Butler School District 53 Student Services provides a comprehensive continuum of supports to promote the academic, social-emotional, behavioral, health, and individual needs of all students. Services include Special Education, Section 504, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), English Learner services, related services, health supports, and other individualized programs designed to promote access, inclusion, well-being, and student success.

Butler School District 53 utilizes MTSS as a collaborative, data-informed framework to support the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of all students, including students with IEPs and Section 504 Plans. Supports are provided based on identified needs, with progress monitored to guide instruction and interventions.

Within an MTSS framework, students receive high-quality core instruction and may receive increasingly targeted or intensive supports based on identified needs. Student progress is monitored using multiple sources of information to assist teams in evaluating the effectiveness of instruction and intervention. For students with disabilities, MTSS supports may supplement, but do not replace, the special education, related services, accommodations, modifications, or other supports required by a student’s IEP or Section 504 Plan. 

Families are important partners in supporting student success and may be included in discussions regarding their child’s needs, progress, and interventions consistent with District procedures.

MTSS does not replace or delay a parent’s right to request an evaluation for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), nor does participation in MTSS determine whether a student is eligible for special education.

Butler School District 53 is committed to providing English Learners (ELs) with equitable access to educational opportunities and appropriate support for the development of English language proficiency and meaningful participation in the District’s educational programs. English Learners participate in the State-required annual English language proficiency assessment, as applicable. 

The District uses assessment results and other appropriate educational information to monitor English language development and make program decisions consistent with State requirements. Families receive information regarding their child’s identification and participation in English Learner services in accordance with applicable requirements.

A student’s English language proficiency alone is not a disability. English Learner status does not prevent a student from receiving other appropriate educational supports or from being referred for an evaluation under IDEA or Section 504 when appropriate.

Butler School District 53 provides special education and related services to eligible students with disabilities in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Illinois School Code, ISBE regulations, and District policies and procedures.

Special education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of an eligible child with a disability.

Special education services, related services, supplementary aids and services, accommodations, modifications, and educational placement are determined individually through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.

Butler School District 53 maintains procedures to identify, locate, and evaluate children who may have disabilities and may require special education and related services in accordance with federal and Illinois Child Find requirements.

Parents or guardians who believe their child may have a disability requiring special education and related services may contact the District to request an evaluation.

A parent or the District may initiate a request for an initial special education evaluation when there is reason to suspect that a student may have a disability and may need special education and related services. The District follows applicable procedural requirements when responding to requests for evaluation.

As part of the evaluation process, the appropriate team reviews existing information about the student and determines what additional information, if any, is necessary. Information considered may include:

• • Parent or guardian input
  • Classroom-based assessments and observations
  • State and District assessment information
  • Teacher and service-provider observations
  • Academic and functional performance
  • Developmental information
  • Communication needs
  • Social-emotional functioning
  • Health, hearing, vision, and motor information, when appropriate
  • Other information relevant to the suspected area or areas of disability

Evaluations use a variety of assessment tools and strategies. No single assessment or measure is used as the sole criterion for determining whether a student is eligible for special education or for determining an appropriate educational program.

Written parental consent is required before conducting an initial special education evaluation.

In accordance with Illinois requirements, the determination of eligibility and the IEP meeting are completed within the applicable State timeline following written parental consent for the evaluation.

Eligibility for special education is determined by a group of qualified professionals and the student’s parent or guardian based upon evaluation information and applicable federal and State eligibility criteria.

To be eligible under IDEA, the team must determine that the student meets the criteria for one or more Special Education Disability Areas recognized under IDEA and, because of the disability, requires special education and related services. Eligibility decisions are individualized and made by the appropriate team after consideration of relevant evaluation information.

When a student is determined eligible for special education and related services, an Individualized Education Program is developed by the IEP Team in accordance with applicable federal and State requirements.

The IEP is individualized to address the student’s unique educational needs and includes required components such as:

• • Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance;
  • Measurable annual goals;
  • Special education and related services;
  • Supplementary aids and services;
  • Program modifications and supports, when required;
  • Participation with nondisabled peers;
  • Participation in State and District assessments, including accommodations when applicable; and
  • Other information required by federal and State law.

The IEP Team includes the student’s parent or guardian and required school personnel. Other individuals with knowledge or special expertise regarding the student may participate consistent with applicable requirements. Each student’s IEP is reviewed periodically, but not less than annually, to determine whether annual goals are being achieved and whether revisions are necessary.

Reevaluations are conducted in accordance with applicable federal and State requirements.

The District provides a continuum of special education services and supports based upon individual student needs.

Students with disabilities are educated with students who are nondisabled to the maximum extent appropriate. Removal from the general education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in general education classes, with the use of supplementary aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Depending upon the student’s individual IEP, services may include specially designed instruction, related services, supplementary aids and services, accommodations, modifications, consultation, or other supports. Educational placement is determined by the IEP Team based upon the student’s individual needs and applicable least restrictive environment requirements.

Related services are developmental, corrective, and other supportive services that may be required to assist an eligible student with a disability in benefiting from special education. The need for a related service and the nature, frequency, location, and duration of the service are determined through the IEP process based upon the student’s individual educational needs. Related services may include, as appropriate, speech-language services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, school social work services, counseling services, school health or school nurse services, and other services recognized under IDEA.

School-based speech-language services may address educationally relevant needs involving articulation, fluency, voice, receptive language, expressive language, or social/pragmatic communication. Speech-language services may constitute special education or a related service depending upon the student’s individual eligibility and educational needs.

School-based occupational therapy may address educationally relevant needs involving areas such as fine-motor skills, visual-motor skills, motor planning, sensory regulation, positioning, and access to or participation in the educational environment. Services are determined through the IEP process and may include direct services, integrated services, consultation, or other appropriate service-delivery models.

School-based physical therapy may address educationally relevant needs involving mobility, strength, balance, coordination, positioning, stability, and access to or participation in the educational environment. Services are determined through the IEP process and may include direct services, integrated services, consultation, or other appropriate service-delivery models.

School social work and counseling services support students whose social-emotional, behavioral, family, attendance, or other identified needs may affect their educational performance, participation, or access to education. School social workers provide individual and small-group counseling, social-emotional and behavioral interventions, crisis intervention, consultation, and other services designed to promote students’ educational success. Services are determined based on individual student needs, applicable educational plans, and federal and state requirements.

School psychological and counseling services support students’ academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs. Services may include evaluation and assessment, individual or group counseling, consultation, problem-solving, behavioral and educational supports, crisis response, and collaboration with families, teachers, and other school professionals. Services are determined based on individual student needs and provided in accordance with applicable federal and state requirements and District procedures.