1. Illinois State Advisory Council on the
Education of Children with Disabilities
Committee of the Whole
December 10, 2008
Presented by:
Dr. Jim Surber
ISAC Board Member
jimsurber@ladse.org
2. Contributors
• Jim Surber, ISAC Board member, LADSE Executive Director
• Judy Hackett, NSSEO Superintendent
• Tarin Kendrick, NTDSE Executive Director
• Roxanne Kovacevich, LASEC Executive Director
• Michael McElherne, LASEC Executive Director
• Gineen O’Neil, SWCCCASE Executive Director
• Neil Sanburg, GCSEC Executive Director
• Tim Thomas, NSSED Superintendent
• Michael Volpe, SASED Executive Director
• Special Thanks to Northern Illinois Roundtable and the
LADSE Executive Council
3. Illinois Special Education Joint Agreements:
A Partnership
How Many Joint Agreements?
Sixty Seven Joint Agreements in Illinois
-27 Legal Entities
-40 Administrative Districts
4. Two Types of Joint Agreements
Legal Entity: Functions as a fiscal and legal entity. They must
designate a governing board comprised of one member of the
school board of each cooperating district and designated by
such boards to act in accordance with the joint agreement.
Administrative District: One of the member districts must
operate as the fiscal and legal entity. The articles of agreement
define the role and responsibilities of the advisory board. The
role can range from purely advisory to having regulatory
authority over all financial and policy actions.
5. History & Definition of Joint Agreements
1957 LaGrange Area Department of Special Education
(LADSE) First Joint Agreement in the
State of Illinois
Joint Agreements are established by multiple Illinois school
districts “to provide needed special education facilities and to
employ a director and other professional workers” (105 ILCS
5/10-22.31) “for the purpose of providing comprehensive and
cost efficient special education services” (Illinois School Code,
2006, p.281)
6. Cooperatives provide progressive and
visionary leadership through a
collaborative partnership with the member
school districts, parents, and communities
to ensure the full continuum of specialized
programs and services to meet the needs of
all learners.
7.
8. Specialized Programs and Services
1. Provide leadership and technical assistance in the development
implementation, coordination and evaluation of instructional
programs and related services
2. Maintain quality and consistency of programs and services
shift resources/staff when needs change
3. Share resources within and across multi-district programs and
other cooperatives
4. Best practices service delivery models for participating
districts (inclusion, RtI, PBIS, etc.)
9. Specialized Programs and Services cont.
5. Provide direction, training and assistance with new initiatives
(RtI, PBIS, ASPIRE, etc.)
6. Provide a strong continuum of services
(resource-to-residential)
7. Provide leadership and training with the transition process
8. Reduce the need for out-of-district placements
11. 11
An Era of Accountability: A New Standard for
Staff and Schools
“If there is NOT a scientific basis for what you are
doing with your students, you should not be doing
it.”
“You must be able to articulate the research that
demonstrates that your methods have the greatest
likelihood of producing positive student
outcomes.”
Dr. Chris Koch, Illinois State Superintendent
12. Administration and Supervision
1. Provide parents with information regarding the range of
programs and services
2. Facilitate compliance with state and federal regulations (expertise and
Knowledge)
3. Recruit, employ, supervise and evaluate highly qualified staff
4. Provide technical support for data management (Aimsweb, SIS,
DIBELS, SWIS, Harrisburg, Easy IEP)
5. Educate and inform parents and districts of local, state and federal
13. Administration and Supervision cont.
6. Develop child find, screening, and referral procedures
7. Complete initial evaluations and reevaluations
8. Facilitate procedurally correct of IEP meetings
9. Develop long range plans for future needs of the cooperative
10. Secure funding by filing state reports and claims
11. Prepare and administer a comprehensive budget
14. Specialized Personnel
1. Provide supervision and technical assistance for certified
and non-certified staff
2. Share expertise of staff (AT, autism, behavior specialists)
3. Coordinate flexible assignments of personnel (fractions of
FTE, short term leaves, etc.)
4. Develop and staff ESY programs (shared materials,
equipment, space, staff, etc.)
15. Specialized Personnel cont.
5. Provide and train specialized assessment teams (ECE, AT,
low incidence)
6. Mentor, coach, and train new and existing staff to foster
retention
7. Actively recruit highly qualified staff
8. Provide university practicum's, internships and student
teaching placements for specialized personnel
16. Rules and Regulations/Legal Issues
1. Inform parents and districts of state and federally
mandated procedural requirements
2. Assist parents and districts with the interpretation and
application of legislation/rules and regulations
3. Assist parents and staff in conflict resolution
4. Chair procedurally correct IEP meetings
5. Support Timely and Meaningful Consultation and services
to non-public parentally placed students
17. Professional Development
1. Provide specialized training (AT, Autism, Behavior, RtI, etc.)
2. Allocate 5% of IDEA funds for Professional Development
3. Allocate 15% of IDEA funds for Early Intervening Services
4. Provide innovative, pertinent trainings for member district parents
and staff
5. Partner with local cooperatives and member districts to pool resources
in order to secure national expertise
6. Share knowledge of research-based best practices
18. 18
“The ultimate test of the value of
special education is that, once
identified, children close the gap
with their peers.”
(Presidents’ Commission, 2002)
19. Professional Development cont.
7. Collect, review, and distribute resources on scientifically-
based interventions and materials
8. Provide CEUs/CPDUs for certificate renewal
9. Develop and provide parent workshops based on IDEA
Needs Assessment
10. Provide training for data management systems (Aimsweb,
DIBELS, SIS, SWIS, etc.)
11. Professional support networks for various disciplines
20. Cost Efficiency/Economy of Scale
1. Provide cost effective, fiscally responsible, high quality
programs and services
2. Develop and manage the IDEA Part B Flow Through,
Discretionary, and Pre-School Grants
3. Secure additional funding through Medicaid reimbursement
4. Reduce district special education expenditures by promoting
economy of scale through sharing costs (programs,
administration, specialized staff, services, equipment,
professional development and transportation)
21. Cost Efficiency/Economy of Scale cont.
5. Maximize use of personnel to avoid duplication of services
6. Develop/maintain fiscally responsible cooperative programs to
respond to the changing needs of students
7. Provide fiscal safeguards to maximize district reimbursements
from federal and state sources.
22. Contributors
• Jim Surber, ISAC Board member, LADSE Executive Director
• Judy Hackett, NSSEO Superintendent
• Tarin Kendrick, NTDSE Executive Director
• Roxanne Kovacevich, LASEC Executive Director
• Michael McElherne, LASEC Executive Director
• Gineen O’Neil, SWCCCASE Executive Director
• Neil Sanburg, GCSEC Executive Director
• Tim Thomas, NSSED Superintendent
• Michael Volpe, SASED Executive Director
• Special Thanks to Northern Illinois Roundtable and the LADSE
Executive Council
