the District’s students with disabilities attend general education settings for the vast majority of their day. From basic reading skill support to more extensive behavior, speech and language, or occupational therapy services, the District provides services based on the individualized needs of each student. Those

1

Beginning developmental

0491). Once Center. “We Early Childhood ensure that we Early intervention help prevent or needs are articulated with the parents and guardians of students with disabilities at an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meeting - something that occurs at least once per year to set goals and review services. “IEP meetings really help to drive what we do with every student in our program and make sure that services are tailored to the individual student,” said Dr. Skip Kumm, Assistant Director of Special Education for the District.

Special education services in the District assist the District in their commitment to graduating students who are College, Career, and Life ready. Said Rubenstein, “every student with a disability gives us a unique opportunity to serve and support so that they can reach further than they thought was possible.” Several trends have emerged during the recent years which drive what is happening in special education and student services across the district:

1. Early Intervention Provides Strong Success

2. Strong Parent and Family Partnerships

3. Highly Qualified Team Members

2Strong Parent

For the last several special education of Special Education for EC-5 and so we have worked hard now provided Facilitated IEP practice which starts with the noted, “the feedback has been partner with teachers and other we implemented this strategy. programming for parents of

3 District and learning, students work Special Education based practices