Addison Trail Learning Services Department

The Addison Trail Learning Services Department is a learning community that welcomes, supports and appropriately challenges our students to prepare each student on an individualized path for post-secondary life.

Child Find

In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), District 88 is committed to identifying, locating and evaluating all students with disabilities who might be in need of special education and related services - regardless of the severity of the disability.

This includes students in high school who:

• Have never been identified as having a disability, but are experiencing academic, behavioral, social, or emotional difficulties
• Might be suspected of having a disability, even if they are progressing from grade to grade
• Attend private schools within our district boundaries
• Are homeless, in foster care, or highly mobile
• Are English Learners, or come from diverse cultural backgrounds

If you believe a high school student might be in need of special education services due to a suspected disability, you are encouraged to contact us. Referrals can be made by parents, guardians, school staff, or other concerned individuals. All inquiries and referrals are confidential. Evaluations are provided at no cost.

For questions or more information, contact Erica Craig (District 88 Assistant Superintendent for Student Programs and Services) at ecraig@dupage88.net or 630-458-4542.

Request for Special Education Case Study Evaluation

If you would like to request an evaluation for special education services, please put your request in writing and send to Learning Services Department Head Julie Johnson at jjohnson@dupage88.net, or send to Addison Trail at 213 N. Lombard Road Addison, IL 60101 c/o Julie Johnson. Ms. Johnson will get back to you on the individualized process for your student. If you have questions about this process, please contact her directly at jjohnson@dupage88.net or 630-628-3366.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) information

Students with IEPs require at least one meeting annually. 

• Annual Review - held at least once per year to develop new goals, update and review accommodations, and to discuss educational placement.
• Three-Year Re-Evaluation - held once every three years to determine whether the student is still eligible for special education services.
• Domain Review - held once every three years to determine what, if any, information is needed to determine eligibility for services. These meetings are all held on the phone.
• Progress Review - a formal meeting that might result in changes being made to the IEP through an amendment, but not looking at the whole plan.
• 504 meetings - Please contact the student services office at 630-530-3417 to connect with one of our school psychologists.

Programming and Services for Students with IEPs at Addison Trail High School

District 88 offers different levels of programming. The IEP team will determine the least-restrictive educational environment for your student during his/her annual review.

• General Education without support
• General Education with support 
• Placement in the Special Education Environment 
• Placement in an off-campus (outside placement) facility. District 88 partners with more than 50 public and private facilities to ensure the unique needs of District 88 students can be met.

Extended School Year (ESY)

Extended school year is a program for students who show severe regression of skills without schooling during the summer months. Eligibility for this program will be decided upon during your student’s annual review IEP meeting.

District 88 Transition Program

The District 88 Transition Program helps individuals ages 18 to 21 who have a variety of abilities learn life skills, obtain job training in a community setting and transition to life after District 88. The program focuses on functional life skills, community involvement and vocational training. Through individualized instruction, jobsite experiences and real-world learning, students gain the tools they need for greater independence at home, in the community and in the workplace.

For more information and details about the program, go to www.dupage88.net/District88TransitionProgram. 

Related Services

Related services are provided on an as-needed basis, determined during your student’s IEP meeting. These are services to supplement students' academic curriculum that support their overall success in school. Examples of these services are listed below.

Social Work (group or individual)
Speech-Language Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Assistive Technology
Transportation

Learning Services Department and Legal Compliance

In compliance with IDEA and the "Rules and Regulations to Govern the Administration and Operation of Special Education," mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education, DuPage High School District 88 offers special education classes and services designed to meet the unique needs of students with the following areas of eligibility:

Visual Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Hearing Impairment
Emotional Disability
Physical Impairment
Intellectual Disability
Speech/language impairment
Autism

Other Health impairment
Deaf-Blindness
Multiple Disabilities
Orthopedic Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury

As required by law, program placement is determined by the IEP team, based on each student’s individual needs. Students can be placed full time or part time into any of the above programs following the IEP team decision.

Official Notice: Under Illinois law, students with disabilities who do not qualify for an IEP may qualify for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, if the child meets one of the following criteria:

• has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
  
  
• has a record of a physical or mental impairment
  
  
• is regarded as having a physical or mental impairment.

Appropriate District 88 staff participates on the Behavior Interventions Committee. This committee develops policies and procedures for students with disabilities who require behavioral interventions. This is in accordance with P.L. 89-191 and the guidelines set forth by the Illinois State Board of Education.

All students are expected to comply with the rules and regulations as stated in the Student Handbook, which can be viewed at www.dupage88.net/Handbook. In specific circumstances where general policies are not sufficient/effective, an individual behavioral intervention plan may be developed.

Each year, a copy of the procedural safeguards and rights for students with disabilities are furnished to all parents and/or guardians of students with disabilities receiving special education and related services. Additionally, all students and parents are notified concerning the District 88 policy on "Behavioral Interventions for Students with Disabilities."

Parents or students interested in knowing about the programs and specific classes available at Addison Trail beyond what is provided here should contact the Addison Trail Learning Services Department Head.

Ms. Julie Johnson
Learning Services Department Head
jjohnson@dupage88.net
630-628-3366

Parent Preparation for an IEP Meeting
Input from all members of the IEP team is essential. Please review the IEP Draft materials sent home ahead of your student’s meeting, along with the parent interview. We encourage all parents to use this time to develop questions or be able to share information with our team regarding your student. 

Under IDEA, parents are entitled to meaningful participation in their child’s IEP meeting. Parents are entitled to translation of all vital documents. To learn more about translation and interpretation services in District 88, go to https://dupage88.net/site/page/15595. 

Request for Special Education Records
Parents can request their student’s IEP at any time. Special Education records are considered a “temporary” record for a student. Law requires that schools keep a student’s temporary record for five years after graduation and then shred the documents. Only previous students themselves or the legal guardian for a person over the age of 18 are able to request records. Please contact Learning Services Administrative Assistant Judy Garcia at jgarcia@dupage88.net or 630-628-3364 to request the information.

Important notice
Students with disabilities may receive related services as part of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). District 88 will maintain related service logs that record the type and number of minutes of the related service(s) administered to such students. Parents/guardians of students with disabilities also may request copies of their child’s related service logs at any time.