Referral and Assessment
The school district provides a free, appropriate public education to exceptional students in accordance with state and federal mandates. In order to receive special education services, a student must have a physical or mental disability as identified in the Illinois State Criteria. The disabilities are autism, visual impairment, hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, orthopedic impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay, multiple disabilities, deafness, deaf-blindness, and other health impairment. The disability must adversely impact educational progress and require specially designed instruction.
How to request a special education evaluation
To request a special education evaluation for a student, please use the following guidelines:
For a student between the ages of 3-5, the parent should call the Bonnie McBeth Learning Center Screening Hotline: (815) 577-4114.
For a student in kindergarten through 12th grade, the parent should write a letter to the principal requesting an evaluation.
A teacher, who suspects a disability, may also request a screening or evaluation by the school team.
What happens after a request for an evaluation?
Upon the receipt of a referral, the School Team has 14 school days to decide if an evaluation is warranted or not. If the School Team determines that an assessment is not warranted, the referring person will receive written notice that an assessment will not be completed and the reasons for the determination of that conclusion.
If the School Team determines that an assessment is warranted, the team will conduct a Domain Review, also called Identification of Needed Assessments, to help determine if the child needs Special Education Services. The school team must assess the child in all areas of a suspected disability. The areas considered in this review may include Academic Achievement, Functional Performance, Health, Hearing, Vision, Cognitive Functioning, Social/Emotional Status, Communication Status, and Motor Abilities. The Domain Review consists of:
A review of the existing information about the student
Identifying what additional evaluation data is needed in each of the relevant areas
Identifying the evaluation source of where the needed information should be gathered
The School Team must have written consent from the parent/guardian before the evaluation can be conducted. The educational team has 60 school days, from the date the parents provided consent, to complete the evaluation.
What will happen when the evaluation is completed?
A meeting will be held to review the results of the evaluation. At the meeting, the team will review the evaluation results and determine if the student meets the criteria to receive special education and related services. Parents will be provided a copy of the evaluation reports, paperwork, and recommendations. If the student meets eligibility criteria, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed. An IEP is a written document of the educational program designed to meet the student's needs and is developed by the team.