Posted: August 09, 2006 by The Edwardsville Intelligencer
When the 2006-07 school year begins, the District 7 Office of Student Services and Special Education will be prepared to accommodate its more than 1,200 special needs students. [Full Story]

An extensive special education program exists for children who are eligible for special education and related services pursuant to the criteria established in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Article 14 of The School Code and their respective implementing regulations. The Board of Education of Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 has adopted policies and procedures relating to behavior interventions for students who are eligible for special education services. All discipline procedures for special education students shall be in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and its implementing regulations.

Identification and Evaluation Procedures A collaborative team is available in each school building as a resource to facilitate the identification, intervention, and evaluation of students experiencing difficulties in the classroom. This team can be accessed by both classroom teachers and parents. The core team is composed of the building principal, a psychologist, social worker, special education teacher, school nurse, and classroom teacher; parents are also invited to participate. If there are special concerns or needs, other school resources and outside agencies can be consulted.

Children having behavioral and/or academic concerns may be brought to the team several times and strategies are implemented and assessed as to their success. In many instances, the team has successfully kept students in the regular education classroom the entire year while continuing collaboration.

If a student meets the district’s IDEA criteria as a student with a disability requiring special education services, an IEP is developed in collaboration with the parent(s). Resources are made available to meet these educational and/or developmental goals. A student’s IEP is reviewed and revised on an annual basis.

Throughout the course of the school year, regular and special education teachers are encouraged to work together to adapt curricular materials for all the students. Special and regular teachers are paid stipends to work as a team before or a�er school to adapt curricular materials. In some cases, substitutes are hired to allow both the regular and special educator to work together during the day on curricular adaptations and modifications. Special and regular educators work closely as team members, which results in meaningful inclusion opportunities for our special education students since all activities are well planned.

We continue to strive to provide the best possible services for our special needs population by training our staff to the greatest extent, always incorporating the best practice when providing instruction, and adhering to the philosophy that all students should have access to the regular education curriculum, whether they are placed in the regular education classroom or in an instructional setting. As always, we continue to work towards helping our students achieve their long-term goals through mastery of the short-term objectives developed by the IEP team. Our students deserve the best possible services, and we do our best to ensure that they receive them.