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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2002
Special Education Plan Sets Five-Year
Goals for Continuous Improvement
Improving the achievement of students with disabilities is
the focus of a Continuous Improvement Plan for Special Education
approved by the State Board of Education Thursday.
The result of a state self-assessment combined with the efforts
of a 50-member State Steering Committee and input gained from
public hearings last October, the plan establishes specific,
measurable objectives for improving state and local efforts
to serve students with disabilities in special education programs.
The Improvement Plan is a required component of the U. S.
Department of Education's (USDE) Office of Special Education
Programs Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process for Illinois.
Illinois receives an annual federal grant of about $300 million
from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
that is contingent upon compliance with federal requirements
covered by the Monitoring Process.
The state self-assessment identified critical issues in special
education and was submitted to the USDE in December 2000.
A steering committee of 50 representatives of parents, teachers,
administrators and others with interests in special education
service delivery reviewed those issues and submitted a draft
improvement plan in Oct. 2001. The subsequent hearings produced
hundreds of comments on the implementation of the IDEA legislation.
The Continuous Improvement Plan for Special Education approved
by the State Board sets the following five-year goals:
Goal 1: Illinois will increase by 4.5 percentage points
per year, the percentage of youth with disabilities who exit
school with a standard diploma (reaching 90% in the year 2007)
and increase employment and/or post-secondary education opportunities.
The baseline is 63% in 1998, the most recent year available.
Goal 2: Illinois will increase by 4.5 percentage points
per year, the number of students with disabilities (3-21)
who are provided Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in general education
classrooms (80% or more of the school day) in the school they
would attend if not disabled. The baseline is 36.4% of students
in December 2000.
Federal law (IDEA) requires that students with qualified
disabilities be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment,
which for many students can be in general education classrooms
with appropriate supports. National statistics indicate that
Illinois had among the lowest rates of students with disabilities
educated in general education classrooms. A child's placement
is determined by an Individualized Education Program developed
by a team of local school officials, with parental participation,
to meet his or her educational needs.
Goal 3: Illinois will increase by one percentage point
per year, starting in 2003, the number of fully-certified
or licensed general and special education teachers, administrators,
and related services personnel who are prepared to provide
FAPE in the Least Restrictive Environment with individualized
supplementary aids and services to students with disabilities.
The baseline is 95.5% of personnel who are fully certified
or licensed.
Goal 4: Illinois will increase the meaningful, effective
involvement of families in the educational process of children
with disabilities as measured by analyses of survey data and
progress from baselines to be established in 2002-2003.
Goal 5: Illinois will have a general supervision and
monitoring system that improves student outcomes, as measured
by a) the percentage of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) monitored
who are identified as being in the lower quartile on a goal
measure, and b) annual progress of monitored LEAs on the Critical
Indicators (e.g., as standardized test data, drop-out rates,
graduation data, etc.).
In presenting the Plan to the Board, State Board staff said
it would "increase accountability for special education
services in Illinois and compel the State Board to use data
in decision making prior to interventions and monitoring."
Expected results of implementing the plan, according to the
staff report, include
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decreasing the dropout rate for students with disabilities;
increasing the percentage of students with disabilities
who participate in the state assessment system.
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increasing the percentage of students with disabilities
who meet or exceed state standards on state tests; and
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decreasing the percentage of students with disabilities
who are suspended or expelled.
Activities under the plan would also help districts improve
services through
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increased training and support from the state;
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increase the involvement of parents in determining appropriate
services for children and in program improvement;
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increase the percentage of fully-certified special education
teachers as well as the percentage of general education
teachers who are prepared to instruct students in the
least restrictive environment; and
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increase collaboration among other state agencies and
higher education institutions on issues addressed by the
plan.
The Plan must be submitted to the U. S. Education Department
for review and approval, and will also be submitted to the
parties in the Corey H. special education lawsuit.
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