Support Services

Blended Preschool Classroom

The blended classroom serves both tuition paying typically developing students and students who are placed in the program in order to receive their special education services. Students can register for the tuition paying spaces through the Bloomingdale Park District and must reside within the Bloomingdale Park District boundaries. The blended classroom meets for 2 1/2 hours a day with a morning and afternoon session.  The class is in attendance on all school days with the exception of one day a month when parent outreach activities are offered.

Resource Program

Within the regular school setting there are some students who need extra support to be successful. These students may be learning disabled, behavior disordered, have attention deficit disorder, or have any combination of these disabilities. The resource program is the place where these students can receive the academic support they need.

Testing procedures are necessary for students to qualify for the program. Individualized goals and objectives are written and provided for each student who qualifies.

Inclusion/Instructional Support

District 13 provides inclusion services for students who meet the criteria. Inclusion is the practice of placing children with disabilities in the general education classroom with appropriate support and curriculum adaptations. The inclusion facilitator is responsible for the majority of these adaptations. For a student to receive inclusion services, they must qualify to receive special education services for more than 50% of the school day.

District 13 also provides instructional support services for students who meet the criteria. Instructional support provides direct instruction at the student’s instructional level for selected subjects for more than 50% of the school day.

Speech-Language Program

The speech and language skills of all children, like their reading or writing ability, follow different patterns of development. When a child’s speech deviates from what is considered average and calls attention to itself, speech and/or language therapy may be necessary.

During the school year, a speech-language screening is given to kindergartners, new students, preschoolers and those referred by classroom teachers or parents. If a communication disorder is identified through an evaluation and affects the student’s performance in the classroom, he/she is eligible to receive speech-language therapy. A speech or language disorder includes the following:

1. Articulation – a student may omit or distort sounds or substitute easier sounds for more difficult ones.

2. Language - a student may have difficulty understanding and using language to express his/her ideas. Vocabulary and sentence structure may be inappropriate for his/her age or grade level.

3. Voice – a student’s voice may be too high or too low in pitch, be too loud or too soft in volume, or have a harsh, hoarse or nasal quality.

4. Fluency – a student may have difficulty maintaining a smooth flow of speech while speaking. His/her speech may contain repetitions of words or sounds, a prolonging of the first sound in a word or strained silent vocal blocks.

Students generally receive speech-language therapy on an individual basis or in a small group anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes a week, depending on the severity of the problem.

Itinerant Special Education Services

The following special education services are available through the North DuPage Special Education Cooperative: vision, hearing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioral, and educational testing by a school psychologist. If students need these services, then appropriate personnel from NDSEC are scheduled to work with students.

English Language Learners

Bloomingdale District 13 offers a transitional program of instruction to support our learners who are acquiring English as a second language. Included in the registration process is a language survey which determines the eligibility process. Parents will be notified of the eligibility determination and provided information related to potential refusal of services. (6:160)

English Language Learners (ELL) are for students who are in kindergarten through eighth grade whose first language is not English or who come from a home where a language other than English is spoken.

The purpose of ELL is to help the student acquire English in a nonthreatening, nurturing environment so that he/she can work to his/her potential in school.

Potential students are screened upon entry to the district. If he/she scores below the established minimum of English proficiency, the child is placed in the ELL program.

Using a variety of materials and methods, the ELL teacher meets with small groups of students two to four times a week for sessions ranging from 30-45 minutes. At the end of the school year (or earlier if appropriate) the students are retested for possible ELL graduation. Students may be in the program for as little as 6 months or as long as 4 years.

Social Work Services

The social worker is responsible for several integral functions:

1. Providing individual social work services for regular and special education students (both long- term and short-term).

2. Providing group social work services for regular and special education students (both long-term and short-term).

3. Coordinating and running staffing meetings.

4. Obtaining consent for case study evaluations and completing social developmental study component for case study evaluations.

5. Providing whole class instruction on topics, such as social skills and decision-making.

Individual social work services are provided for students when there is a need to address an emotional or social concern, which is impacting the student’s ability to learn and achieve in the education setting. Topics addressed include recent trauma i.e., divorce, loss, illness, relocation, excessive emotional stress, limited social skills, and more severe emotional dysfunction diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist. Referrals are generated by a variety of sources, i.e., teacher, parent, administrative staff members, or pupil support staff members. Social work services can be short-term i.e., once weekly for 3-10 weeks or an ongoing support i.e., weekly sessions for 1 or more years. If the agenda involves ongoing support, there are often times when a small (2-4 students) group is used to enhance social skills and social supports. Students view social work sessions as a place to work on their problem(s), problem solve, receive support and gain skills and clarity, and to help them deal with their stressors.

Small groups are offered at each grade level to address topics that students deal with, such as friendship skills, conflict resolution skills, stress management skills and skills for making adequate social and behavioral choices.

Co-Teaching Information

In District 13 we use a wide variety of instructional delivery models to meet the needs of our students. Some of those include whole group instruction, small group instruction, cooperative learning, and individual instruction. One relatively new instructional model that is incorporated in our schools is the co-teaching model. In this structure two certified staff members work with the same group of students to provide all aspects of instruction in a curriculum content area. These aspects include the planning and delivery of instruction, the assessment of student learning and parent communication.  Typically co-teaching pairs include a general education teacher and a specialist.

Those specialists could be a reading specialist, English Language Learner teacher, special education teacher or acceleration teacher. Expectations for student learning remain high as well as the commitment to meet the needs of each student.

The Accelerated Program

The Accelerated Program provides services for students who have been identified using the following criteria: data, learner characteristics, and classroom performance. Data is based on local population and is used to create a learner profile that consists of five pieces of data from MAP and OLSAT. Based on this data, Z-scores are calculated and are used in the identification process.

In grades 3-5, services are provided for identified students in the areas of reading and mathematics in the regular classroom through cluster grouping. Along with differentiated instruction that occurs in the classroom, pull-out sessions may be scheduled by a member of the Accelerated team. Differentiated instruction occurs in the areas of reading and mathematics that parallels and extends grade level standards and is based on student readiness levels determined through pre-assessments, classroom observations, and MAP data. For more information about the District’s Accelerated Placement Program, see Board Policy 6:135. 

McKinney-Vento
Students who are homeless are provided equal access to the district's educational programs in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Act and state law.  District procedures are intended to remove barriers to enrollment that those students face.  In addition, the district has designated a liaison for students who are homeless.  The liaison coordinates services to facilitate the enrollment of children that are homeless and the provision of opportunities for academic success.  The current liaison is:  Samia Hefferan, Special Education Coordinator.  She can be reached at 630-561-5036 or via email at shefferan@sd13.org.

Education of Children with Disabilities
The School District shall provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment and necessary related services to all children with disabilities enrolled in the District, as required by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and implementing provisions of The School Code, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans With Disabilities Act.  The term “children with disabilities,” as used in this policy, means children between ages 3 and 21 (inclusive) for whom it is determined, through definitions and procedures described in the Illinois State Board of Education’s Special Education rules, that special education services are needed.  Children with disabilities who turn 22 years old during the school year are eligible for such services through the end of the school year. Contact the District Office for additional information about the identification, evaluation, placement, and services for students with disabilities. See Board Policy 6:120 for more information.

It is the intent of the District to ensure that students who are disabled within the definition of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are identified, evaluated, and provided with appropriate educational services. Students may be disabled within the meaning of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act even though they do not require services pursuant to the IDEA. For students eligible for services under IDEA, the District shall follow procedures for identification, evaluation, placement, and delivery of services to children with disabilities provided in the Illinois State Board of Education’s Special Education rules.  For those students who are not eligible for services under IDEA, but, because of disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, need or are believed to need special instruction or related services, the District shall establish and implement a system of procedural safeguards. The safeguards shall cover students’ identification, evaluation, and educational placement.  This system shall include notice, an opportunity for the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to examine relevant records, an impartial hearing with opportunity for participation by the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s), representation by counsel, and a review procedure.Students with disabilities or a medical condition that require a service animal shall not be prohibited from having their animals in the classroom.The District may maintain membership in one or more cooperative associations of school districts that shall assist the District in fulfilling its obligations to the District’s students with disabilities.

If necessary, students may also be placed in nonpublic special education programs or education facilities. (6:120)