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INSIDE
Illinois Association of School Business Officials UPDATE Magazine / Summer 2020 / v.27 / i.04
NON-TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS ISSUE
Scalable Solutions
THE NEXT ISSUE: CASH MANAGEMENT
Going with the Flow: Your Cash Management Strategy
for Unique Learning Environments Flexible, unique learning environments sound appealing, but what exactly does this mean, and in challenging fiscal times… what could they cost? Cover Story by Peggy Hoffman
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Visit ISSUU.com and search for Illinois ASBO.
Exploring Best Practices in Early Learning: One Teacher’s
Journey Through the Land of the Littles Follow an early educator’s journey to learn best practices for inclusion, play, parent involvement, the learning environment and more. By Jill Rafter
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PERSPECTIVE
FROM-THE-PODIUM
A Time to Reflect on What’s Really Important. 07
Learn about procedural changes that were implemented for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in FY20, additional changes that will take place going into FY21 as well as other tips, best practices and important timelines. By Julie Jilek and Tammy Greco
20
FROM-THE-OFFICE
The Future of Non-Traditional Programs is Now. 09
FROM-THE-FIELD
Leadership, Learning & Service as a SAAC Member. 11
SCHOOL BUSINESS 101
Your Building as a Teaching Tool Learn how Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125 renovated a school to reflect what they are teaching so their students could learn from how their school was constructed. By Sean Carney
Creative Solutions in Crisis: How districts are adjusting their programs amidst COVID-19. 19
30 Creative Use
of School Food Service Programs School food programs are now offering expanded options a wide variety of services that are a win-win for the district and community. By Coletta Hines-Newell
34
In order for school districts to maximize reimbursement for high-cost students with disabilities, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the eligibility, claim and reimbursement processes. By Julie Jilek and Reiley Straub
RESOURCES
38
Transforming Transportation Through Technology Learn how Harlem CSD 122 created a software solution that prioritizes student safety in transportation while creating a better driving experience for school bus drivers. By Joshua Aurand and Don West
42
ON MY LIST
Learn to how to uncover what students may not say out loud in this book review from R.J. Gravel III, Ed.D. of Glenbrook HSD 225. 45
The Final Word Reiley Straub
Dir./Business & Operations North DuPage Special Ed. Co-Op (NDSEC) Reiley is a leader in a cooperative that supports collaboration through a culture of involvement, communication and respect. She believes the biggest challenge in special education is ability to deliver education and related services through a distance learning model.
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THE MAGA ZINE Illinois Association of School Business Officials
CALENDAR OF
Northern Illinois University, IA-103 108 Carroll Avenue DeKalb, IL 60115-2829 P: (815) 753-1276 / F: (815) 516-0184 / www.iasbo.org
EVENTS
UPDATE Editorial Advisory Board
Check out www.iasbo.org for the latest Calendar of Events included in the UPDATE mailing to see full seminar listings including location, PDC sponsorship and registration information.
June 2020
July 2020
S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
S 28 5 12 19 26 2
Date
Time
6/17/20
8:30am
6/17/20
M 29 6 13 20 27 3
August 2020
T W T F S 39 1 2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 31 1 4 5 6 7 8
S 26 2 9 16 23 30
M 27 3 10 17 24 31
T 28 4 11 18 25 1
September 2020
W 29 5 12 19 26 2
T 30 6 13 20 27 3
F S 31 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29 4 5
Event
Learning From Lincoln: Leadership Prac. for School Success AAC #1098
S 30 6 13 20 27 4
M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10
Location Napeville
8:00am
School District Auditing Webinar
Online
6/29/20
1:00pm
Presidents’ Cup Golf Tournament
Aurora
7/14/20
9:00am
Support Professionals Half-Day Seminar
Naperville
7/16/20
1:00pm
PDC Networking Meeting
Glen Ellyn
7/21/20
9:00am
ISDLAF+ School Finance Seminar
Online
to
8:00am
Emerging SBO Summit
Online
9/10/20
TBD
9/23/20
8:00am
9/23/20
8:30am
6/30/20
7/22/20 7/23/20
10/1/20 10/2/20
6:00pm
Presidents’ Gala Facilities Operations Program: Essentials of Facilities Management
Support Professionals Full Day Seminar 2020 Illinois ASBO Member Only Event
(in conjuction w/ASBOI Annual Conference)
Lisle Arlington Heights Naperville Nashville
to
8:00am
ASBO International Annual Conference & Expo
Nashville
10/14/20
9:00am
Delegate Advisory Assembly
Naperville
10/5/20
10/21/20 11/3/20 to
11/5/20
8:00am 8:00am
Facilities Operations Program: Essentials of Maintenance Operations
2020 IASBO Annual Conference
Arlington Heights Peoria
PDC MEMBERS Ryan Berry Legal Issues Yasmine Dada Principles of School Finance Todd Dugan Technology James T. Fitton Budgeting & Financial Planning Raoul J. Gravel III, Ed.D. Communications Stephen R. Johns Ed.D. Planning & Construction Stacey L. Mallek Accounting, Auditing & Financial Reporting Patrick McDermott Ed.D., SFO, RSBA Public Policy, Advocacy & Intergovernmental Relations Thomas M. Parrillo Purchasing Sherry L. Reynolds-Whitaker Ed.D. Human Resource Management Brian Rominski CPMM, CPS Maintenance & Operations Anthony Ruelli Leadership Development Michael J. Schroeder Transportation Lyndl A. Schuster Ed.D. Sustainability Steven J. Smidl Special Education: Administration & Finance Mark E. Staehlin Cash Management, Investments & Debt Management Justin D. Veihman Risk Management Laura L. Vince Food Service BOARD & EXTERNAL RELATIONS MEMBERS Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. President Terence M. Fielden SAAC Chair STAFF MEMBERS Michael Jacoby Executive Director / CEO (815) 753-9366, mjacoby@iasbo.org Susan P. Bertrand Deputy Executive Director / COO (815) 753-9368, sbertrand@iasbo.org Craig Collins Statewide Professional Development Coordinator, (630) 442-9203, ccollins@iasbo.org Rebekah L. Weidner Senior Copywriter / Content Strategist, (815) 753-9270, rweidner@iasbo.org Stacia Freeman Graphic Designer (815) 753-9393, sfreeman@iasbo.org Kevin Nelligan Graphic Designer (815) 753-7654, knelligan@iasbo.org Laura M. Turnroth Communications Coordinator (815) 753-4313, lturnroth@iasbo.org
Illinois ASBO Board of Directors Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. President Mark W. Altmayer President-Elect Jan J. Bush Treasurer Cathy L. Johnson Immediate Past President 2017–20 Board of Directors Mark R. Bertolozzi, Kevin L. Dale, Eric DePorter 2018–21 Board of Directors Seth Chapman, Ed.D., Angela M. Crotty, Ed.D., Adam P. Parisi 2019–22 Board of Directors Maureen A. Jones, Tamara L. Mitchell, Nicole Stuckert
Illinois ASBO Board Liaisons
Terence M. Fielden, Service Associate Advisory Committee Chair Lisa Yefsky, Service Associate Advisory Committee Vice Chair Deborah I. Vespa ISBE Board Liaison Perry Hill IASB Board Liaison David Wood Governmental Relations Specialist Calvin C. Jackson Legislative Liaison
Privacy Policy
All materials contained within this publication are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed or published without the prior written permission of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. References, authorship or information provided by parties other than that which is owned by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.
For a Complete Listing of Summer Events Visit: www.iasbo.org/events/calendar
PERSPECTIVE / Board President
FROM–THE–PODIUM A Time to Reflect on What’s Really Important Welcome to the Summer 2020 UPDATE! To begin, thank you to all the authors who have shared their time, energy and expertise to make this content available to us all as a great resource supporting what we do for our districts and the kids we serve. It is this level of commitment and sharing with our colleagues that truly sets Illinois ASBO apart as a leader in professional development. I also want to send a big thank you to all of our membership as we have come together to provide leadership across the state during the COVID-19 experience. It has been so inspiring to see the high level of collaboration between members learning together during the shelter in place! Way to go!
Dean T. Romano, Ed.D.
ASST. SUPT./ BUSSINESS SERVICES GENEVA CUSD 304
Preparing for this UPDATE edition, it seemed so ironic that the focus was on “Non-Traditional Programs” as we have all been working long hours focused on non-traditional everything! I would encourage you to spend some time with the content herein. SIMPLY SAYING
The decision to reschedule our Annual Conference provides us all with more time to remain engaged in our CLARITY goals and see even more accomplishment. CLARITY Check-in… Within my last “From the Podium” I stated that it would be my last opportunity to connect with everyone prior to the big unveiling of all the achievements that CLARITY had brought our membership at the Annual Conference… and then COVID-19 happened. Our subsequent decision to reschedule our Annual Conference to November 3-5 now provides us all with more time to remain engaged in our clarity goals and see even more accomplishment. If you are anything like me, this historic pandemic experience has certainly created time filled with reflection on what is truly important. Within my own clarity experience, I have found that I am actually doubling down on my goals and focus as a result of these COVID-19 experiences.
I hope you have continued to find value in the CLARITY conversation throughout the year. From weight loss, to project achievements, to vacations, to professional growth, to relationships and even new family additions, finding your own CLARITY can make things happen! I cannot wait to hear the success stories and meet the future you in Peoria in November! If you have a success that you would like to share or if I can encourage and support you personally, PLEASE reach out to me as I would be excited to support you as you strive to become the vision of your best self.
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Emerging
S OFFICIA ES L N
SBO SUMMIT
INOIS ILL A
IATION OC of SS
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OL BU HO SI SC
July 22-23, 2020 ONLINE
Join Illinois ASBO for this virtual conference dedicated to giving those who are new to the school business profession the tools they need to be successful! Emerge with new resources in the field and gain an expanded professional network.
Attend yourself or recommended a colleague!
REGISTRATION IS
OPEN!
Visit www.iasbo.org/emergingsbo to register!
PERSPECTIVE / Executive Director
FROM–THE–OFFICE The Future of Non-Traditional Programs is Now The focus of this UPDATE issue is non-traditional programs. Could this be more on point given the shift to remote learning across all of Illinois? For years I have wondered if we would ever break the mold and move education out of the “bricks and mortar” we commonly think of when we say “school.” Well, with COVID-19 thrust upon our society a change has begun to take place that could have potential to be permanent in some ways. Already, many districts had adopted a one-to-one device policy in order to expand learning in the classroom and in the home. Who would have thought that for several months in 2020, online teaching would emerge in the way it has? Now we have a new equity problem. Students in districts with deeply established technology were able to step into the online learning world and students in districts with scant resources have struggled.
Micheal A. Jacoby, Ed.D., CAE,SFO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ CEO ILLINOIS ASBO
SIMPLY SAYING
With COVID-19 thrust upon our society a change has begun to take place that could have potential to be permanent in some ways. In the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula, we advocated for one-to-one technology to be the standard in the Adequacy Target calculation. It was somewhat amazing to me that this became a point of disagreement as we went through the process to bring EBF across the finish line. I heard things like, “two or three to one is sufficient.” or, “technology is an add-on, not a critical part of the educational process.” Can you imagine? What would they say now as students either have the technology to be taught online, or they do not? In the end, a compromise was reached in the EBF. For Tier 1 and Tier 2 schools, the Adequacy Target includes the per pupil cost to implement and support a one-to-one program. For Tier 3 and Tier 4 schools, they only get half the amount. Some thought that those schools probably already had one-to-one programs because they were funded to at least
90 percent of their Adequacy Target. However, that seemed like a compromise that was ill conceived at the time and even more so now. The Adequacy Target should be the same for every child and only differ if the children have differing needs!
Perhaps this is something that the Professional Review Panel can review in the future. Or, would you agree with me that the future is now?
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Illinois ASBO Presidents’ Gala Save the Date!
Thursday, September 10, 2020 The Morton Arboretum Join fellow Illinois ASBO members to network, enjoy the scenery and support the Illinois ASBO Foundation! Get inspired by the legacy of Illinois ASBO leaders at this annual celebration of the school business profession.
S OFFICIA ES L N
INOIS ILL A
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Special Thanks to Our Partners:
Founded by Educators for Educators
IATION OC of SS
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PERSPECTIVE / SAAC Chair
FROM–THE–FIELD Leadership, Learning & Service as a SAAC Member This is my final article that I will write as Chair of the Service Associate Advisory Committee (SAAC). My experience in the role has been enjoyable and offered real insight into serving Illinois ASBO as a leader. Leaders are constantly learning while teaching those who they influence. My wife and I’s oldest child is now a special education teacher in Plainfield and we are so proud that she has become a leader, through her role as a teacher, straight out of college and will influence learning within her given environment, the classroom.
Terence M. Fielden
DIR./K-12 EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTORS, INC.
A safe, stable and comfortable learning environment is a critical aspect that enables teachers to instruct effectively. The real challenge is finding the right tools to do so based on available funding. I hope this issue of the UPDATE will provide some food for thought to give our primary educational leaders improved environments for effective instruction.
SIMPLY SAYING
Ultimately, leaders create the environment for learning through their actions and responsiveness to the underlying needs for learning. Money is a tool that is always in short supply. Remember that strong educators can mimic the success from enhanced learning environments by applying those same core lessons within their available funding. Ultimately, educators create the environment for learning through their actions and responsiveness to the underlying needs for learning. These strong education leaders move to create the best learning environments available within their resources. Leaders will not stop at “I can’t afford that;” they find a way to make learning more productive. I applied three times for SAAC and still I entered service without really understanding the full nature of the role. I am very blessed to have served as chair and I now know that serving as a SAAC member is about continuing to
build a relational environment of learning between the Illinois ASBO membership and Service Associates. Each side of the organization needs the other for success and relationships should always come first as we seek the best for all students. Lisa Yefsky will be the next chair, and a word of advice, she is very fond of donuts. Donuts are always a great gateway for relationships. I look forward to the next phase of my Illinois ASBO journey as a Past SAAC Chair with great anticipation!
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CONTRIBUTORS
Assistant Superintendent Harlem USD 122
Joshua Aurand
Asst. Supt./Business Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125
Sean Carney
Tammy Greco
Currently serves as the Treasurer for the Parks Chamber of Commerce and is a part of a number of other professional organizations, such as ASBO International and Illinois ASBO. He was the recipient of the Lighthouse Award in 2019 for his work on a transportation app.
Was a teacher for 15 years at HSD 125 before making the jump to administration. During his teaching tenure, he served on numerous committees committed to transforming the manner in which education is delivered. Sean is an active contributor to Illinois ASBO as a presenter, writer and committee member.
Tammy has worked with ISBE for over 10 years and has experience with IDEA Part B grants, Title 1 and 21st Century Community Learning grants.
josh.aurand@harlem122.org
scarney@d125.org
tgreco@isbe.net
Coletta Hines-Newell
Peggy Hoffmann, IIDA, LEED AP, REFP
Supervisor for Special Education Services Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
Julie Jilek
Dir./Food Service Arlington Heights SD 25
Principal FGM Architects
Assistant Superintendent, CSBO Northwest Suburban Spec. Ed. Org.
Is a Past President of the Illinois School Nutrition Association and currently serves on the National Legislative Committee. Coletta was one of the founding members of the Northern Illinois Independent Purchasing Cooperative, a 74-district strong buying group.
For more than 25 years, Peggy has specialized in the design of educational interiors for PK-12 schools, motivated by the belief that design can positively impact the experience and success of students and educators.
Has worked in the field of education for over 30 years, with her entire career focusing on the education of students with special needs. Since completing the CSBO program at NIU in 2001, Julie has worked as a CSBO for Special Education Cooperatives for the past 15 years.
chinesnewell@sd25.org
peggyh@fgmarchitects.com
jjilek@nsseo.org
Jill Rafter
Reiley Straub
Donald West
Early Childhood Teacher Palos CCSD 118
Dir./Business & Operations North DuPage Special Ed. Co-Op (NDSEC)
Dir./Transportation Harlem USD 122
Has been working as a special education teacher since 2002 with students of all grade levels, but loves teaching preschool. She graduated from University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and holds Master's Degrees... in Curriculum and Instruction as well as Educational Leadership.
Chair of the Illinois ASBO Special Education Administration & Finance PDC and faculty member of the Leadership Center, Reiley is starting her 5th year in her current position at NDSEC. She earned her Master’s in School Business Management from NIU.
Prior to starting his position at Harlem USD 122 in 2013, Don has held various positions in school transportation since 1994. He is a Past President for the Illinois Association of Pupil Transportation and is an active member of the community.
jrafter@palos118.org
rstraub@ndsec.org
donald.west@harlem122.org
Would you like to be an UPDATE Contributor? UPDATE articles are brainstormed and solicited through the Illinois ASBO Editorial Advisory Board. If you have an issue you feel needs to be brought to the forefront, present your ideas to Rebekah Weidner at rweidner@iasbo.org.
The issue themes that we will be soliciting articles for next year include:
• Operations • Legal Issues • Facilities & Sustainability • School Finance & Budgeting We look forward to seeing new faces on this page as we continue to make the UPDATE an indispensable resource for school business management.
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Exploring Best Practices in Early Learning
One Teacher’s Journey Through the Land of the Littles
ARTICLE
By Jill Rafter
EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER PALOS CCSD 118
As I looked around my new classroom, I was overwhelmed by how small everything seemed. I had spent the last twelve years teaching older students with special needs, but I have always believed that significant change can lead to profound learning. My new journey was about to begin as an early childhood special education teacher, and I felt a nervous excitement and a sense of honor to be the teacher to welcome our youngest learners to their first school experience. Blocks, puzzles and fine motor toys filled the worn wooden shelves. A pretend kitchen, small chairs and short tables were spread across the space and one large alphabet carpet lay in the center of the timeworn tile floor. At this point in my career, I did not know the research behind the significant impact that environments have on learning; however, I knew in my heart that a warm, organized space with enticing learning materials was important to ignite the love of learning in our young scholars. I needed my students to love to come to school. The amount of fun, learning and relationship building that occurred in that first classroom was immeasurable, but I knew that I wanted more for my students. I started my early learning experience in a self-contained special education classroom. We found a short amount of time each day to meet up with general education peers, but our classrooms were on opposite ends of the school and inclusive activities were minimal. We followed different curriculums, had separate classroom parties and experienced limited collaboration time. Everyone was doing what they believed was best in their own program, but we knew we needed to grow into a more inclusive family. Under strong leadership from our superintendent, and immense support from our administrators, school board, community and early learning team, we set out on a journey to build an Early Learning Center. Our goal was to embrace and facilitate our core belief of helping all students reach their full potential and become confident, adaptive and productive life-long learners. When planning for the new Early Learning Center, we focused on creating a physical environment to facilitate student independence, embrace an inclusive philosophy and maximize both student engagement and teacher collaboration.
Our goal was to embrace and facilitate our core belief of helping all students reach their full potential and become confident, adaptive and productive life-long learners. The Benefits of Inclusion
Following completion of the Early Learning Center in 2018, we had four general education classes for students identified with risk factors, and four self-contained classes for students with special needs. We knew that it was time to reflect on our inclusive philosophy and make some changes. We decided that many of the supports that we had in place in the special education program could be delivered in the general education classrooms. My position as a special education teacher changed from teaching in a self-contained classroom to co-teaching with general education teachers in their classrooms. My co-teachers and I met with students’ IEP teams to revisit placement options and to add special education and therapy supports in the general education environment. As a self-contained special education teacher, I prided myself on the structured learning environment, small class
size and high level of supports I was able to provide for my students, but I asked myself “How can I challenge myself to provide these effective supports in a more inclusive environment?” The joint position statement of the Division of Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children states that “the desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high-quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation and supports.” Since we had carefully planned our new spaces, access to the general education classrooms and learning materials
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was easy for us. Our play-based curriculum fosters participation and integrated therapies with individualized supports. As I collaborated with my co-teachers, we discussed strategies to model and encourage participation while embracing the ability differences of all of our students. The art of scaffolding support through guided play has helped us provide individualized intervention and monitor student progress. “Inclusion is a natural extension of an early childhood philosophy that embraces diversity and celebrates individual differences… All children can benefit from their ability–diverse peers.”
peers, materials and teachers to build physical, socialemotional, language and cognitive skills. Engagement and multisensory materials are purposefully chosen for each center to encourage exploration. Curriculum, materials and schedules are thoughtfully planned to help young learners maintain attention, practice self-regulation strategies and strengthen social-emotional and problem-solving skills.
Providing a Predictable Schedule
In addition to following best practices for students with special needs, we wanted to increase our family involvement. At least eight times per school year, we plan a family activity. We invite family members on our field trips and plan program-wide parties hosted in our gross motor area so that families can meet each other, visit our learning spaces and participate in learning activities with their children. Welcoming families into our learning spaces helps us make connections with our families that will lead to stronger learning opportunities for our students.
Providing a predictable schedule with a combination of large and small group activities, indoor and outdoor opportunities and rich play experiences can help keep students engaged while limiting challenging behaviors. Transition times and daily routines should be taught and practiced in order to help students gain independence and confidence in meeting their own needs. Time for gross motor activities is essential for physical development. The environment should be thoughtfully constructed to encourage movement while in developmental positions such as sitting, kneeling and lying on their stomachs. Carefully monitoring accessibility will ensure all students have access to all learning materials.
An Environment for Exploration
The Power of Play
Our goal in early learning is to set the foundation for student success. Teachers intentionally set up learning environments to facilitate student interactions with
Our preschool program chooses one book each month to introduce meaningful themes. Each classroom creates unique learning opportunities based on student interest and engagement in these themes, then materials are intentionally chosen to ignite student learning and development across learning standards. Materials are changed, removed or added based on close teacher observations. Earlier this school year, we read The Family
The physical environment is a critical tool in facilitating student exploration and engagement, especially in young children. Our experience has found that having a classroom with appropriately sized furniture, toilets, sinks and cubbies fosters student independence in daily routines. Ample space for numerous play centers supports development across learning domains. Keeping grade-level classrooms and student support services in close proximity facilitates collaboration between professionals and reduces transition time. The use of natural light and access to outdoor spaces can enhance student engagement.
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UPDATE Magazine / Summer 2020
Play is essential for physical, social-emotional, language and cognitive development, so a considerable amount of time should be spent intentionally planning play activities. Evaluating your observations of children’s behavior and teacher interactions can result in meaningful and complex learning for children.
ARTICLE / Early Learning
Book by Todd Parr which was selected to help us better connect with our students by learning to celebrate the unique characteristics of our families. Embracing the family theme, we organized specific materials into our learning areas: art and writing, dramatic play, reading, math, sensory and blocks. The art and writing centers were moved by our family wall, which displays framed pictures of our students’ families. Art materials were intentionally selected to allow for expression of cultural diversity. Students were encouraged to draw family portraits or create journal entries of favorite family activities, holidays or celebrations. Our dramatic play area began as a pretend kitchen that included a high chair and a baby doll. When our students were especially drawn to the baby doll, we followed their interest to change the dramatic play area to a pretend baby nursery. We asked parents to send in baby pictures of our students and created a class book to add a personal element and literacy material to our pretend play area. Our reading center initiated with both fiction and non-fiction books about families. After observing little interest in our original selections, we asked students to share their favorite bedtime stories. We moved our reading area next to the baby doll cribs so the students could read the familiar books to the baby dolls. Student engagement noticeably increased, and we were able to observe and extend many early literacy skills. We chose “All About Me” Family Counters for our math and sensory area. We had previously found these colorful counters that represented people and pets to be a powerful learning tool. These manipulatives lend themselves to counting, sorting and patterning activities. We introduced the toys in a sensory table with kinetic sand to encourage exploration. Later in the month, we moved the counters to the math area and added sorting trays, colorful houses and a scale in order to offer different experiences with familiar
materials to extend learning. At this time, the pretend baby nursery was still popular, so we changed the sensory table into a bathtub for the pretend babies. The block center was filled with an assortment of wooden and soft blocks. We took pictures of each student and then laminated the pictures onto smaller blocks to make the activity more personalized. During small group time, we introduced a counting car activity. This hands-on learning set consists of cars labeled with a numeral and corresponding number word. The learning expectation is to count out the matching number of passengers to place into the seats in the car. We extended this activity during small groups to connect the math experience to the number of members in each student’s family, which made the learning activity meaningful and motivating for each child. Introducing learning materials during large and small group times can help to draw attention to these materials and make them more interesting in play centers. After we used the cars in our small group activities, we added them to the block center for students to use during free choice play. The occupational therapist was able to extend their use during her integrated therapy as a fine motor experience, while our speech and language pathologist brought in a dollhouse to target specific language goals with students in their natural environment. Embracing integrated therapies helps individualize and enrich the learning environment, materials and activities. Intentionally selecting hands-on and engaging materials facilitates engagement in learning activities across domains. Monitoring student attention and interest gives teachers the opportunity to change and adapt materials to maximize learning opportunities. As evident in our learning activities described in our family theme, thoughtful planning and observation leads to powerful learning activities.
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ARTICLE / Early Learning
Teacher and Student Interactions
While you can see how the physical environment plays a crucial role in child development and exposure to our learning goals, teacher interactions remain fundamental to ensuring student success. Interacting with students during play helps create a comfortable and safe environment, which is optimal for learning. Thoughtful interactions facilitate growth in targeted learning domains and challenge students to extend their learning.
challenges and helping to solve problems. Modeling acceptance of all students and embracing differences during play facilitates a culture of inclusion and belonging and helps students form meaningful relationships with their teachers and peers. Intentional teacher interactions are the connection that maximizes learning during student chosen activities.
Guided play allows students to remain actively engaged in free choice activities while interacting with adults. The adults can emphasize learning goals and provide scaffolding support to extend the activity slightly beyond the child’s current level of skills. Close observations help teachers target individualized learning goals and strategies to strengthen learning through student-chosen activities. Joining in play, making connections and having positive interactions within play is crucial before attempting to target a learning objective.
My implementation of best practices will continue to evolve as I participate in professional development opportunities and collaborate with colleagues, but my core value of helping each student reach their full potential will remain in the forefront. Providing a safe, engaging and inclusive environment was the first step in our journey. Forming relationships with families and planning intentional and purposeful interactions with students maximizes learning opportunities. Having fun and connecting with students initiates their paths as life-long learners and I am so proud to be a part of their journeys!
Scaffolding should be subtle while providing supports to keep students interested and open to teacher questions or suggestions. Teachers can extend learning by commenting on play, providing feedback or suggestions, creating
An Ongoing Process
Modeling acceptance of all students and embracing differences during play facilitates a culture of inclusion and belonging and helps students form meaningful relationships with their teachers and peers.
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UPDATE Magazine / Summer 2020
PERSPECTIVE / On the Profession
SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 What are some creative ways your district has delivered programs during the COVID-19 crisis? It has been very fast paced, trying to get it all done in a short period of time. We have done “ our best to continue the food service program for approximately 5,000 students daily. That
was our first objective. We participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program and know how important feeding kids is in this district. We tried using the buses to get meals to the students at their respective bus stops. We partnered with local centers, volunteers and hospitals to deliver meals as well. We are doing what we can to implement the remote e-learning program for all students according to ISBE’s guidance. It has been challenging for us and I would imagine other districts also. We are getting it all done while dealing with the ever-changing guidelines during the COVID-19 crisis. The number one goal has been and still is ‘doing what’s best for kids’ and ensuring their safety.” SHERRY REYNOLDS WHITAKER, Ed.D., CFO, CSBO, East St. Louis SD 189
of the things we have adapted during the COVID-19 shutdown is our food service. The district only participates in NSLP in “ One three of our schools and while our population that qualifies for free and reduced lunch is relatively small, we knew that the needs of our community would continue to grow during the closure and wanted to provide as many meals as possible. The State asked all districts to ensure students receive a lunch if they requested one. As an immediate response, we had our food service vendor begin preparing meals at two sites. Parents were able to pick up at those sites and our instructional aides were asked to volunteer to hand out the lunches. We were also able to implement a delivery system by the fourth day of the closure. Our transportation company created routes and supplied the drivers, while our instructional aides were bringing the meals to students’ doors similar to Uber Eats or Door Dash. As the closure was extended, we adjusted from providing one meal everyday to providing multiple meals twice a week to limit contact and keep everyone safe. We ran our delivery model up through Spring Break. Afterward, we rolled out a new model working with HSD 99 and our neighboring Woodridge SD 68. The three districts and their separate food service firms formed the Wood-Grove Feed Our Future Cooperative. We were able to add breakfast and combined our efforts to coordinate 23 pick-up sites between the two communities, eliminating the need for delivery services.” CATHERINE HANNIGAN, Business Manager & TODD DRAFALL, Asst.Superintendent for Business, Downers Grove SD 58 district partnered with a local telecommunications provider, Madison “ Our Telecommunications, to try to bridge the digital divide in our remote, rural
district with 18% lacking access to reliable broadband. We have installed two free, public and password-free ‘homework hotspots’ of 1 GB. We now have families bringing their children up to connect to our network to complete remote learning.” TODD DUGAN, Superintendent, Bunker Hill CUSD 8 www.iasbo.org
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For Implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Procedural Change In July 2018, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced a procedural change in how Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B flow-through and preschool grant funds would be distributed in Illinois. These federal funds flow from the federal government to states (recipients) and then to subrecipients within the states. Previously, ISBE allocated funds to subrecipients that included state-authorized charter schools, special education cooperatives and school districts that are not a part of cooperatives. Then these funds were then further sub-granted from special education cooperatives to their member school districts. The July 2018 announcement from ISBE informed subrecipients that according to the U.S. Department of Special Education (OSEP), subrecipients cannot further subgrant IDEA grant funds. With this procedural change, IDEA flow-through and preschool funds would no longer flow through special education cooperatives and would flow directly to school districts. Cooperatives and their member districts were given the option to implement the procedural change beginning with either the FY20 or FY21 school year. Read on to learn about some of the procedural changes that were implemented during the transition in FY20, additional changes that will take place going into FY21 as well as some tips, best practices and important timelines. Additionally, new initiatives from ISBE funded by IDEA will be highlighted.
FY20 IDEA Procedural Changes
Several changes took place for stand-alone districts and districts that were part of a cooperative that implemented the IDEA procedural change during the 2019-2020 school year. These changes included: • Districts implementing the procedural change began to receive allocations directly from the state. • At the end of the fiscal year prior to the implementation of the change, cooperatives submitted a final expenditure report and any carryover funds with the cooperative were allocated to the cooperative’s member districts. • District began using the streamlined ISBE Consolidated Application that combined applications for the IDEA Part B grant, Preschool grant and Coordinated Early 20 |
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Intervening Services (CEIS) into one application in the ISBE Web Application Security (IWAS) system. • Districts required to or choosing to use funds for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) must transfer funds in the ISBE Consolidated Application from IDEA Part B into CEIS on a separated budget page. • Districts began to submit expenditure reports directly to ISBE. • Districts completed a new Consolidated District Plan in IWAS that streamlined a district’s grant application process by allowing grantees to answer one set of questions to meet the requirements for 12 federal formula grants.
ARTICLE
By Julie Jilek
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, CSBO NORTHWEST SUBURBAN SPEC. ED. ORG.
Tammy Greco
GRANT COORDINATOR ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (ISBE)
Upcoming FY21 Changes and Updates
Districts from cooperatives that chose the one-year extension, will be implementing the procedural change in the upcoming FY21 school year. There are a few additional changes that will take place prior to the FY21 grant year. Some of these changes include: • The Timely and Meaningful Consultation (TMC) section in the new Consolidated District Plan will be removed and will be a part of the IDEA Part B Consolidated Application in IWAS. This change will eliminate the potential of other grants in the Consolidated District Plan being held up while waiting for the TMC to take place. • ISBE will be enhancing communication efforts between ISBE, state-approved directors and local directors by adding a place to input and maintain contact information on the Applicant Information Tab. This will allow for communication to both if applicable. Local school districts may continue to utilize cooperatives, including the provision of a state-approved director.
Best Practices
Strong relationships between cooperatives and districts are essential in supporting districts in the transition to the new IDEA procedural change. It is important for cooperatives and districts to keep up to date on any future updates on IDEA and reference the IDEA Listserve on ISBE’s website on a regular basis. Some best practices for districts to keep in mind include: • In the spring, resolve any Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Issues. Approval of IDEA Grant is contingent on MOE approval. • Districts are required to expand IDEA funds for professional development. It is recommended a minimum of five percent of the total IDEA flow-through allocation be budgeted. • Prior approval from ISBE is required for all out-of-state travel. The travel information should be included the budget detail of the grant application. The request must be in writing using the ISBE Out-of-State Travel form at least one week prior to traveling to your district ISBE grant coordinator.
• Timely and Meaningful Consultation should be completed by May 31. • Funds may not be obligated prior to the receipt of an application by ISBE. • Project activities must be completed, and expenses incurred by June 30.
Transition Tips
• Any remaining IDEA carryover dollars will need to be reported to ISBE by district at the end of the FY20 grant period. • At the end of the grant year, if a district has any unused commitment funds, the dollars will be returned to the state for allocation if unspent. • Cooperatives should amend their Articles of Agreement if it currently conflicts with provisions in the new IDEA procedural changes. • Districts may be required to allocate fifthteen percent of IDEA funds to be spent on Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) if they are identified as exhibiting significant disproportionality; however, districts can also voluntarily allocate up to fifthteen percent of IDEA funds to be allocated for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) for services for at risk students. • The IDEA Procedural Change may trigger a single audit for a school district if the district now expends $750,000 or more in federal grant funds during the fiscal year. • Function Code 2210 should be used for district professional development costs paid directly for speakers, staff travel, registration, working lunches, etc • Function/Object Code 4000/300 should be used for: » Purchased services from a cooperative such as OT, SL, etc. » Professional development services purchased from a cooperative » Joint purchase for a coop between member districts • Function/Object Code 4000/600 should be used for tuition paid to special education cooperatives.
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ISBE New Initiatives
Preliminary allocations indicate almost $15 million additional IDEA dollars will be flowing from the federal government to the State of Illinois with over $14 million flowing through to school districts. Some new initiatives coming out from ISBE for the FY21 school year include:
• Center for Transition – University of Illinois
This project will provide special educators, related service personnel and administrators with training and support needed to prepare students for employment. Additionally, this project will create a state-wide training and technical assistance center that specifically focuses on transition from school to work for students with significant disabilities (e.g., intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities). Activities will include: (a) conducting an annual needs assessment (b) offering a variety of training activities, including a statewide conference, face-to-face workshops, monthly webcasts, research briefs, a digital resource library and case studies of high performing high schools in Illinois (c) providing targeted assistance to schools to increase work-based learning experiences (d) enhancing statewide interagency coordination, including regional transition boards (e) maintaining a database of transition personnel.
• Autism Learning and Supports Project – Illinois State University This project will provide intensive face-to-face professional learning workshops for teachers and parents of students with autism in three locations across Illinois. Attendees of the workshop will be provided the systemic support through coaching and problem solving.
• Specific Learning Disability Support Project (sealed proposals)
This proposed project will offer training and resources to meet the educational needs of students with specific learning disabilities, support teachers and increase special education staff retention in the field. Additionally, this project will expand upon the development of previous training materials to address “specifically designed instruction” for students with all types of specific learning disabilities, including but not limited to dyslexia. Activities include: (a) an annual statewide conference on specially designed instruction for specific learning disabilities (b) regional face-to-face workshops for special education teachers (c) district trainings to schools identified through the special education differentiated monitoring system (d) webcasts that address best practices and current
IDEA Timeline May 31
Sept 30
Oct 20
Nov 15
Jan 20
NPPS – Timely and Meaningful Consultations
MOE Reduction for eligible districts opting to take a reduction
Q1 – First Quarterly Expenditure Report due
AFR due to ISBE
Q2 – Second Quarterly Expenditure Report due
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July 1
Oct 15
Oct 30
Dec 1
Jan 30
Earliest start date for IDEA Grants
AFR due to Regional Office of Ed
Q1 – Periodic Grant Report due
Ensure all students are entered into I-Star in preparation for the Dec. 1 Child Count
Q2 – Periodic Report due
UPDATE Magazine / Summer 2020
ARTICLE / IDEA
issues related to education students with specific learning disabilities (e) providing a Dyslexia Toolkit.
• Behavior Assessment Training Project (sealed proposals)
This project will address the need for: (a) professional development for special education personnel on conducting functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and developing behavior intervention plans (BIPs) (b) providing appropriately licensed personnel for district to utilize for conducting FBAs when external source is warranted (c) providing coaching to special education teachers on addressing student behavior needs.
• Language Interpreters Training and Registry Project
This project will provide online professional development modules for training language interpreters and translators about IEP processes and terminology, recruit language interpreters around the state willing to be included in an online registry for districts to have a resource for selecting interpreters for IEP meetings.
• Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice Transition to Public School Project
This project will employ educational liaisons to provide support and promote successful reintegration from the IDJJ setting to the public-school setting for youth with disabilities.
IDEA Grant Resources ISBE Website – IDEA Part B Grant Program Information • https://www.isbe.net/Pages/IDEA-Part-B-Grant-Program-Information.aspx IDEA Consultant Listing by District • https://www.isbe.net/Documents/IDEA-Grant-Coord-Assign.pdf
Jan 31
April 30
June 30
July 30
Aug 31
Excess Cost Worksheet (due the last working day of January)
Q3 – Periodic Report due
End date for IDEA grants
Q4 – Periodic Report due
End date for IDEA grants with an approved extension
April 20
May 30
July 20
Aug 1
Sept 30
Q3 – Third Quarterly Expenditure Report due
Last date to submit an amendment for the regular IDEA grant period
Q4 – Fourth Quarterly Expenditure Report due
Last date to submit an amendment for grants with an approved extension
Final Expenditure Report due www.iasbo.org
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The creation of flexible, unique learning environments seems to be on every school administrator’s radar. It sounds appealing, but what exactly does this mean, and in challenging fiscal times‌what could it cost? The three types of spaces that every school should consider are Extended Learning Areas (ELAs), STEM/STEAM Labs or Incubator Labs and remaking the general classroom. Each can send clear messages about the values your district wants students, teachers and even your community to share in. Remarkably, each option is scalable and includes choices that do not require major construction budgets. Read on to explore some of the new ways that educators are thinking about learning environments and specific examples of how schools are implementing these ideas.
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ARTICLE
By Peggy Hoffmann IIDA, LEED AP, REFP PRINCIPAL FGM ARCHITECTS
www.iasbo.org
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Student-Centered Learning
One of the most powerful ideas in education design today is the shift to student-centered learning — enabling students to make choices about what they need to feel better supported in their learning activities. As an interior designer specializing in the design of schools for more than 25 years, there has never been a better time to be involved in education design! The world finally seems to have embraced the idea that all students learn differently, and we should support these differences through the design of our learning spaces. Applying the same physical solutions cannot be expected to yield the same results for every student. Giving students the freedom to choose what they need is a demonstration of our respect. When students are genuinely supported, they feel safer, more at ease and in turn are more likely to behave better. Empowering students to participate in discovering the keys to their success builds their independence and teaches them to take increasing responsibility for their own progress. Students should be able to modify their physical environment, instantly and intuitively, to support their changing needs. If a student can focus better by standing while they work, their desk should simply rise with them to support the flow of activity. Uncovering this kind of self-awareness is a powerful tool for individual success.
Extended Learning Areas
ELAs encourage student groups of different sizes to collaborate outside of traditional classrooms. By defining a shared space and outfitting it with unique resources, ELAs can inspire and support a wider range of learning opportunities than a typical classroom. At Wingate Elementary in Mascoutah School District 19, each neighborhood of six classrooms in their new school has its own ELA, a central gathering space to foster a variety of activities: messy, hands-on projects needing a sink and tables, movable display walls for whiteboarding ideas, plentiful counters for displaying student work and technology to support large group presentations. While new construction is not a possibility for every school district, Wingate’s ELA showcases the art of the possible and may help schools refine what they want to offer. “Our common learning area has been an invaluable resource as it has increased student engagement and excitement for my math and science lessons. Our shared space proves to be multi-functional as we use it for: science labs and activities, team teaching through combined classroom and crosscurricular activities, monthly meetings for our 5th grade Safety Patrol and more. The whiteboards allow students to justify their reasoning and critique the reasoning of others through gallery walks in a fun and engaging way.” Mr. Reggie Duncan 5th Grade Math and Science Teacher, ICTM Elementary Math Teacher of the Year Wingate Elementary School ELAs such as those at Wingate are the largest of these flexible learning environments, easily supporting two classes working together with up to 50 students. It can be a challenge to find this amount of space – ideally located near classrooms – within an existing school. But ELAs don’t have to be large – they can be equally beneficial for small group collaboration. At J. Sterling Morton West High School’s new Freshman Academy addition, students can work right outside their classrooms in smaller ELAs designed to support two to six students. Teachers can keep an eye on everything while allowing students to demonstrate their independence. These spaces, equipped with flexible furniture and monitors for displaying student work, encourage small group interaction without interrupting classrooms.
ARTICLE / Unique Learning Environments
When looking for opportunities within your school, even small alcoves along a corridor can be re-envisioned as unique, student-centric learning spaces. By improving display surfaces, adding comfortable furniture and updating interior finishes, any school, even those with older buildings, can create inviting ELAs. Extended Learning Areas can also contribute to improved socialization – especially important to high schools wanting to encourage and reward better behavior as students learn to manage their free time productively. Interviewing high school students and understanding the stress they can feel, reinforces the need to create more casual spaces where students can refresh and regroup. At Grayslake Community High School District 201, administrators are committed to developing available space within their corridors as comfortable, inviting places for students to feel more collaborative and engaged at school.
STEM/STEAM Labs and Incubator Labs
The second example of flexible learning spaces is among the most popular is the creation of STEM/STEAM Labs for elementary and middle schools. It is possible to quickly set up a basic STEM Lab, within a standard classroom, by introducing furniture such as mobile project tables and storage for supplies. For schools still developing their STEM curriculum, this can be a good way to get started. At River Trails Middle School in District 25, their sophisticated STEAM program had outgrown its existing space. When the inboard school office was relocated to create a new secure entry, the vacated space was transformed into a vibrant learning lab. The RTMS STEAM Lab now features a flexible central project space with high ceilings and exposed structure. Students have access to a courtyard learning garden. There are flanking glass enclosed project rooms for green screen and small group work. Flip-top tables and a variety of mobile storage units enable quick reconfiguration. Students can also see into the spaces from the main corridor, generating interest. “Being able to collaborate with a team of professional architects and designers has allowed us to work in the very same manner we are striving to teach. We want students to know that each one of us doesn’t need to be an expert at everything. But each one of us has an expertise to share with the team, which strengthens the team to bring about the best outcomes. This has served as a model for success that I share with my students.” Jeannine Wagner STEAM Program Teacher, Project Lead The Way, Gateway to Technology River Trails School District 26
There are parallels between STEAM Labs and the Incubator Labs many high schools are creating to support their CTE programs. One effective solution is to transform an outdated computer lab made obsolete by 1:1 devices into a professional-style studio space. Incubator Labs can be remodeled over a summer and outfitted to support small student teams working collaboratively. At Prairie Ridge High School CHSD 155, their Incubator Lab was partially funded by generous, local business leaders who wanted to give back to their community and encourage students to become entrepreneurs. “The Incubator room allows students to get a feel for what a true real-world work environment is like. The learning space can be organized into a wide variety of layouts to satisfy almost every type of learning environment desired including small group, presentation, board meeting and traditional style classrooms. It allows students to practice anything from board presentations to team meetings with the feel of a “business environment.” Kevin Koeppen Industry & Careers Division Leader, Prairie Ridge High School Community High School District 155 The center of the lab offers flexible lounge seating for relaxed engagement. Six team stations are located around the perimeter and provide a video monitor with power/data access for students. Three flip-top mobile tables at each station enable the room to be quickly reconfigured from project work to student presentations. Incubator Labs can support a variety of learning objectives and programs. An English class was seen actively engaged in small teams for their creative project, giving little attention to the technology. At Crystal Lake Central High School, CUSD 155… they did not have the same project budget, but wanted to achieve the same function and equity for their next Incubator Lab. “The Incubator room has been great not only for its great look, but for its versatility. I cannot count the number of configurations I have seen of the room. Besides Incubator, computer science, mobile app design, digital illustration and marketing classes also use the room. Students seem more professional, composed, natural, spontaneous and collaborative. We also hold some teacher meetings in the room, and I would say that the same student characteristics apply to the teachers. The technology is wonderful. It’s just a great modern learning space and experience.” Robert Hewett Division Leader, Industry and Careers and Wellness Divisions Instructor of Art and Design Crystal Lake Central High School Community High School District 155 www.iasbo.org
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Remaking the General Classroom
The third opportunity for flexible learning environments may be the easiest to get started with — rethinking general and special education classrooms. Comfort in classrooms should not be thought of as a luxury anymore. We should think of comfort as the prerequisite to better focus. While improved, ergonomic seating is more often the norm today, it is time to take the next step. We need to consider not just the student chair, but the entire classroom. Most classrooms provide matching desks for every student, hopefully no longer arranged in rows, but still the same solution applied to everyone. For several years now, we have been working with school districts to design test classrooms that offer a wide variety of furniture solutions. If we believe that students should be given choices about what will best support their learning, then the classroom should provide a wonderful mix of options to choose from. “Learning spaces refer to the combination of the physical environment and the social components of teaching and learning. We are talking about instructional shifts that capitalize on the flexibility and functionality of a new environment. The ability to maximize the flexibility and functionality throughout our pilot classrooms/libraries affords us the opportunity to evolve our instructional practices, embracing the daily needs of all students, while eliminating the barriers associated with traditional learning structures.” Brian M. Engle Executive Director of Instructional Innovation Glenview School District 34 There are plenty of workplaces for a class of 26 students, just not all the same type. This new mix can include standing height desks, a low “coffee table,” flip-top tables to clear the space quickly, a shaped table for small groups, pneumatic sit-stand desks, floor desks and different tables on casters for easy reconfiguration. Seating options include cantilever chairs, wobble stools and floor cushions. Teachers told us that at first, some students did bicker about who gets to sit where. Learning to negotiate with others, to recognize that we must all share our community resources is an important life lesson - why not start young? Disagreements about who would get the cool seat were often settled with one silent round of rock, paper, scissors – impressive! 28 |
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If a student is more comfortable and productive, sitting on a floor cushion, working at a coffee table, do we really have a problem with this? When we asked if students could even take their tests at the coffee table, the answer from administrators was a resounding “Yes!” After a couple months, third grade students gave us feedback on their test furniture: “I can focus really well on wobbly chairs.” “I wish there was more up and down tables and more tall spinning stools and take out the standing desks.” “The surf seats (floor desks) because they’re really comfy.” “I think the cushions should have a back on them.” “My favorite is the adjustable desks.” Classroom transformation can begin with modest budgets and existing furniture does not have to be replaced all at once. Consider giving teachers choices about which new furniture they are willing to try first, perhaps a coffee table and cushions or a few pneumatic sit-stand desks. Starting small is a great way to introduce new ideas and get feedback from students and teachers, before committing to more significant expenditures. It is critical to identify teachers who are open to testing new ideas. These early adopters can help identify any adjustments, reducing stress and increasing success for other teachers. Special Education classrooms are no exception and these teachers, already attuned to finding new ways to support differing student needs, can prove to be great advocates!
ARTICLE / Unique Learning Environments
kids who choose each day to sit on the floor cushions in close proximity to me, while others who recognize they need to fidget go straight to the standing table with balance boards, where they will be able to move without distracting anyone. I can run groups while providing spaces for individualized learning for those who can work independently at the same time. Kids who were once hesitant in holding up small white boards to share their responses/show their work are now jumping at the chance to write on my dry-erase tables. My room has been designed to support every type of student need I can think of, and my students are definitely benefitting! I absolutely love flexible seating!” Noel Rajski - Special Education Resource Teacher River Trails Middle School River Trails School District 26
A New Way to Learn
Meeting the Needs of All Learners
“All classrooms, but especially SPED rooms, should be designed to support a variety of student needs. SPED classrooms need to be welcoming —the physical environment needs to be set up in a manner that promotes learning, but also prevents behavioral issues. The physical arrangement of the classroom is key and I think it’s important to keep every type of learner in mind. I love that flexible seating allows me to pull desks and tables apart as needed for those students who prefer their own space — yet I can easily push everything back together for groupings. I utilize the ability of movement to directly teach what “group work” looks and sounds like; I am also able to support children who are learning to control themselves within my safe, trusted, environment.
Many school districts are redefining their ideas about what makes for a successful student. Glenview School District 34 Student Dispositions are as follows, “I am: curious, resilient, a problem solver, collaborative, a critical thinker, creative and empathetic.” Changes to the physical environment can reinforce our commitment to provide personal choice and offer a daily reminder to embrace the diversity of learners. The design of unique learning environments must be a partnership with educators. Design can influence positive behavior and support greater success in learning. The abundant, positive responses from administrators, educators, parents and students confirms this!
Just as teachers differentiate instruction, I feel they must do the same when it comes to seating. We set rules as a class as to what “smart seats” look like (I can sit and focus, get my work done, and share with others around me appropriately). When any one of these factors is jeopardized, my students understand they may get up and move at any time — no questions asked. I initially was worried about flexible seating — I’d come from the “sit in your desk and don’t touch others” schooling; yet, I have come to learn that in providing opportunities for my students to come in and get comfortable where they prefer, the on-task behaviors in my classroom have actually improved! I have www.iasbo.org
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Your Building as a Teaching Tool
Schools are the buildings where education occurs, they should reflect a commitment to the present and a vision for going green.
ARTICLE
By Sean P. Carney
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT/ BUSINESS ADLAI E. STEVENSON HSD 125
Managing budgets, completing state reports and certifying payroll are just a few of the major responsibilities for a chief school business official. However, one responsibility that is often overlooked is that of the role CSBOs play as construction managers for their districts. Usually, CSBOs are more concerned with budgets and timelines; however, now more than ever, we should pay closer attention to how we approach choices related to how our schools are built. At Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125, we are committed to renovating and building our school to reflect what we are teaching students so our students can learn from how our school is constructed. For us, how our school is built is a tool in the educational process, inspiring a commitment to renewable energy, sustainability and our environment. Schools are the buildings where education occurs; they should reflect a commitment to the present and a vision for going green. Plus, students can learn a great deal from the choices that go into how we approach the architecture and construction of a school building.
Laying the Groundwork
Stevenson High School opened a new addition to their existing East Building in August of 2019. This 58,000 square foot addition is three stories housing 21 teaching spaces, with a full-grow green roof and greenhouse. It contains many different features specifically designed to aid instruction. From the beginning, the district had a desire to build a sustainable building. Having already twice received LEED-EBOM Gold Level certification for the existing building, there was a desire to ensure the new EBA aided in achieving that same standard again in 2020. However, in working with our architects, Wight & Co, we realized an opportunity to go beyond the basics of LEED certification. We had the chance to make our new addition a net zero energy building and a structure created for innovative learning opportunities. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to receive a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation (https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/), a grant dedicated to making sustainable, thoughtful construction choices for the environment. The Clean Energy Foundation is a resource for school districts, local governments and other non-profit organizations that offer funds for projects that advance the development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. For our efforts, the Net-Zero Energy Building Program Grant secured by Stevenson was designed to provide up to 60 percent of the cost of construction with a cap of $1 million dollars. In our work, the grant offset the purchase and installation of our entire solar array (480 kw), the key component in ensuring we achieve net zero.
(Note: the grant now has a cap of $2 million, and the Foundation also offers other grants for smaller projects such as the addition of just a solar array, wind farm or other sustainable projects.)
Engaging Students
While the grant award was important in the creation of a Net Zero building, it was not the main driver of building our design. Our choices were driven by how we wanted to educate and inspire our students. We wanted to create a building that could also serve as a tool in the classroom. The solar array was one of the main features that connected the building to the classroom. For example, much like a homeowner, our business classes discuss the economic impact of the solar array on our school budget. By investigating the economic impact, students learned how the addition of the solar array helped the district avoid approximately $60,000 a year in energy costs. Moreover, our Project Lead the Way electrical engineering classes examined the real-life application of turning DC power from the solar array into AC power for use in the classroom. Working with students in “real world ways”— examining and better understanding the very building where they are learning — helped to engage students and gave them the opportunity to recognize the value of architectural choices and innovative changes.
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Another key teaching tool of our addition was the full-grow green roof and greenhouse. In working with our teachers, we decided to build a full-grow green roof, instead of a simple green roof tray system — providing our students the ability to study and grow a large variety of produce, herbs and other plants. Our green roof is organized into two sections:
1. The farm
Our farm covers two-thirds of the entire roof, approximately 10,000 square feet. In this area we transplant vegetable seedlings, herbs and other edible plants originally planted and cultivated in our greenhouse. Students from our science and special education programs study the growth of these plants from seed planting to harvest, investigating the science of horticulture. Furthermore, our students in the culinary arts courses can cook with fresh produce and herbs from the garden in class, allowing for the comparison/ contrast of dried herbs. We are also asking Sodexo, our food service provider, to incorporate many of the different types of produce and edible plants into special “roof to table” entrées.
2. An area for inspiration
Our areas of inspiration, both on the green roof and in the courtyard, were specifically designed for our science, fine arts and special education students. In these areas, science and special education students study the various species of native plants to learn more about different plant life in our local environment. Our fine arts students use the space as a source of inspiration for drawing, painting or the basis of a sculpture. Of course, all of our students can use the courtyard as an outside gathering space amongst all the foliage — a special place for peace, calm and tranquility. In addition to the horticultural and botany education provided by the farm, we also constructed other educational opportunities for our science, math and architecture classes. There are over 100 different types of sensors both inside and outside of the building in addition to the two weather stations. These sensors collect
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a plethora of data. For example, there are temperature sensors on the roof underneath the farm soil as well as temperature sensors on the existing building roof, which is out in the open. Students can now analyze the insulation value of the green roof compared to the R-value of a typical roof. Likewise, energy meters collate the use of energy as well as energy produced. Data like this can all be put into graphs or charts, which provides real-life experiences for students to use reading and interpreting skills. Another authentic example for students is the ability to use the rain sensor data to compare the storm water runoff from two different roof types.
Setting the Scene
Inside the building, we have features that remind students of thought that went into the important design choices of the building. The first, although not always noticeable, is our lighting system. It is undeniable that natural daylight is better for learning than LED or fluorescent lighting, therefore we built window walls on the exterior and interior of the building and we installed light-harvesting sensors and created light scenes in every teaching space — where light scenes are pre-programmed light settings for when use in the classroom. Depending on the activity (projecting inside the classroom, facilitating a lecture, or having students work in groups), the light scene is designed to provide the appropriate amount of light measured by foot candles. Regardless of the scene the light output is below maximum light output reducing the demand for energy. Furthermore, light-harvesting sensors also take advantage of the natural light coming in from the windows. If the sensors measure enough foot-candles of light, the light banks along the window wall (approximately 1/3 of light structures in the classroom), will turn off. These light harvesting sensors are not only in the classroom, but also in the hallways. On most partly sunny and all full sun days, there is enough light flowing into these spaces that the lights don’t turn on at all. All of these choices offer learning opportunities that support our commitment to creating curriculum experiences that elevate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
ARTICLE / Environmental Projects
From Construction to Curriculum
With our approach, construction choices can become choices that can build our curriculum. For instance, our third floor of the new addition features five physics rooms. For each of these classrooms, we specifically collaborated with our science teachers to ensure the most optimal use of the room in the education process. We added power in the ceiling and the floor throughout and a variety of hanging clips (tied into floor deck, 500-pound load) for use with different experiments. Lab table legs also adjust up/down on each side to create inclines/declines as well. Finally, floor tiles were designed with altering color schemes and each color scheme represents exactly two meters. This allows teachers to use the floor as part of lab without having to put tape down on the floor. In addition, we designed our hallways with terrazzo. The terrazzo tiles are also exactly one-meter wide so students can easily conduct friction experiments and witness the different results. We built an overhang from the third floor to the second floor for classes to conduct drop experiments without having to travel outside to the athletic stadium. Finally, we built two, two-story living walls. As it turns out, this is the feature most students enjoy. These walls, while providing beautiful sight and tranquil sounds, actually perform an important function in energy savings. These living walls are in essence giant furnace filters. Air flows through them, the plants remove air impurities and convert the carbon dioxide to oxygen. This “cleaned” air is recirculated throughout the addition. Because the temperature of the “cleaned air” is already at a desired set point, we do not have to bring in as much, if any, outside air which might be a drastically different temperature than desired for inside the building. There are sensors on both sides of the living walls to measure the indoor air quality prior to and after the filtering of air.
Look Beyond Cost
Many features went into the design and construction of our addition. Of course, two big questions might be of interest: 1. Does it all work as designed? 2. How much extra did it cost? As of the publishing of this article, we are slightly behind our predicted savings, but we also experienced the cloudiest January on record. In terms of costs, the district received a $1 million grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation to offset the added costs of creating a sustainable, energy neutral building. While difficult to determine the exact additional cost, our architects and construction manager estimate the cost to be around $3 million. Thus, the total cost of our project was an additional $2 million, excluding the $60,000 annual energy savings. In the end, whether remodeling a part of your facility or building something completely new, there is an additional factor to creating a sustainable, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly building: the education of students. As we continue to think about our work and the construction of our buildings, we should also factor in the value of authentic, educational opportunities for our students. As you approach your next construction project, take the time to think differently. Consider the impact advancements in architectural design and construction can create on student learning, think about the process of design as a chance to bring teachers to the table and work to create a building that is not only environmentally responsible, but also a building your students can study as part of the curriculum. Your school building can be a teaching tool, not just a budget item.
Your school building can be a teaching tool, not just a budget item. www.iasbo.org
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Creative Use of School Food Service Programs
School food and nutrition services has really changed in the past ten years. Programs have expanded and many districts are offering a wide variety of services to offer diverse options and help customers stay financially stable. Once you have a well-equipped kitchen and a knowledgeable person running your program, the sky is the limit on program options and participation. Put the Right Person in Charge
Hire the right person to run your food service program. While you were in school working on your degree in education or finance, other students were working on degrees in nutrition or food service management. It makes a difference to have a person in place that knows how to manage and motivate others, understands the business end of the position and can understand and work within the government regulations imposed on the program. 34 |
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To the degrees mentioned, your district’s food service director/ manager should work to be credentialed as a “school nutrition specialist� and be a member of the School Nutrition Association and the Illinois School Nutrition Association. All employees working in school food service have a set amount of continuing education hours that they must reach yearly and having your director/managers be members of these organizations will make that easier.
By Coletta Hines-Newell
ARTICLE
DIR./FOOD SERVICE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT 25
Get Help Navigating
Procurement Regulations
With many federal dollars supporting school meal programs, the procurement regulations are very stringent. Within the last couple of years, a new procurement audit of school meal programs has been developed. Joining a purchasing cooperative can help you to navigate all these regulations. There are multiple cooperatives across the state and ISBE Nutrition and Wellness Division can provide you a list of cooperatives in your area. The largest cooperative in the state is the Northern Illinois Independent Purchasing Cooperative; this group has been around for over 25 years and is run by food service directors. They stay on top of all current regulations and have a strong knowledge of the food industry and distribution issues. Cooperatives bid multiple items, not just basic groceries and supplies. Many have also branched out and also bid milk, bread, vending items and other beverages. Procurement is a large part of a director/manager position so your district’s
staff member will need to attend meetings and be active in the cooperative. As a result, your district will reap the benefit of time savings, higher quality food products and the comfort of knowing all regulations are being met. Consider Use of Reimbursable Programs
For many years school were only offering lunch and breakfast programs. That has exploded into the need to make multiple decisions on what programs would best service the students in your district. When making decisions on these programs you must know your break-even point, what the nutritional and service requirements are and the cost of labor hours to staff the operation. It is not always the right decision to take part in every reimbursable program. Sometimes the needs of your district’s community are better met without a reimbursable program. There may be other funding available to you from your community that would not have such stringent regulations.
Understand Your Program Options
There are several reimbursable programs to choose from (please note: some programs you must participate in if your district falls into a certain percentage of low-income students). Lunch
Breakfast
• Standard lunch line – Really there is no standard to a lunch line; middle schools and high schools are offering custom stations where students can select items made to their liking. Many schools now offering pasta, fiestas, smoothies, subs, panini and Asian stations. Oak Park River Forest High School has a station where cooking is done right in the serving line.
All research shows that breakfast for students makes a difference and there are many different ways to offer breakfast.
• Grab and go meals – These come under many different names such as Bistro Box, Bento Box and On the Run. These are items grouped together to make a meal and are often placed in a convenient location so students do not have to wait in the regular lunch line. • Order ahead online – Monthly, weekly, daily – there are companies that offer special software and kiosks to use in the building. Some high schools have ordering for daily meals right on their website. Pickup is not always in the cafeteria; it may be in the hallway or a different floor so students do not have to wait.
• In the cafeteria • In the hallway • In the classroom • Second chance breakfast After School Snack • Supper programs • Early childhood snack • Fruit and vegetable snack
• Full meals from vending machines – It is now possible to use student ID numbers and tie into your POS system.
• Seamless Summer Option – This program must be offered if you are over 50 percent free and reduced and operating a summer educational program. You can do one or two meals/snack offerings per day.
• Food supplied by local vendors that will meet requirements – Many schools are ordering items that students love like pizza and subs from local businesses. Schools experience large participation on those days and often see that students will choose brand name items over school-made products.
• Summer Food Service Program – If you are in community with a high percentage of low-income students, you should be participating in this program. You can do it on location or around the community. There is a good reimbursement rate and you really should support your families with this offering.
Grow Your Program
Once your district food service program is doing everything it can to service the students in your district during the school day and doing it well, it is then time to decide how to grow your program to benefit your district and your community. It would be the same thought as running a for profit business and wanting to do the best for your stockholders. Your community are the stockholders of your school district. All food supplied by the food service department for any reason needs to be priced to cover the cost of food, labor for preparation and a markup to be credited back to the food service accounts. Some ways to expand your business and bring extra revenue into your program include, but are not limited to: • Intergovernmental agreements with other districts to run their programs – The State of Illinois is made up of many small school districts. You need to decide if it is best to run your own food service, use the service of a management company or join forces with a neighboring district that has a knowledgeable director. Intergovernmental agreements, if written correctly, can be a win-win for both districts. Marquardt School District 15, Oak Park River Forest High School District 200 and Arlington Heights School District 25 all have intergovernmental agreements with neighboring districts. 36 |
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• During the school day, more than school lunch – Do you have a staff dining room? If not, you can still offer special, more adult-style meals. A boxed salad menu or a soup and salad menu is usually well received by staff. Special promotions could include offering pies or boxes of school baked cookies for sale around holidays. When supplying food for staff appreciation days or administrator meetings, it is a good policy to have most of the food used in the district purchased from the food service department when possible. Journal transfers can be done, and the money made stays in the district. • In-School coffee shop – More high schools are offering in school coffee shops. These spaces are created to be fun and provide fast service. In addition to beverages, reimbursable meals and ala carte items can be offered from these spaces. • Concessions – If your district has been struggling to find volunteers for the athletic booster program, let the food service program run the concessions. Your food service staff know how to forecast needs and the correct way to price items to make profit. The food service program at Oak Park River Forest Hight School SD 200 runs the concessions at their home football games.
ARTICLE / School Food Service Programs For the Good of the Community
• Catering for out-of-district groups in-district – In many communities the school is the largest gathering space in town. If you offer your building for rental space, include catering in that contract. Your food service staff knows how to prepare large volumes of food and many staff members would welcome some additional hours to make extra income. • Out-of-district catering – Does your community need district services for their events? It is a nice way to partner with your community and build goodwill. Look to your city council, park districts and senior centers. Arlington Heights School District 25 provided the catering services for the Senior Center golf outing for many years. It was a nice partnership that help build a good relationship between senior population and the schools. • Day care centers, non-public schools, adult day care – Most towns have an array of these type of facilities that need to provide food. Could your team do a better job for them? Would some of your food service staff like to be full year-round employees? Once you start transporting food, you should use your equipment to the max. Arlington Heights School District 25 has provided food for different day care facilities and adult day care facilities. Marquart School District 15 has provided for non-public schools in their area. • Partner with your PTA/PTO – Your food service department can help your in-school organizations raise funds that they need to make your student experience better. Many events are too small to cover the cost of having food service staff work, but the food service department can work with the chair of the event to provide food items that they carry in the operation at a better price than can be found elsewhere. For example, if your middle schools and high schools carry a large array of snack items that they sell as à la carte food during the school day, they can let the school organization use those items at snack bars for special functions. The food service department would make a mark up on the product and the organization would only need to pay for what they use. A win-win for everyone!
Schools meals are often in the news. Recently, the issue of negative school lunch accounts has been covered. This has sparked an interest from outside groups who want to help. I have been contacted this year by multiple local churches and other organizations, asking how they can help. I keep a list of different items I would like funding for and make suggestions to the groups in amounts that they are able to cover. We are receiving funding that covers the 40 cent charge for all students qualified for reduced price meals as well as funding for a summer breakfast program. Marquardt School District 15 receives funding for a weekend backpack program and the Valley View Consolidated School District 365 works with community partners who so far have generously donated funds to pay off all student debt in FY19-20. In addition, there are grant opportunities from many different organizations interested in hunger issues. For example, Arlington Heights School District 25 receives grant funding for a summer lunch program served on a sidewalk. In the past they received a grant for a fitness facility in one of their middle schools. A well-run food service program can provide great support to a school and a whole community. Always strive to provide the best.
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ARTICLE
By Julie Jilek
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, CSBO NORTHWEST SUBURBAN SPEC. ED. ORG.
Reiley Straub
DIR./BUSINESS OPERATIONS NORTH DUPAGE SPECIAL ED. CO-OP (NDSEC)
In order for school districts to maximize reimbursement for high-cost students with disabilities, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the eligibility, claim and reimbursement processes for students with disabilities. In August of 2004, Public Act 93-1022 changed the distribution method for funding high-cost students who were previously claimed under Extraordinary Reimbursement Section 14-7.02a. Beginning with the 2004-05 school year, this new law funds students who are considered ‘high cost’ through Section 105 ILCS 5/14-7.02b of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Funding for Students with Excess Cost. This statute “provides tuition reimbursement for students placed in Illinois public school programs whose educational costs exceed four district per capita tuition charges. The difference between the actual student cost and the four district per capita tuition charges will be reimbursed from unexpended federal room and board funds.”1
Highlighted in this article are important steps districts should take to maximize funding for high-cost students.
Students with Disabilities Data Collection and Approval Instructions 2019-20 School Year. Retrieved February 1, 2020, from https://www.isbe.net/Documents/34-30_sped_facts.pdf 1
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BACKGROUND
All students receiving special education services on December 1 are reported to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) through the IEP Student Tracking and Reporting System (I-Star). I-Star is ISBE’s Web Application Security (IWAS) that enables districts/special education cooperatives to input, manage and approve data for students with disabilities. The student data collected in I-Star serves as the approval process for students with disabilities who are claimed for reimbursement under the School Code for private tuition, orphanage, special transportation and students identified as Excess Cost. Information for every student must be entered and approved in I-Star before funding can be claimed. Collaboration between district special education and business departments is critical to ensure that all potential Excess Cost students are accurately identified in I-Star and that data collection, claim and reimbursement timelines are met. In order to ensure your district’s opportunity to maximize reimbursement for high-cost students, pay close attention to December 1st Child Count I-Star reporting timelines found in the Students With Disabilities, Data Collection and Approval Instructions, which can be found on ISBE’s website.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for funding, potential Excess Cost students must be coded correctly in I-Star. These students are identified for funding using fund codes which identify the category of reimbursement the student is eligible for. Below are important tips to remember in the eligibility process. • Eligible students must be enrolled, have an appropriately developed IEP and be receiving special education and related services. • Fund codes “X” and “J” have been designated to identify students as Excess Cost who are placed in Illinois public school programs and whose educational costs exceed four district per capita tuition charges.
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» If you are in doubt about the potential eligibility of a student, transmit the student approval record with an Excess Cost fund code of “X” or “J” to be safe; there are no consequences if the student is not eligible. » You can add or change the fund code for Excess Cost students until July 15. • The following are some general guidelines that you may use to help determine whether a student may qualify for Excess Cost: 1. Students whose costs were over three per capita tuition charges last year; or 2. Students with related services such as individual aides, interpreters, nurses, special equipment or contractual services. • Even if a student was in an approved program for only for part of the school year, be sure they are entered into the I-Star system.
CLAIM PROCESS
All special education students claimed for Excess Cost reimbursement must have costs computed in accordance with Part 130 Special Education Per Capita Tuition administrative rules. Below is the data required to complete the claim process. • Students will be claimed by entering the following required information into the I-Star system: » Days in session (total number of days in program for the full school year) » Days enrolled (days student attended program) » 1.0 ADE (full time equivalent) education cost » 20 percent transportation cost (if applicable) • Claims for Excess Cost students are due in I-Star by July 15, 2020 (the ISBE planning calendar should be consulted for confirmation). • Final calculations will be determined and reimbursement will be vouchered no later than September 30.
ARTICLE / Funding for High-Cost Students
REIMBURSEMENT
Excess Cost reimbursement is distributed annually from unused federal IDEA Room and Board funds. Some important items to remember regarding reimbursement for high-cost students include: • Reimbursement will be prorated if Excess Cost claims exceed the unused amount of federal IDEA Room and Board funds. • Reimbursement is calculated based on the actual student cost, including 20 percent transportation if applicable, less four times the district’s per capita tuition charges. • All supporting documentation for the claim must be retained by the district or cooperative. • Reimbursement and payment schedule information can be viewed in ISBE’s Financial Reimbursement Information System (FRIS) under revenue code 4625, sub-project code XC.
MOVING FORWARD
The new Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Model enacted in 2017 was a landmark change in the method of funding schools in Illinois. It did an exceptional job at providing a more equitable funding system for school districts across the state and took into account the funding needs of the majority of students with disabilities. While the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission (ISFRC) indicated that “the funding of the majority of the special education students will be incorporated into the elements of the integrated formula,” the formula did not address the funding needs of high-cost students with disabilities throughout the state. The current system of funding high-cost students through unused IDEA Room and board dollars has proven to be an inconsistent source of funding since the change in the
Useful Resources: • Harrisburg Project I-Star Fund X Claims • Students with Disabilities, Data Collection and Approval General Instructions • Students with Disabilities, Claim and Reimbursement Instructions • ISBE Form 50-66A, Special Education Tuition Cost Sheet • ISBE Forms 50-66BL and 50-66BP, Special Education
distribution method in 2004, with reimbursement proration rates ranging from zero percent to 39.5 percent. Due to the historically low reimbursement rates, it seems that the number of high-cost students across the state is underreported. From the 2011-12 school year to the 2019-20 school year, the number of districts completing the Excess Cost claim has decreased by 31 percent. While there may be other factors contributing to this decrease, we are confident the low reimbursement rate is one of the factors. Initiatives to pass legislation to establish a more equitable method of funding for high-cost students have been proposed without success. Therefore, it is important to identify potential students whose costs will exceed four times a district’s per capita costs as fund code “X” students in order to better illustrate the number of high-cost students throughout the state to support future funding reform efforts.
Example Excess Cost Reimbursement Student Cost > Student 1.0 ADE Cost $60,000 > 20 percent Transportation Cost $4,000 > Total Student Cost $64,000 Reimbursement Formula > District Per Capita Tuition $12,000 > Eligibility Threshold (4 X’s District Per Capita) $48,000 > Total Cost Less Per Capita $64,000 – $48,000 > Eligible Reimbursement $16,000 > FY 2019 Proration 37.2 percent > Prorated Reimbursement $5,952 In this example, if the total student cost was $48,000 or less, there would be no reimbursement. Documentation Sheet • ISBE Form 50-66C, Special Education Tuition Bill and Claim Computation • ISBE Form 50-66D, Special Education Depreciation Schedule
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Transforming Transportation Through Technology
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ARTICLE
By Don West
DIR./TRANSPORTATIONS HARLEM CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 122
Joshua Aurand
AST. SUPT./BUSINESS OPERATIONS HARLEM CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 122
RouteList is a software solution that prioritizes student safety in transportation while creating a better driving experience for school bus drivers. Prior to 2015, there had been more than a few instances at Harlem Consolidated School District 22 when students were mistakenly dropped off at the wrong bus stop. Situations like these created a real concern for the safety of students, especially at the beginning of the year, while drivers were learning the students and the routes. It became apparent that the current process was ineffective in keeping all of the kids safe and we realized that we needed to do more to support our drivers. Previously, the only information our drivers received was their route and a paper list of student names and most of the time, this information was sufficient. We knew that we could not continue to have a process in place that would create potentially unsafe situations for our students. We needed to implement a better system that would keep our students safe and our drivers equipped with the most up to date and accurate information possible.
The Creation of RouteList
We set out to find something that would meet our needs and considered many different available student ridership tracking options such as RFID systems, which required students to carry a physical card. We also researched biometric scanning options, which required students’ irises to be scanned. After extensive research, we could not find a feasible option for our district, so we decided to create our own. Once we came up with the concept of a tablet-based software that allowed our drivers to tap the students’ picture on and off the bus, we approached our technology department to see how they might be able to support us. It turned out they were capable of creating this system and within a few months; we soon had a prototype to start testing.
“I think the tablets are safer for the students, because we know exactly who is on the bus.” – Julie S., Bus Driver www.iasbo.org
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We named the system RouteList. It is a web-based application which links with our routing software to provide real-time driving directions and student data to our drivers. This application allows the district to provide electronic route sheets for the drivers. These route directions also contain the students’ picture and drop off information. This is valuable to our backup drivers who may not know the students on the route. When the student gets on the bus, the driver simply clicks on the picture if the student is riding, or if the child is absent at the stop, they can click the “did not ride” button. In the afternoon all of the students on the route show up on the screen the driver checks on all of the students that are riding and clicks the go-to route button. This only puts the students on the route that the driver checks on. This application gives the district the ability to change directions on the fly, through the cellular network, and to add or remove students from a route. We can add a new stop to the route while the route is in progress or if
a driver is lost, we can update the directions to get them help and back on track. If a change is made in the routing software, it is automatically updated on the tablet — the driver simply follows the directions. The application has a reporting function that allows users to see who is actually riding the bus on a daily basis and provides an accurate load count for each individual route. It displays where and what time the student was dropped off after the driver checks them off. The drivers log in to the tablet, providing districts the ability to potentially complete payroll from the application. This system has also allowed the streamlining of the Medicaid claim reimbursement process because there are no more paper forms to fill out; the software automatically uploads our ridership information to our Medicaid claim processor. With these added benefits, the district has seen an annual revenue increase of over six figures.
Safety is the Top Priority
After a few years of running the web-based version of the software, we began the development of an app version. This app would allow the district to cache data on the tablet instead of relying on the internet to deliver the information. The app would also allow the implementation of a new feature, a stop proximity alert, where if a driver tried to drop off a student at a stop that isn’t their correct stop the software would say “Warning: Stop distance further than 200 ft away. Continue? No or Yes” Over the last three years, RouteList has virtually eliminated dropping students off at the wrong stop. This has made students, parents and drivers feel safer with our transportation system. It has been critical to the safe and efficient operations of our transportation department.
“Since implementing the tablet system, bad drops have been virtually eliminated.” – Don West, Dir./Transportation
RESOURCES Uncovering What Our Children Don’t Say Aloud As educators, we seek to meet our children where they are and help them achieve their aspirations, whether that be a college education, career or service in the military. Accomplishing this task is not easy; it takes time to develop a meaningful relationship with a child. However, when we devote time and effort to these relationships, we access a window into their lives that we would not otherwise find. We are able to uncover past experiences deeply engrained in a child, impacting the success and trajectory of their future. The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris presents a clinical, but practical testimony about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and how they increase a child’s likelihood that they will suffer from both physiological challenges (e.g, heart disease, diabetes), as well as obstacles to learning and substance abuse.
Grounded in 30 years of research, California Surgeon General Burke discovered that children with more ACEs have a substantially greater chance of poor outcomes later in life.
On Their List Book reviews from your peers on relevant career topics
What are ACEs?
ACEs are situations that children experience during their childhood including physical and emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver mental illness and household violence. These situations sometimes directly involve the child and sometimes the child is simply knowledgeable of and emotionally impacted by the event. Upon an ACE, toxic stress gets under a child’s skin, causing biological reactions. This toxic stress takes a toll on their body through the overactivation of their stress response systems. As one researcher shared, the effect of toxic stress is similar to revving a car engine for days or weeks at a time.
How Can We Reduce Their Impact?
The best way is to prevent them. This is easier said than done, but what is in every educator’s toolbox is the ability to build authentic relationships with students and learn what is going on in their lives beyond the classroom. As we learn more, we are able to put the student in touch with additional support to meet their social-emotional needs, in hopes of ultimately reducing their toxic stress.
R.J. Gravel , Ed.D. Asst. Supt./Business Services Glenbrook HSD 225 A member of the Illinois ASBO Communications PDC and Editorial Advisory Board, R.J. emphasizes the importance of school leaders working together in order to ensure student and staff success. R.J. believes that there is no better moment for an educator than taking the opportunity to help a child overcome a challenge and succeed. The next time you see a child struggling with their academics or managing their behavior, remember that there is likely more going on than your eyes can see. Have a conversation with the child and try to see through the window into their lives that we would not otherwise be able to find. You might just find the deepest well.
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THE FINAL WORD SPEAKING UP ON NON-TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS REILEY STRAUB
Dir./Business & Operations North DuPage Special Ed. Co-Op (NDSEC)
My Role as an SBO in Student Programs
Collaboration is key. Our cooperative supports collaboration through a culture of involvement, communication and respect. We have multiple committees that provide our educators the opportunity to give input and participate in candid conversations with administration. Involvement with these committees enhances my conceptual skills to see the cooperative as a whole and make decisions that support our overall mission to provide high-quality educational opportunities to all students.
The Biggest Special Education Challenge is…
The ability to deliver special education and related services through a distance learning model. The “digital revolution” we have seen across most industries is not widespread in K-12 education, but eventually it will be. Schools might be encouraged to use a distance learning model, such as online, virtual or telephonic methods of service delivery. This elicits a number of questions: Can remote service delivery meet the individual needs of students with disabilities? Are speech-language services delivered through video conferencing effective? How will this impact our students needing support for their social-emotional and behavioral health?
Special Education Issue to Watch: Funding!
I am optimistic about legislative action that would equalize state funding for students with disabilities served in the public setting versus the private setting. Evidence-Based Funding did an excellent job providing a more equitable funding mechanism for school districts across the state, but it does not address the needs of students with significant disabilities in the public-school setting. For the 2018-2019 school year state funding for students with disabilities served in the private school setting totaled, $152.3 million, but just $12.3 million for those students served in the public-school setting.
One Thing Districts Can Do Now
Districts can recognize the importance of collaboration between the business department and the student services department. A cohesive relationship between the two can allow us to make more informed decisions to maximize resources to best serve all students, particularly those who have the greatest needs.
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ADVANCE YOUR EDUCATION & GROW IN YOUR PROFESSION S OFFICIA ES L N
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There are multiple scholarships available to help ease the financial burden by covering a portion of your tuition or internship costs. New Deadline:
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Reconnect with the Power of Your Illinois ASBO Network
New Date! November 3-5, 2020 in Peoria, IL There is no replacement for the connections you can make when you gather together with your Illinois ASBO colleagues to share ideas, refocus and renew your vision for your role in education. Gain clarity to solve the new challenges facing your organization! REGISTER NOW AT www.iasboconference.org