District 301 offers a variety of special educational programs to meet the identified needs of our special education students. Each child is served in his/her least restrictive environment. We promote an inclusive environment with the goal of educating all children in the general education classroom to the maximum extent possible.

Early Childhood Special Education

The Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program is for children ages 3 through 5. Referrals for evaluation to determine eligibility for this program are made through Early Intervention (EI) or through the Child Find process which is typically by parent referral.

District 301’s ECSE program is located at Country Trails Elementary School, Howard B. Thomas Grade School, and Prairie View Grade School. Currently five full-time teachers serve the needs of our ECSE students. A variety of related services are integrated into this program.

Visit the Early Childhood page for more information.

Resource Special Education

Resource special education services are provided at each school to identified students in grades K through 12 as indicated in each student’s IEP. The level of Resource services can vary from child to child. Services may include consultation from a special education teacher, push-in special education services, or pull-out special education services. Within this model, a student is not removed from the general education environment for more than 50% of the school day. Typically, Resource special education teachers serve as inclusion facilitators in order to help students be more successful in the general education classroom. At the elementary level, Resource teachers may also provide direct instruction using intervention programs to remediate student deficits in areas such as reading, writing, or math.

At the middle school and high school levels, Resource teachers also provide direct and indirect services to students. Collaborative Classes are available in many subject areas. This model allows for students to fully participate in the general curriculum with the support of a special education teacher in the general education classroom up to 50% of the time. Resource Classes are available in the core subject areas for students who continue to require a remedial level of instruction. These cross-categorical classes are taught by a special education teacher.

LEADS Program

Program Overview

The Learning Emotional and Academic Development Skills (LEADS) Elementary Social-Emotional Learning Classroom provides a therapeutic, instructional setting designed to support students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade with social-emotional and behavioral needs that impact their academic performance, school or classroom behavior and social or interpersonal skills. The elementary LEADS classroom is housed at Country Trails Elementary School in Elgin and serves qualifying students throughout the district regardless of their home school.

LEADS Program Goals

  • Support students in the development of social-emotional and behavioral skills necessary to participate in the general education classroom setting.
  • Implement and monitor positive behavior interventions and individualized behavior intervention plans.
  • Embed opportunities for social-emotional learning, self-regulation and problem solving in core academic instruction.
  • Deliver individualized academic instruction in a structured learning environment through a variety of modalities.
  • Facilitate inclusion opportunities through ongoing collaboration, assessment and goal setting.

LEADS Program Foundations

The LEADS Classroom includes the following evidence-based key components to support growth for students with social-emotional and behavioral needs:

  • Individual, group and classroom-wide positive behavior interventions.
  • Embedded opportunities for social-emotional learning, self-regulation and problem solving in core academic instruction.
  • Consistent, concrete and explicitly taught classroom procedures and behavioral expectations.
  • Regular opportunities for self-reflection and restorative conversations paired with logical consequences designed to minimize problem behavior, increase self-regulatory skills and repair interpersonal conflict.
  • High frequency reinforcement through praise and earned privileges linked directly to individual student goals and classroom behavioral expectations. 
  • Direct teaching on coping strategies, self-management tools, emotional regulation and problem solving skills from licensed school social worker and special education teacher.
  • Small group and individualized academic instruction aligned to Illinois Common Core State Standards.
  • Participation in regular individual and/or small group social skills education and counseling sessions.
  • Access to school-based services, accommodations and modifications as outlined in the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Qualifying Students

The program is designed to serve:

  • Special education students with identified social-emotional and/or behavioral needs that adversely impact their academic achievement.
  • Students with a documented Functional Behavior Analysis and Behavior Intervention Plan implemented over time with minimal or inconsistent progress.
  • Students with a history of significant behavioral infractions that alter educational performance not mediated through the use of general education interventions as outlined in the Elementary Student and Parent Handbook and/or a Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plan.

Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative

District 301 is a member of MVSEC along with St. Charles, Batavia, Geneva, and Kaneland. MVSEC offers a variety of programs to identified students whose needs are unable to be met in a student’s resident district. MVSEC programs are often located in one of the member districts’ public school buildings. Some programs are also offered at Mades-Johnstone Center in St. Charles. The following Word document provides a flow-chart for the Continuum of Special Education Services. For More Information: Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative