Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory

Transcription

1 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Illinois State Board of Education Special Education and Support Services Division Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program (TAOEP) Sally Veach, Principal Education Consultant V. Sue Taylor, Principal Education Consultant Joni Deems, Professional Development Director

2 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Volume 15 November 2014 Prepared in Partnership with: Regional Office of Education # S. Lafayette - Suite 200 Macomb IL Phone: (309) Fax: (309) Web site: Illinois State Board of Education 100 North First Street Springfield IL Phone: (217) Fax: (217) Web site:

3 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Table of Contents Introduction College Programs Black Hawk College - Optional Education Program Glenda Nicke John A. Logan College - Adult Secondary Education Crystal Hosselton Kishwaukee College, District Right To Succeed Program and Restart Program..... Joanne Kantner Lake Land College - Pathways Dirk Muffler Lewis and Clark Community College - Enriched GED Program Valorie K. Harris Regional Office of Education Programs ROE #1 Adams/Pike - Abolish Chronic Truancy Program (ACT) Wayne Hummel ROE #2 Alexander/Johnson/Massac/Pulaski/Union -TAOEP Program Terri Parmly ROE #3 Bond/Fayette/Effingham - Alternative Education Programs Laura Benhoff/Amber Kidd ROE #4 Boone/Winnebago - Regional Attendance Coop./Regional Learning Center.... Harold Sweeney ROE #6 West Cook - Regional Attendance Coop./Regional Learning Center Dana McLeod ROE #8 Carroll/JoDaviess/Stephenson - Truants Alternative Program Brandy Howard ROE #9 Champaign-Ford - TAOEP Regina Parnell ROE #10 Christian/Montgomery - C.A.R.E Gail Ebeling

4 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Table of Contents ROE #11 Clark/Cumberland/Coles/Douglas/Edgar/Moultrie/Shelby Attendance Improvement Matters (A.I.M.) Kyle Thompson ROE #12 Clay/Crawford/Jasper/Lawrence/Richland - TAOEP Travis Titsworth ROE #13 Clinton/Marion/Washington - TAOEP Program Lynette Baity ROE #16 DeKalb - Truancy Intervention Program Jeff Smith ROE #17 DeWitt/Livingston/McLean - TAOEP Glen Hoffmann ROE #19 DuPage County - TAOEP Dr. Joseph Gust ROE #20 Edward/Gallatin/Hardin/Pope/Saline/Wabash/Wayne/White Learning Alternative Branch; Jim Taylor ROE #22 Fulton/Schuyler/Peoria/Tazewell - Project Stay Dave Demler ROE #24 Grundy/Kendall - TAOEP Meghan Martin ROE #25 Hamilton/Jefferson - TAOEP Ron Daniels ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough - STAY-IN Eileen Worthington ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough - TAOEP Professional Development Joni Deems ROE #28 Bureau/Henry/Stark - Assisting Children in Education (ACE) Kim Sellers ROE #30 Jackson/Perry - Jackson/Perry/Franklin/Williamson TAOEP Program Jaime Lodge ROE #31 Kane - Truancy Prevention Program Paige McNulty ROE #32 Iroquois/Kankakee - I-KAN Attendance Assistance Program Michelle Fitts

5 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Table of Contents ROE #33 Knox - Project ADEPT Lorenzo Pugh ROE #34 Lake - PASS Monica Schwander-Lottermoser ROE #35 LaSalle/Marshall/Putnam/Woodford - Attendance Awareness Dr. Sandra Blanco ROE #38 Logan/Mason/Menard - SPIRIT Outreach Program Jean Anderson ROE #39 Macon/Piatt - Futures Unlimited Ed Boehm ROE #40 Calhoun/Greene/Jersey/Macoupin - TAOEP Chad Hoesman ROE #41 Madison - Madison County TAP Andrew Reinking ROE #45 Monroe/Randolph - Right Track Truancy Prevention Chelsea Wesselmann ROE #46 Brown/Cass/Morgan/Scott - Lafayette Academy Jeff Stephens ROE #47 Lee/Ogle - Lee Ogle Dropout Intervention System (LODIS) Janet Kacvinsky ROE #48 Peoria - Project Target Beth Crider Derry ROE #49 Rock Island - Prevention Services Program Clayton Naylor ROE #50 St. Clair - TAOEP Program Tracy Gray ROE #51 Sangamon - Sangamon County Learning Academy Shannon Fehroholz ROE #53 Tazewell - Tazewell County Truants Alternative Program Gail Owen ROE #54 Vermilion - Vermilion County Truants Alternative Program Mark Janesky ROE #55 Whiteside - Whiteside County Truants Alternative Program Chris Palmer

6 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Table of Contents ROE #56 Will - Will County Truants Alternative Program Jake Mahlik District Programs Aurora East School District #131 - The Advantage Program Michele Brown Belleville High School District #201 - Belleville Night School Scott Baer Bloom High School District #206 - TAOEP Program Mariba Woods Carbondale Community High School District #165 - Rebound June Hickey Carlinville CUSD #1 - Attendance Counts at Carlinville Elem. Schools (ACES) Elise Schwartz Century CUSD #100 - TAOEP Program Lisa Miller Champaign CUSD # Orlando Thomas Chicago Public Schools #299 - Attendance Improvement & Truancy Intervention Mary (Molly) Burke Community High School District #218 - Delta Learning Center Anne Coffman Decatur Public School District #61 - Make Every Minute Count Lawrence Trimble East Richland Community Unit School District #1 - TAOEP Program Larry Bussard East St. Louis School District #189 - Education & Truancy Intervention Program Fred Clarke Edwards County CUSD #1 - TAOEP Program Kris Duncan Eldorado Unit #4 - TAOEP Program Ryan Hobbs

7 Illinois Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program Directory Table of Contents Galesburg Community Unit District #205 - TAOEP Program Jason Spring Gallatin County Community Unit School District #7 - TAOEP Program Lucinda Schmitt Granite City Community Unit School District #9 - TAOEP Program Cynthia Gavilsky and Tina Arico Hamilton County Community Unit School District #10 - TAOEP Program Travis McCollum Jersey Community Unit School District #100 - TAOEP Program Jason Brunaugh LaSalle-Peru Township High School District #120 - Attendance Advocacy Program Megan Mahaffey Lincoln Community High School District #404 - TAOEP Program Janet Lovdahl Mt. Vernon Township High School District #201 - TAOEP Program Julie Littlefair PORTA Community Unit District #202 - TAOEP Program Matthew Brue Quincy School District #172 - TAOEP Program Carol Frericks Rockford Public Schools District #205 - Rockford Attendance Initiative Angela Hite-Carter Round Lake Area Unit School District # Suretha Tate Thornton Fractional District # Mike Fies Thornton Township High School District #205 - TAOEP Program Jerry Doss Urbana School District #116 - Urban Adult Education Samuel Byndom Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 - TAOEP Program Grant A. Flink Woodstock Community Unit School District #200 - Truancy Program Keely Krueger

8 Introduction What is the Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program? Section of the School Code (105 ILCS 5/2-3.66) authorizes the State Board of Education to provide grants for the establishment of pilot Truants Alternative and Optional Education Programs (TAOEP). These programs serve students with attendance problems and/or dropouts up to and including those who are 21 years of age and provide truancy prevention and intervention services to students and their parents and/or serve as part-time or full-time options to regular school attendance. Programs, which primarily provide truancy prevention and intervention services, integrate resources of the school and community to meet the needs of the students and parents. Optional education programs, on the other hand, serve as part-time or full-time options to regular school attendance and offer modified instructional programs or other services designed to prevent students from dropping out of school. What are the Services? TAOEP services include prevention and/or intervention and optional education programs designed to prevent students from dropping out of school. Services include: Counseling Tutoring Mentoring Childcare Transportation Summer school Evening school, and Alternative school The primary goals of the program are to reduce student truancy and dropout rates. What are the Requirements? All projects in this program are required to develop a community-based program plan. Comprehensive community-based program planning results in the development of the program goals and objectives and a strategic plan. The development of the strategic plan should be supported by an analysis of social, human services and academic needs of students within the context of school improvement. The development of program goals and objectives as well as the process of identifying local/community resources in support of program services should evolve from collaborative discussion among a group of program stakeholders and/or partners, such as, but not limited to, the business community, government agencies, parents, local school administrators, teachers and students. Using in part the results of a comprehensive community-based program planning process, each TAOEP project must make use of the services available from schools, social service agencies, businesses, and other regional and local community entities. Projects should work to coordinate their efforts with those of others concerned with the welfare of children, including school district personnel, social service and community agencies, businesses, parents or guardians, court repre- 1

9 sentatives, and staff advisory groups. An individualized optional education plan (IOEP) or service plan must be developed for each student served in the TAOEP. This plan is developed with the participation of school officials, the student, and/or the student s parents or legal guardians (if the student is less than 18 years old). Plans should outline an individual student s academic, social and/or vocational skill needs as well as goals, objectives, and various educational experiences needed to reach those goals and objectives. In development of the IOEP, consideration must be given to results of diagnostic procedures conducted for the student. These diagnostic procedures shall include, but need not be limited to, teachers observations test/assessment scores, an interview with the youth, consultation with the youth s parent(s) or guardian(s), a review of the youth s academic history and current educational functioning, and an assessment of the youth s learning environment. The assessment may also include consideration of the student s need for mental health and social services. The individualized optional education or service plan developed for each student must specifically include: (1) Learning objectives or individual outcomes, such as increased school attendance, course credit, graduation, gains in achievement level or employment; (2) The basis on which the student is referred to the program; (3) The services that will be provided in relation to the student s educational needs to achieve learning objectives or individual outcomes; (4) Assessment procedures to determine the degree to which the student is achieving his or her learning objectives or individual outcomes; and (5) Appropriate time period during which the student is expected to achieve those objectives or outcomes. Eligible Applicants Public school districts, regional offices of education, community college districts, charter schools, area vocational centers, and public university laboratory schools approved by the State Board of Education are eligible to apply for either or both programs. Joint applications for funds may be submitted. However, in each case an administrative agent must be designated, and the joint proposal must have the signature of each superintendent or the official authorized to submit the proposal. 2

10 College Programs Black Hawk College John A. Logan College Kishwaukee College Lake Land College Lewis and Clark Community College 3

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12 Black Hawk College - Optional Education Program Black Hawk College th Avenue Moline IL Phone: (309) Website: Glenda Nicke 301 Avenue of the Cities East Moline, IL Phone: (309) nickeg@bhc.edu Counties Served: Rock Island, Henry and Mercer The Optional Education Program is a collaborative alternative school option administered by Black Hawk College in cooperation with 6 school districts served by ROE #49. The program is a key component in the region s continuum of educational options available to dropouts and potential dropouts. Distinguishing elements include: Variable entry/exit at three-week intervals Individualized instruction Student choice Focus on social and career as well as academic development Academic services include high school credit and GED classes during the academic year and summer terms. Nonacademic court-related, life skills, monitoring, parenting, referral, mentoring, and family services support academic achievement. Leveraged funds from other resources expand the number of academic classes and provide tutoring, career and work experiences, college classes, and transportation support. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout and Dropout Grade of Students Served: 9-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Black Hawk College Outreach Center & Black Hawk College Adult Learning Center 5

13 John A. Logan College - Adult Secondary Education (ASE) John A. Logan Community College 700 Logan College Road Carterville IL Phone: (618) Website: Crystal Hosselton 700 Logan College Road Carterville IL Phone: (618) Ext crystalhosselton@jalc.edu Counties Served: W illiamson and Franklin - Jackson and Perry (In lieu of expulsion only) The Adult Secondary Education (ASE) program at John A. Logan College provides intervention services through: 1) an optional learning opportunity to dropout and potential dropout youth and 2) a credit recovery opportunity to potential dropout youth with academic problems associated with attendance issues. The following services are provided through the ASE programming: 1. An intensive, comprehensive, full-day educational program for dropout and potential dropout youth that includes education (academic instruction), academic and personal counseling, support services, community internships, workplace readiness, and volunteer activities. 2. A supportive educational summer and evening program that allows potential dropout youth with truancy issues the opportunity to earn high school credit and remain on track for high school graduation. 3. A supportive program of counseling and communication for students, parents, and staff facilitated by on-staff counselors and licensed social workers. 4. A program of assessment and counseling in academic, vocational, and life skill areas. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout and Dropout Grade of Students Served: 9-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: John A. Logan College 6

14 Kishwaukee College, District Right To Succeed Program and Restart Program Kishwaukee College, District Malta Road Malta IL Phone: (815) ext Website: Joanne Kantner Malta Road Malta IL Phone: (815) Ext joanne.kantner@kishwaukeecollege.edu Counties Served: DeKalb, Ogle, and Lee Counties within Kishwaukee College District 523 The TAOEP program provides educational and support services to re-enrolled high school dropouts age 16-21, as well as truants, chronic truants, and potential dropouts in grades The Right to Succeed Program at Kishwaukee College assists students who have dropped from school obtain a Certificate of General Educational Development (GED). It provides counseling services, case management, and support services to assist students in meeting their educational and career goals. The Phoenix Program at Kishwaukee Education Consortium is an in-school program that provides counseling and truancy court/social work services for truants/chronic truants/potential dropouts and retrieved dropouts. All day remedial math and reading classes as well as other core curricular subjects are provided through the alternative school program. These programs utilize community resources and services and promote partnerships with business and industry. Referrals to community and employment services are coordinated to develop opportunities and career pathways for students as they prepare for a productive future. Program objectives reflect increased attendance and academic achievement. Skills for student success, such as respect, responsibility, critical thinking/problem solving, teamwork, community involvement, and lifelong learning are emphasized to prepare them for further education and employment. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: 6-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Kishwaukee College, Kishwaukee Education Consortium 7

15 Lake Land College - Pathways Lake Land College 5001 Lake Land Blvd. Mattoon IL Phone: (217) Website: Dirk Muffler 305 Richmond E Mattoon IL Phone: (217) dmuffler@lakeland.cc.il.us Counties Served: Shelby, Moultrie, Douglas, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Edgar and Effingham For the 25th year, with cooperation from Lake Land College, ROE #3 and ROE #11, Pathways to the Future will be provided as an optional education program in East-Central Illinois. Pathways will continue to offer services to students between the ages of years who have either dropped out of high school or are at risk of doing so. Students entering into the Pathways program will either receive instruction toward the completion of their high school diploma or GED certificate. Courses included within their instruction will include parenting education, life skills training, vocational education, and job-seeking and keeping skills. Pathways will also offer tutoring, mentoring, and service learning opportunities throughout the year. Students will also be afforded the opportunity to earn dual-credits through our relationship with Lake Land College. Instruction, including those for students with credit deficiencies, will satisfy ISBE State Goal for Learning and those of local high schools and boards. Pathways will be offered in five communities utilizing Lake Land College facilities in Mattoon and Effingham. Pathways will also be offered in Casey, Marshall and Shelbyville as well. Classes will be held full-time, six hours a day at each site. Each site will be staged by a certified teacher and classroom assistant. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout and Dropout Grade of Students Served: 9-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Effingham, Casey, Shelbyville, Mattoon and Marshall. 8

16 Lewis and Clark Community College - Enriched GED Program Lewis and Clark Community College 5800 Godfrey Rd. Godfrey IL Phone: (618) Website: Valorie K. Harris 5800 Godfrey Rd. Godfrey IL Phone: (618) vharris@lc.edu Counties Served: Madison, Macoupin, Jersey, Greene and Calhoun For the past twenty-five years, Lewis and Clark and area high schools have agreed that high school aged youth who have officially dropped out are effectively served by enrolling in Lewis and Clark s GED program. Lewis and Clark s Enriched GED program will enhance this optional education experience for seventy-five youth enrolled in GED classes at 2 locations. Many of these youth have also dropped from alternative schools for them, this is often the last resort to earn certification for secondary learning. Enriched GED will enhance students experience through ABE/GED instruction by adding structure and support to improve students success. Students attend a comprehensive orientation where they set goals and are given assessments. Based on their reading ability, they are placed concurrently into career development and either GED preparation, where they focus on getting their GED while creating a transition plan that will lead to college and/or work, or an evidence-based reading class to focus on improving reading skills and transitioning to GED-level coursework. Students complete an IOEP with a counselor and receive intense counseling services. Through these interventions, students will improve basic skills, receive GEDs, and develop an understanding of themselves that will serve as a foundation for their next step to college and/or work. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Dropout Grade of Students Served: Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey, Alton Community Learning Center 9

17 Regional Office of Education Programs ROE #1 ROE #2 ROE #3 ROE #4 ROE #6 ROE #8 ROE #9 ROE #10 ROE #11 ROE #12 ROE #13 ROE #16 ROE #17 ROE #19 ROE #20 ROE #22 ROE #24 ROE #25 ROE #26 ROE #28 ROE #30 ROE #31 ROE #32 ROE #33 ROE #34 ROE #35 ROE #38 ROE #39 ROE #40 ROE #41 ROE #45 ROE #46 ROE #47 ROE #48 ROE #49 ROE #50 ROE #51 ROE #53 ROE #54 ROE #55 ROE #56 10

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19 ROE #1 Adams/Pike - Abolish Chronic Truancy Program (ACT) ROE #1 Adams/Pike Deborah J. Niederhauser, Regional Supt. 507 Vermont Street Quincy IL Phone: (217) dniederhauser@roe1.net Website: Wayne Hummel 507 Vermont Street Quincy IL Phone: (217) whummel@roe1.net Counties Served: Adams and Pike The TAOEP Abolish Chronic Truancy (ACT) program at ROE #1 is designed to maximize a community-based, interagency effort to provide supportive intervention services to students experiencing poor patterns of school attendance. The goal of this project is to improve school attendance and thus enhance academic performance and encourage positive attitudes towards education. This should ultimately reduce the number of dropouts in our counties. TAOEP workers will develop a relationship based on caring, trust, and respect while providing interactions such as school and home visits, phone contacts, and one-on-one visits with the student, family and school as they monitor school attendance. An Individualized Attendance Plan is created based on the student s attendance, needs, and potential services will be implemented to attain attendance goals. Our TAOEP-ACT program initially provides supportive intervention to students at four days of truancy with additional, ongoing supports offered throughout the year but specifically at seven and nine day intervals of truancy. If a chronically truant student fails to accept benefits from these interventions, TAOEP staff will provide an ACT hearing to address issues according to 105ILCS 5/26-8. If all intensive efforts fail to effectively stop the truancy behaviors, a state court process will be sought. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: Quincy and Pittsfield 12

20 ROE #2 Alexander/Johnson/Massac/Pulaski/Union - TAOEP Program ROE #2 Alexander/Johnson/Massac/ Pulaski/Union Janet Ulrich, Regional Supt. 17 Rustic Campus Drive Ullin IL Phone: (618) julrich@roe02.com Website: Terri Parmly 17 Rustic Campus Drive Ullin IL Phone: (618) tparmly@roe02.com Counties Served: Johnson, Massac ROE #2's TAOEP program provides a variety of comprehensive services to truants, chronic truants, and retrieved dropouts in grades Referral services include student and parent contact, meetings with appropriate staff, probation officers, State s Attorneys, and other service providers to assure a "wraparound" approach to identifying and eliminating social and educational barriers to student success. Monitoring of attendance at each of our participating school districts, contact with students and parents, home visits, and working with local service providers are part of our TAOEP services. Alternative and optional education classes are provided at three sites. Individualized, self-paced, robust and engaging instruction, counseling, career awareness and career path development are employed to ensure future success for college or career. This program offers credit recover by utilizing the Edgenuity (formerly Education2020) curriculum program aligned with the Common Core Standards and delivered through interactive, media-rich instruction. The major thrust of our program is to create an educational environment which helps students who have had difficulty in regular school settings begin to experience success, thus promoting a positive change in attendance, behavior, and academic performance. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: 6-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Anna and Metropolis 13

21 ROE #3 Bond/Fayette/Effingham - Alternative Education Programs ROE #3 Bond/Fayette/Effingham Julie Wollerman, Regional Supt. 300 South 7th Street Vandalia IL Phone: (618) JulieWollerman@gmail.com Website: Contact Persons: Laura Benhoff Amber Kidd 1805 W. Fletcher 900 Edgar Vandalia, IL Effingham, IL Phone: lbenhoff@roe3.org akidd@roe3.org Counties Served: Bond, Fayette and Effingham OBJECTIVES: 1) Provide an alternative/optional education program for high school dropouts, potential dropouts, truants, and chronic truants. 2) Provide truancy intervention/prevention services at the K-8 level to students with irregular attendance. Objective #1 will be achieved through New Approach and Aspire Alternative High Schools plus credit recovery classes. The two alternative high schools will provide a setting where credits can be generated toward graduation. Eleven high schools in Bond, Fayette, and Effingham Counties will have the opportunity to be served by the alternative high schools. These eleven high schools will partner and provide the necessary educational components and social services needed for student success. Credit recovery classes will target truant students, as well as credit deficient students. The alternative high schools will provide students with the opportunity to successfully return to their home school and/or graduate while focusing highly on transition to the post-secondary level. Objective #2 will be met by the Regular Attendance Program (RAP). Truancy intervention/prevention services will be provided at the K through 8 levels to promote regular school attendance. Networking between other agencies, as well as the home and school, will be performed by the RAP attendance specialist to ensure success for the student and his/her family. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: Effingham and Vandalia 14

22 ROE #4 Boone/Winnebago - Regional Attendance Coop./Regional Learning Center ROE #4 Boone/Winnebago Dr. Lori Fanello, Regional Supt. 300 Heart Boulevard Loves Park IL Phone: (815) lfanello@kidsroe.org Website: Harold Sweeney 5949 Safford Rd Rockford IL Phone: (815) hsweeney@kidsroe.org Counties Served: Boone and W innebago The Regional Attendance Cooperative is the only program to support the truancy intervention efforts of the schools in Boone and Winnebago Counties excluding Rockford District #205. After the intervention efforts of the school have not brought about change in student attendance, students are referred to the program where an individual plan for each student is determined which will effectively use community resources to address the root cause of the truancy and assist the student/family to have a successful school experience. The Regional Learning Center provides alternative/optional education to students 16 to 21 years of age, who reside in Boone or Winnebago County and have experienced school failure which has led to excessive absenteeism or dropping out of school. The RLC accesses support services from community agencies to meet the needs of our students to become productive citizens upon completion of the program. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional/Alternative Education Students Served: Retrieved Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-20 Program Sites: Rockford and Belvidere 15

23 ROE #6 West Cook West 40 ISC #2 Dr. Mark Klaisner, Exec. Director 4413 Roosevelt Rd Suite 104 Hillside, IL Phone: (708) Website: Dana McLeod 4412 Roosevelt Rd. Suite 104 Hillside, IL Phone: (708) Counties Served: W est Cook West 40 ISC #2 provides supplement services to students in School District 209 and School District 89, grades K- 12. Students will be referred to the program when characterized by multiple factors for dropping out of school. Referrals are based on attendance in conjunction with other factors such as failures, low grade point average, behavior, or credit deficiency. Once referred, a potential dropout will be provided services according to each individual students needs, which will be decided upon by the student, their family, school personnel and a Truancy Outreach Worker. This team determines the services that each student will receive. Students who need Social/Emotional IOEP goals will be provided with numerous services from their Outreach Worker and providers in the community. Some examples of non-academic services are: court-related services, medical, dental, and mental health related services to be coordinated by the Truancy Outreach Workers as necessary on a case by case basis, using partnering community service agencies. Children s Clinic and/or Youth Outreach Services. Services offered to students whose IOEP goals focus on academic achievement will be designed to decrease the number of failures and get students on track for graduation, or in the elementary school, prepare for grade promotion. Examples of some of the academic services are: credit recovery instruction (online learning) offered to chronic truants delivered by certified high school teachers at the students home school throughout the school year and summer. Individualized tutoring will be provided, as needed and on the recommendation of the Truancy Outreach Workers, to chronic truant students by certified teachers. Education to Career planning and counseling is to be provided to chronic truants by the counselor and teaching staff. GED preparation instruction is available at Triton and Morton Community Colleges for those individuals who select this option after consultation with home school counselor and Truancy Outreach Worker. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Dropout Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 7-17 Program Sites: School District 209 and School District 89 16

24 ROE #8 Carroll/Jo Daviess/Stephenson - TAOEP ROE #8 Carroll/Jo Daviess/Stephenson Aaron Mercier, Regional Supt. 27 S. State Ave., Ste 101nue - Suite 101 Freeport IL Phone: (815) amercier@roe8.com Website: Brandy Howard 27 S. State Ave., Ste 101 Freeport IL Phone: (815) Ext bhoward@roe8.com Counties Served: Carroll, Jo Daviess and Stephenson Regional Office of Education #8 will provide a truancy intervention/prevention and dropout program to at-risk youth in our three-county region. The program will provide at-risk youth in grades K-12 with services designed to improve attendance and build self-esteem, academics, and life skills. The two components of the program will be case management and credit recovery. The case management component will be provided to districts with high numbers of truants and chronic truants. Truancy Specialists (case managers) will conduct regular home visits, provide one-on-one informal counseling to truant youth, and facilitate referral and linkage to school and community services. Credit recovery coursework will be available to all districts and will be provided primarily via online instruction, academic progress and attendance will be monitored weekly. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-18 Program Sites: 17

25 ROE #9 Champaign/Ford - Attendance Improvement Program ROE #9 Champaign/Ford Jane Quinlan, Regional Supt. 200 South Fredrick Rantoul IL Phone: (217) jquinlan@roe9.k12.il.us Website: Regina Parnell 514A N. Neil Champaign IL Phone: (217) parnellr@roe9.k12.il.us Counties Served: Champaign and Ford The program provides supplemental truancy intervention services to 14 schools districts in east central Illinois. Services include home visits, school visits, career services, academic counseling, health-related services, referrals to social services agencies, support services for parents, credit recovery programs, court services and summer programs. The program also provides a Truancy Review Board (TRB) serving Chronic Truants to determine final efforts needed to avoid court. We have diverted many truants from court through this process as well as improving their school attendance. The goal of our program is to provide and coordinate services for students who are experiencing attendance problems in order to maximize each students potential to achieve academic success. Program objectives include increasing school attendance, reducing the number of chronic truants and, providing summer school for secondary students in order to allow them to advance to the next grade level. We collaborate with other TAOEP Programs in our region, Champaign and Urbana, as well as various community agencies, to help us ensure a continuum of services to students. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-17 Program Sites: Champaign 18

26 ROE #10 Christian/Montgomery - C.A.R.E. ROE #10 Christian/Montgomery Marchelle Kassebaum, Regional Supt. 203 S. Main - Courthouse Annex Hillsboro IL Phone: (217) mkassebaum@roe10.org Website: Gail Ebeling 203 S. Main - Courthouse Annex Hillsboro IL Phone: (217) gebeling@roe10.org Counties Served: Christian and Montgomery The Christian/Montgomery C.A.R.E. (Consistent Attendance Results in Excellence) program is a cooperative effort of the ROE, school districts, network agencies, and various individuals to provide truancy intervention services to students. We seek to reduce the growing number of truants, chronic truants, and potential dropouts by working in conjunction with schools to aid students and their families in improving school attendance and using support systems. Youth Advocates work with school districts in both counties to identify those students who are truants, chronic truants, or potential dropouts in grades K-12. The Youth Advocate works one-on-one with referred students and their families to identify needs and link students with services. Services offered through the C.A.R.E. Program include attendance monitoring, in-school tutoring for students at risk for failure, and access to online curriculum for credit deficient students. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-20 Program Sites: Chr istian County-Taylorville, Edinburg, Morrisonville, Pana and South Fork. Montgomery County- Litchfield, Hillsboro, Nokomis and Panhandle. 19

27 ROE #11 Clark/Cumberland/Coles/Douglas/Edgar/ Moultrie/Shelby - Attendance Improvement Matters (A.I.M.) ROE #11 Clark/Cumberland/Coles/ Douglas/Edgar/Moultrie/Shelby Dr. Bobbi Mattingly, Regional Supt th Street Charleston IL Phone: (217) bmattingly@roe11.org Website: Kyle Thompson 730 7th Street Charleston IL Phone: (217) kthompson@roe11.org Counties Served: Clark, Cumberland, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie and Shelby AIM (Attendance Improvement Matters) is the name for ROE #11 s supplementary TAOEP services. Through these services, the ROE works to eliminate administrative and programmatic barriers to school attendance and school completion by students including pregnant and parenting students while monitoring board of education adopted policies which identify the appropriate supportive services and available resources which are provided for truants and chronic truants. Priority is given to economically challenged students. Additionally, attendance specialists serve as ROE homeless liaisons and ensure enrollment of homeless children is ongoing and not delayed because of document requirements. The attendance specialists develop positive relationships with truant students and their families through home visits, school/classroom visits, incentive programs, mentoring, monitoring and any other activities that are relevant to the intervention process. Interventions are evidence-based, flexible, sustainable, and coordinated. Beacons is the alternative (optional) education component of ROE #11 TAOEP services and is a self-contained classroom designed for chronic truants below the age of 17 years who wish to catch up to grade level or retrieve credits missed due to poor attendance. Improving daily school attendance and keeping students on track for high school graduation are designed outcomes of the program. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 7-17 Program Sites: Optional Education Program in Lerna and Paris 20

28 ROE #12 Clay/Crawford/Jasper/Lawrence/Richland - TAOEP Program ROE #12 Clay/Crawford/Jasper/Lawrence/ Richland Monte Newlin, Regional Supt. 3rd Floor Richland Co. Courthouse 103 West Main Street Olney IL Phone: (618) mnewlin@roe12.org Website: Travis Titsworth 213 Cumberland St. P.O. Box 77 Willow Hill IL Phone: (618) ttitsworth@roe12.org Counties Served: Clay, Crawford, Jasper, Lawrence and Richland ROE #12 will provide for a variety of comprehensive services to specifically identified truant, chronic truant, dropout and potential dropout students ages Efforts will be focused on students with attendance problems and potential dropouts. Chronic truants, potential dropouts, and retrieved dropouts will have priority status for placement and services. Each student served will have an Individualized Optional Education Plan (IOEP) and/or Service Plan developed with the involvement of the student, the student s parents/guardians, the Local Education Agency (LEA), and other entities as indicated by individual circumstances. The students served may receive a variety of services that can include remediation, intervention, support services and an academic component. The academic educational component s curriculum consists of general junior high school curriculum, Edgenuity online courses, and high school courses, some including work site experiences, as identified by the LEA and Truant Alternative Optional Education Program (TAOEP) Staff. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-21 Program Sites: Willow Hill 21

29 ROE #13 Clinton/Marion/Washington - TAOEP Program ROE #13 Clinton/Marion/Washington Keri Garrett, Regional Supt. 200 East Schwartz St. Salem IL Phone: (618) kgarrett@roe13.org Website: Lynette Baity 200 Schwartz St. Salem IL Phone: (618) lbaity@roe13.org Counties Served: Clinton, Marion, and W ashington The Regional Office of Education #13 provides thirty-two public school districts in Clinton, Marion, and Washington Counties with truancy intervention services. ROE #13 operates the Alternative Learning Academy, a comprehensive educational program, for students in grades An Individual Optional Education Plan is developed for each student and attendance is closely monitored. The principal and certified teachers are available to ensure students meet their academic and personal goals and to ensure regular attendance. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: 7-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Alternative Learning Academy, Centralia, IL 22

30 ROE #16 DeKalb - Truancy Intervention Program ROE #16 DeKalb Amanda Christensen, Regional Supt North Annie Glidden Rd. - Suite C DeKalb IL Phone: (815) achristensen@kidsroe.org Website: Jeff Smith 2500 North Annie Glidden Rd. - Suite C DeKalb IL Phone: (815) jesmith@kidsroe.org Counties Served: DeKalb The DeKalb County Truancy Intervention Program (DCTIP) offers a combination of intervention and remediation services to all public school districts in DeKalb County. Intervention services are aimed at identifying truants, chronic truants and potential dropouts in K-12 and providing them with effective resources. Services are largely rendered by truancy outreach workers (caseworkers) and include: parent education, absentee recovery, tutoring, mentoring, counseling and referrals to social service agencies. Remediation services allow students who have fallen behind the opportunity to recover lost course credits through online credit recovery (middle and high school). These students receive academic support and tutoring so they may achieve academically and rejoin classmates on the road to graduation. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-19 Program Sites: DeKalb County Regional Office of Education 23

31 ROE #17 DeWitt/Livingston/McLean - TAOEP Program ROE #17 DeWitt/Livingston/McLean Mark E. Jontry, Regional Supt. 905 N. Main St., Suite One Normal IL Phone: (309) jontrym@roe17.k12.il.us Website: Glen Hoffmann 408 W. Washington Bloomington IL Phone: (309) ghoffmann@rasblm.org Website: Counties Served: DeW itt, Livingston and McLean The DeWitt/Livingston/McLean TAOEP program provides supplemental services to the traditional school that facilitates improvement in academic achievement and ultimate graduation of students that have been identified as at-risk due to truancy and/or potential dropout status. Credit recovery style programming includes: single credit, virtual schooling, and a summer session. These programs are open to any current 9-12th grade student in the region enrolled in school, who meet TAOEP requirements, and are at risk of dropping out due to credit deficiencies. In addition the summer session is open to grades 6-8 who are in need of a grade remediation program. A K-12 prevention/intervention program provides outreach services for school personnel to improve student attendance patterns and parent awareness of attendance requirements. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services), Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: 408 W. Washington, Bloomington, IL 24

32 ROE #19 DuPage - TAOEP DuPage ROE Dr. Darlene Ruscitti, Regional Supt. 421 N. County Farm Rd. Wheaton, IL Phone: (630) druscitti@dupage.k12.il.us Website: Dr. Joseph Gust 421 N. County Farm Rd. Wheaton, IL Phone: (630) jgust@dupage.k12.il.us Counties Served: DuPage The DuPage County TAEOP is a coordinated collaborative effort between all of the local school districts in the county, local governmental agencies, community agencies, and the Regional Office of Education. The DuPage ROE receives referrals from our local schools. Each individual case receives multiple program options that include, but are not limited to, Youth Outreach services (school visits, home visits, educational monitoring, advocacy, individual counseling, family counseling, community agency referrals, parent education) case management, court liaison, and prevention/prevention services targeting chronic truants. An individual Optional Education Plan is developed and includes a diagnostic profile highlighting student needs, case management, goal setting, connection to the community resources and services advocacy, supportive parental involvement including home visits, individual, family and group counseling and continual reinforcement to meet the challenges and provide successful outcomes. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-17 Program Sites: DuPage County 25

33 ROE #20 Edward/Gallatin/Hardin/Pope/Saline/Wabash/ Wayne/White - Learning Alternative Branch ROE #20 Edward/Gallatin/Hardin/ Pope/Saline/Wabash/Wayne/White Lawrence Fillingim, Regional Supt. 512 North Main Street Harrisburg IL Phone: (618) lfillingim@roe20.org Website: Jim Taylor 307 E. Cherry Street Carmi IL Phone: (618) jtaylor@roe20.org Counties Served: Edward, Gallatin, Hardin, Pope, Saline, W abash, W ayne and W hite ROE #20 has worked with strategic planning group to study the needs of at-risk adolescents in Edwards, Gallatin, Hardin, Pop, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White Counties. Five strategic goals have been identified for this project: (1) Delivering two comprehensive optional education programs in the northern (Mill Shoals) and southern (Harrisburg) tiers of the ROE #20 area; (2) Providing specialized intervention services to at-risk adolescents in high school and to elementary students needing individual attention; (3) Formulating a region-wide group to address the needs of elementary-level at-risk adolescents likely to exhibit behaviors requiring pre-high school remediation; (4) Collaborating with the region s social service agencies to provide comprehensive community-based interventions for at-risk adolescents with problems not being met through the region s schools; and (5) Establishing a region-wide feasibility task force to explore bringing all of the region s at-risk youth together in one school complex. Several initiatives have been identified for the ROE #20 TAOEP. These initiatives will allow the region to: utilize the PBIS network to promote the social and academic success of at-risk adolescents; utilize the three-tier Response to Intervention model for school supports for targeted adolescent and intensive interventions; establish two intensive learning centers in the optional education programs for students who need an environment with a lower student/ teacher ratio; employ life coaches to provide positive support for students who want to improve their lives in special ways; and increase the number of interventionists who can provide supplemental services to chronic truants. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: Mills Shoals Learning Alternative Branch School and Harrisburg Learning Alternative Branch School 26

34 ROE #22 Fulton/Schuyler - Project Stay ROE #22 Fulton/Schuyler Dave Demler, Regional Supt. 257 W. Lincoln Lewistown IL Phone: (309) ddemler@roe22.net Website: Dave Demler 257 W. Lincoln Lewistown IL Phone: (309) ddemler@roe22.net Counties Served: Fulton, Schuyler Project Stay is a truancy intervention program serving K-12 students, families and school districts in Fulton and Schuyler during the school year. The goal of Project Stay is to serve approximately 120 truants, chronics, truants, and potential dropouts and their families to re-establish regular attendance, positive school habits, and academic success. Caseworkers work in cooperation with families, school districts, community agencies, and the judicial system to improve student attendance and achieve promotion to the next grade level. A service plan (IOEP) created for each student identifies student objectives and allows measurement toward success. A community planning/advisory group provides input to Project Stay and insures the program will adapt to current needs. Direct services provided by caseworkers include: individual student assessment; regular parent contact and home visits; academic and personal counseling; student monitoring; referral to Spoon River Academy Alternative School; referral to appropriate agencies and services; development of a collaborative service plan (IOEP); cooperation and coordination among social services/agencies; and use of the judicial justice system and local truancy ordinances. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-19 Program Sites: ROE #22 schools; Fulton County students in Peoria ROE #48 27

35 ROE #24 Grundy/Kendall - TAOEP Program ROE #24 Grundy/Kendall Christopher Mehochko, Regional Supt Union Street Morris IL Phone: (815) cmehochko@roe24.org Website: Meghan Martin 7700 Ashley Rd Morris IL Phone: (815) mmartin@roe24.org Counties Served: Grundy, Kendall The Grundy/Kendall Regional Office of Education provides supplemental and optional education services to the students enrolled in the 18 school districts within Grundy and Kendall counties. Major emphasis is placed on connecting the student to the school community as well as the community at large and to increase positive interaction between truant youth and trusted adults. Program staff has worked to foster a truly collaborative relationship between students, their families, school personnel, and existing community institutions. The supplemental services portion of the grant employs two caseworkers who work directly with school personnel to identify and support youth that remain truant despite numerous school-based interventions. Caseworkers provide a variety of attendance interventions to referred youth. Over the past three decades, these measures have demonstrated effectiveness through increased student attendance rates. The optional education portion of the grant employs a teacher, a classroom aide, a mental health counselor, and an employment coordinator. Referred youth will attend Premier Academy, the alternative school. They will benefit from a full day academic program as well as life skills training, mental health groups and individual counseling, career building, college planning, and other services as needed. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services), Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Chronic Truant, Truant, Potential Dropout and Dropout Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: Premier Academy, Morris Campus 28

36 ROE #25 Hamilton/Jefferson - TAOEP Program ROE #25 Hamilton/Jefferson Ron Daniels, Regional Supt Broadway Street Mt. Vernon IL Phone: (618) rdaniels@roe25.net Website: Ron Daniels 1714 Broadway Mt. Vernon IL Phone: (618) rdaniels@roe25.net Counties Served: Hamilton and Jefferson The Hamilton-Jefferson Counties Truants Alternative and Optional Education Program is designed to provide comprehensive services for students, seven years of age through 12th grade, identified as truants, chronic truants, potential dropouts and/or dropouts in 18 school districts in our counties. This joint cooperative program with our school districts provides an efficient use of resources, an improved continuation of service, and a greater cost effectiveness for serving these students in our schools with attendance problems. Service to the schools and eligible students will focus on two areas. First, our office will continue to provide services that support our school districts in their efforts to reduce and diagnose the issues causing student truancy. These efforts by a truancy advocate will include communication with parents, home visits, and analysis of school efforts, juvenile court educational support services, and leadership of an active truancy review board composed of members of local social, legal and educational agencies interested in keeping kids in school. Second, our office provides educational options that include an alternative school academic program for 6th-12th grade students, after-school tutoring, credit recovery programs and GED preparation opportunities for students with attendance and credit challenges. These two efforts will be used to improve attendance and increase graduation rates in our counties. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: 1-12 Age of Students Served: 7-21 Program Sites: Hamilton-Jefferson Counties 29

37 ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough - STAY-IN ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough John Meixner, Regional Supt. 130 S. Lafayette - Suite 200 Macomb IL Phone: (309) jmeixner@roe26.net Website: Eileen Worthington 130 S. Lafayette - Suite 200 Macomb IL Phone: (309) Ext mworthin@roe26.net Counties Served: Hancock, McDonough, W arren, Henderson and Mercer Project STAY-IN provides a truancy prevention/intervention and alternative education program to the districts in Hancock, McDonough, Henderson, Warren, and Mercer Counties. Services are provided by the ROE #26 in cooperation with the ROE #27. All districts have signed cooperative agreements and will assist in attaining positive student outcomes. The truancy prevention/intervention component will be provided by program staff, including truancy casework for underachieving students referred for high rates of absenteeism in all five counties and coordination of academic tutoring for identified students in Warren, Henderson, and Mercer counties. Optional Education components are provided to grades 9-12 in Hancock and McDonough Counties through two alternative schools. Identified retrieved dropouts attend, earning high school credit utilizing a self-paced curriculum. Students attaining adequate credit may graduate from their home district. A credit recovery option, utilizing the TAOEP computer curriculum, is offered to program students, allowing students to earn academic credit. Both the truancy and optional education components are designed to reduce the dropout and absenteeism rates, increase academic performance, and school attendance. An Individualized Optional Education Plan will be developed for each student to assess need. Overall achievement will be measured by objectives met. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough, ROE #27 Warren/Henderson/Mercer + Alternative Schools in Macomb, IL and Carthage, IL. 30

38 ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough - TAOEP Professional Development ROE #26 Hancock/McDonough John Meixner, Regional Supt. 130 S. Lafayette - Suite 200 Macomb IL Phone: (309) jmeixner@roe26.net Website: Joni Deems 130 S. Lafayette - Suite 200 Macomb IL Phone: (309) Ext jdeems@roe26.net Website: The professional development project provides leadership and support to local TAOEP programs through the delivery of professional development services, programs, and technical assistance activities, including: Assessing the professional development needs of persons working with TAOEP on an ongoing basis. Providing direct training, technical assistance and other professional development opportunities. CEUs and CPDUs are provided. Developing and publishing an annual directory of ISBE-funded TAOEP programs located throughout the State. Coordinating the oversight of the Edgenuity On-line Curriculum and providing technical assistance on an asneeded basis. Administering the electronic listserv and world wide web site ( Coordinating TAOEP administrators meetings held throughout the year. Collaborating and coordinating activities with other entities serving youth at-risk. Type of Service Offered: Professional Development 31

39 ROE #28 Bureau/Henry/Stark - Assisting Children in Education (ACE) ROE #28 Bureau/Henry/Stark Angie Zarvell, Regional Supt. 107 South State Street Atkinson IL Phone: (309) azarvell@bhsroe.org Website: Kim Sellers 107 South State Street Atkinson IL Phone: (309) ksellers@bhsroe.org Counties Served: Bureau, Henry and Stark Counties The Bureau/Henry/Stark ROE provides a comprehensive program that addresses attendance issues in a 3 county area. The program focuses on prevention, intervention, and remediation services, as well as systematic change through integrated school improvement efforts. The Bureau/Henry/Stark ROE s TAOEP initiative relies on established community partnerships to provide access to vital resources, which link students with unmet needs to the community services designed to meet those needs, building upon personal responsibility, academic success, and life skills in order to prevent future truancy and dropping out of school. Preventing students from developing attendance habits with an adverse effect on educational success is the initial strategy. Early identification in the progression of problematic attendance occurs through the process of referrals coming from school staff, parents, and social service agencies. Data gathering and assessment of student needs with invited parental involvement increases the potential for success. Parent education and support groups are also a possibility at this point in the intervention. Providing these types of intervention services to students and families needing additional assistance to develop and maintain acceptable attendance patterns is crucial. Students who are credit deficient and identified as a potential dropout may be given an opportunity to enroll in Edgenuity courses in order to assist districts as they struggle to prevent dropouts and prepare students for post-secondary education and workforce readiness. Service coordination, including linkages to community resources and credit retrieval opportunities, expose students to a remediation process and activities that increase academic and life success. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-17 Program Sites: ROE #28, Atkinson, IL. 32

40 ROE #30 Jackson/Perry - Jackson/Perry/Franklin/Williamson TAOEP Program ROE #30 Jackson/Perry Donna Boros, Regional Supt. Jackson County Courthouse 1001 Walnut Street Murphysboro IL Phone: (618) dboros@roe30.org Website: Jaime Lodge 1001 Walnut St. Murphysboro IL Phone: (618) jlodge@roe30.org Counties Served: Jackson, Perry, Franklin and W illiamson The Jackson/Perry/Franklin/Williamson Extended TAOEP Program is a cooperative effort in Jackson, Perry, Franklin, Williamson and Extended Regions to serve truants and chronic truant in grades K-12 through interventions to improve academic performance and poor attendance patterns. SPIRITS (Specialists in Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation Truant Services) team members provide and coordinate multiple diagnostics and interventions, including wrap around social services to facilitate the successful completion of the students Individualized Service Plan (ISP). The TAOEP program also includes an alternative optional education classroom, Project SOAR, for middle school students at risk of academic failure and/or failure to attain the level of education of their peers in the Jackson/ Perry region. Project SOAR provides direct instruction and online learning that focuses on core academic classes as well as career exploration and social services to promote student engagement in the learning process and success toward college and career readiness,. An Individualized Optional Education Plan (IOEP) guides the formative assessment of student progress in attaining academic, behavioral, and attendance goals. The overall TAOEP program coordinates with local school districts and community agencies to support improved student attendance, achievement of academic success, and social/emotional health. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-17 Program Sites: Jackson, Perry Franklin, Williamson. 33

41 ROE #31 Kane - Truancy Prevention Program ROE #31 Kane Patricia Dal Santo, Regional Supt. 210 South 6th Street Geneva IL Phone: (630) pdalsanto@kaneroe.org Website: Page McNulty 210 South 6th Street Geneva IL Phone: (630) pmcnulty@kaneroe.org Counties Served: Kane The Kane County TAOEP is a coordinated effort between all of the local school districts in the county, local governmental agencies, community agencies, and the Regional Office of Education. TAOEP receives referrals from our local schools, community agencies, local government agencies, and private citizens. Each individual case receives multiple program options that include, but are not limited to, Youth Outreach Services (school visits, home visits, educational monitoring, advocacy, individual counseling, family counseling, community agency referrals, parent education). Case Management, Court Liaison, Prevention Education and Intervention Education are key components of the program. All grade levels are served with intensive intervention/prevention services targeting truant and chronic truants. An Individual Service Plan is developed and includes a diagnostic profile highlighting student needs, case management, goal setting, connection to the community resources and services, advocacy, supportive parental involvement including home visits, individual, family and group counseling and continual reinforcement to meet the challenges and provide successful outcomes. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 7-17 Program Sites: All schools within county. 34

42 ROE #32 Iroquois/Kankakee - I-KAN Attendance Assistance Program ROE #32 Iroquois/Kankakee Dr. Gregg Murphy, Regional Supt. 189 East Court Street, Suite 600 Kankakee IL Phone: (815) Website: Michelle Fitts 189 East Court Street, Suite 600 Kankakee IL Phone: (815) mfitts@i-kan.org Counties Served: Iroquois and Kankakee The I-KAN Attendance Support Program has one overall goal - to keep students in school until graduation. To that end, two components have been established to provide supplemental services, through I-KAN Attendance Assistance Program (AAP), and Optional Education, through the Students All Learning Together Program (SALT). These programs serve 20 school districts in Kankakee and Iroquois counties with a total population of approximately 24,000 kindergarten-12th grade students, over 2,100 teachers and 66 building principals. The I-KAN AAP provides case management services to approximately 560 K-12 students. Through partnerships with over 100 entities, including government and community-based agencies, the needs of students, schools, and families are addressed. I-KAN AAP is a referring agency to the C&A LAN to assist chronic truant students. An additional strategy to assist chronic truants is the I-KAN Truancy Review Board (TRB). The initiative is done in partnership with the judicial system, numerous public agencies, school administrators, and parents. SALT serves 235 students in grades 9-12 in two counties. Strengthening the academic skills of referred students to meet the Illinois Learning Standards is a major focus. The SALT academic sessions are complemented with vocational training, independent study, volunteer community service activities, career planning, and/or credit recovery options. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-20 Program Sites: I-KAN ROE - I-KAN AAP, SALT - Kankakee County, SALT - Iroquois County. 35

43 ROE #33 Knox - Project ADEPT ROE #33 Knox Bonnie L. Harris, Regional Supt. 121 S. Prairie St. Galesburg IL Phone: (309) bharris@roe33.net Website: Lorenzo Pugh 121 S. Prairie Street Galesburg IL Phone: (309) lpugh81@gmail.com Counties Served: Knox In light of the substantial number of students identified as truants or dropouts in the school districts within Knox County, it is apparent that this region is in desperate need of an effective truancy/dropout abatement program. We recognize absenteeism effects the student, the school, local businesses and the community. To this end, the Knox County ROE has developed a community-based program plan with the primary objective of keeping students in the classroom so that they may realize educational benefit and ultimately achieve career success. This Alternative Directive Emphasizing the Prevention of Truancy (Project ADEPT) serves all five school districts in Knox County through prevention, intervention, remediation, dropout retrieval and systemic change components. Prevention involving attendance incentives and age-appropriate activities is offered to all K-5 students to reinforce the importance of regular school attendance at this highly impressionable age. Intervention, remediation, dropout and credit retrieval activities will serve students/families identified by referrals. These services will be tailored toward the needs of the individual as outlined in the student s IOEP. Systemic change targeting regional attendance policies will also be pursued. Through these efforts, the ADEPT program hopes to promote goal-oriented achievement among students, as well as provide them with the academic skills necessary to realize their dreams. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: ROE #33 36

44 ROE #34 Lake - PASS (Positive Alternative Student Services) ROE #34 Lake Roycealee Wood, Regional Supt. 800 Lancer Lane - Suite E-128 Grayslake IL Phone: (847) rwood@lake.roe34.org Website: Monica Schwander-Lottermoser West Washington St. Grayslake IL Phone: (847) Ext mschwander@lake.roe34.org Counties Served: Lake Regional Office of Education #34 provides comprehensive, dropout prevention and truant intervention (supplemental services) programs for students in schools with the highest truancy and dropout rates. Services are provided to students from grades 1-12 with special emphasis on preparing them for the workforce. Emphasis on the No Child Left Behind Act, Illinois School Improvement Planning, Education-to-Careers Initiatives and Illinois Learning Standards. Specifically, students and community will benefit from creating a seamless web of community support through sustained, coordinated planning and program implementation. 1. Casework - ATD provides assessment, casework, personal counseling and referral services for 400 chronic truant students resulting in improved attendance. 2. Attendance Month - This September is the second annual Attendance Awareness Month. This campaign is designed to rally the community around the importance of attendance and its role in academic achievement. 3. Attendance Groups - Schools that have a high number of referrals will be targeted for an Attendance Group. Students with 15 plus absences will be selected to participate in goal setting, life skills, decision making and study skills. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 7-17 Program Sites: ROE #34 37

45 ROE #35 LaSalle - Attendance Awareness and Optional Education ROE #35 LaSalle Christopher B. Dvorak, Regional Supt. 119 West Madison, Rm 102 Ottawa IL Phone: (815) cdvorak@roe35.org Website: Dr. Sandra Blanco 119 W. Madison, Rm 102 Ottawa IL Phone: (815) sblanco@roe35.org Counties Served: LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam and W oodford The Attendance Awareness Program serves four counties that lie within two Regional Offices of Education: LaSalle ROE #35 and Marshall/Putnam/Woodford ROE #43 The focus of the program is providing intervention and remediation services to potential dropouts, truants, chronic truants, and dropouts in grades K-12, to increase their attendance and academic achievement, with a long term goal of high school graduation. Service to 300 referred students includes coordination with families and schools, educational assessment and student/family counseling. Each student s Individualized Optional Education Plan may include referrals to school sponsored tutoring/counseling programs, to appropriate social service agencies, and the Edgenuity credit recovery program. Chronic Truants, Potential Dropouts, and Truants may be referred to the Optional Education Program Evaluation includes the number of students that meet their attendance and academic (credit recovery) goals. The philosophy of this program continues to be that the most successful avenue to reduce absenteeism and increase graduation rates is to intervene early in the child s school career when attendance concerns present themselves, and facilitate consistent parent/community involvement. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: All school districts in LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam and Woodford Counties 38

46 ROE #38 Logan/Mason/Menard - SPIRIT Outreach Program ROE #38 Logan/Mason/Menard Jean Anderson, Regional Supt. 122 N. McLean Street Lincoln IL Phone: (217) janderson@roe38.k12.il.us Website: Jean Anderson 122 N. McLean Street Lincoln IL Phone: (217) janderson@roe38.k12.il.us Counties Served: Logan, Mason and Menard The Logan/Mason/Menard Regional Office of Education believes that all children should have equal opportunities to attend school regularly and achieve academically. The SPecialized Intervention Remediation Involving Truancy (SPIRIT) program provides a system of community-based support and shared services to help students achieve regular attendance habits, while specifically addressing issues that may have an adverse effect on students abilities to be successful in the educational environment and beyond. Focused on improving attendance, along with increasing academic skills and self-esteem, SPIRIT provides truancy intervention/supplemental services to approximately 306 truants, chronic truants, and potential dropouts, from a population of 6900 K-12 students attending eleven of the region s school districts. Using a referral system to identify students and families who require assistance and support for developing and maintaining acceptable attendance patterns, caseworkers implement intervention strategies, while also incorporating the services of appropriate local social service agency providers, in order to interrupt the cycle of failure that may lead to an early exit from school. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-19 Program Sites: Regional Office of Education, Lincoln, IL 39

47 ROE #39 Macon/Piatt - Futures Unlimited ROE #39 Macon/Piatt Matthew Snyder, Regional Supt Huston Drive Decatur IL Phone: (217) msnyder@roe39.k12.il.us Website: Ed Boehm 250 East William Street Decatur IL Phone: (217) boehme@roe39.k12.il.us Counties Served: Macon and Piatt Futures Unlimited Alternative School has served the at-risk youth of Macon/Piatt counties for the last 35 years. Futures Unlimited helps at-risk students who are significantly behind in credits and have had problems attending school in the past. Futures Unlimited is the only alternative school in Macon/Piatt counties that allows students to graduate in an accelerated manner. Futures Unlimited operates through the Macon/Piatt ROE and provides an optional education for many students. The mission of Futures Unlimited is to serve at-risk students and their families by providing an opportunity for education and guidance through various school-based and community based-programs. Our students have the opportunity to earn their diplomas in a timely manner by utilizing an Individualized Educational Plan in a personalized atmosphere; building academic and social skills needed for a successful life and becoming a productive member of the community. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: 9-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Futures Unlimited 40

48 ROE #40 Calhoun/Greene/Jersey/Macoupin - TAOEP Program ROE #40 Calhoun/Greene/Jersey/ Macoupin Larry Pfeiffer, Regional Supt. 201 W. Exchange Jerseyville IL Phone: (618) lpfeiffer@roe40.com Website: Chad Hoesman 201 W. Exchange Jerseyville IL Phone: (618) choesman@roe40.com Counties Served: Calhoun, Greene, Jersey and Macoupin The program provides comprehensive prevention, intervention, remediation, and retrieval services to the four counties served by ROE #40. The services provided by TAOEP have evolved and been fined-tuned to meet the needs of the at-risk students in this region s educational communities. Counselors, mentors, and tutors work to remove the barriers that prohibit successful school completion by providing interventions before the truancy becomes chronic. In addition, when the truancy does become chronic the next phase of the grant provides support. The ROE #40 TAOEP Truancy Review/Advisory Board meets regularly and provides support to those who are successful in dealing with the chronic truant. District Superintendents in all four counties believe in the truancy prevention, intervention, and remediation strategies, as well as retrieval services being provided by the TAOEP grant and rely on it for support with their truancy issues. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-18 Program Sites: Brussels, Calhoun, Carrollton, Greenfield, North Greene, Jersey, ALC Carlinville, ALC Greene, N. Mac, Northwestern, Southwestern, Bunker Hill, Staunton, Gillespie, Mt. Olive, Carlinville 41

49 ROE #41 Madison - Madison County TAP ROE #41 Madison Robert Daiber, Regional Supt. 157 North Main - Suite 438 Edwardsville IL Phone: (618) rdaiber@roe41.org Website: Andrew Reinking 157 North Main Street - Suite 438 Edwardsville IL Phone: (618) reinking@roe41.org Counties Served: Madison County The Madison County Truants Alternative Program (MCTAP) emphasizes a holistic approach to reduce the problems of truancy through school and community networking. The MCTAP provides remediation, intervention, and support services to at-risk and truant youth through the assistance of a Truancy Review Board which is brought together by the Project Coordinator to review truancy cases with which local school personnel efforts have not been effective. An Individualized Truant Alternative Plan containing provisions for diagnostic, intervention, and remediation services is developed by the Interagency Resource Group for each referred student. The second component is the Truancy Court Diversion Program that is designed to help students and families establish regular school attendance without the necessity of filing a Truant Minor In Need of Supervision Petition with the county courts. This diversion program involves the family coming before a truancy judge for judicial admonishment and additional services if deemed appropriate. The third component, when all other interventions have failed, is access to the truancy courts at the county level. The final component provides for the continuation of the Regional Superintendent s leadership, technical assistance, and coordination of school, local community, and regional efforts to all school districts within the Madison County Educational Service Region. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 7-17 Program Sites: Madison County ROE 42

50 ROE #45 Monroe/Randolph ROE #45 Kelton Davis, Regional Supt. 107 East Mill St. Waterloo, IL Phone: (618) Website: Chelsea Wesselmann 107 East Mill St. Waterloo, IL Phone: (618) Counties Served: Brown, Cass, Morgan, and Scott Right Track Truancy Prevention (RTTP), the Truants Alternative and Optional Educational Program offered by the Monroe/Randolph Regional Office of Education, is a collaborative effort among the ROE, school districts in Monroe and Randolph counties, parents, Perandoe Special Education District, local support and law enforcement agencies. The shared vision is to diminish and prevent chronic truancy and dropout by providing expedient and appropriate interventions and supports for students who are showing academic, behavioral, cognitive and/or affective at-risk indicators. Right Track Truancy Prevention program accentuates prevention, intervention, and remediation for truants. The RTTP staff delivers school support in the areas of data collection, at-risk identification appropriate intervention monitoring and mentoring for students who are identified as at risk or currently displaying behaviors that lead to dropping out of school. Interventionists work directly with the students, school counselors, mentors, family, and community resources to identify and deliver support needs and options. Both supplemental services and optional education services are available. As a last resort, truancy tickets, Truancy Review Board, and court proceedings are administered should student, family, school, and community efforts fail in redirecting the student to the right track. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truancy Grade of Students Served: 1-12 Age of Students Served: 6-21 Program Sites: Valmeyer, Waterloo, Chester, Perandoe, Coulterville, Prarie Du Rocher, Red Bud, Sparta, Steelville 43

51 ROE #46 Brown/Cass/Morgan/Scott - Lafayette Academy ROE #46 Brown/Cass/Morgan/Scott Jeff Stephens, Regional Supt. 110 N. West Street Jacksonville IL Phone: (217) jstephens@roe46.net Website: Jeff Stephens 110 N. West Street Jacksonville IL Phone: (217) jstephens@roe46.net Counties Served: Brown, Cass, Morgan, and Scott The Lafayette Academy is an Alternative Learning Opportunities Program. Students come from 11 school districts within 4 counties. The Academy program enrolls students who have demonstrated: excessive absences; failure to meet yearly academic progress; a need for educational and social supports; apathy and lack of motivation. The program serves students from 9-12 grades. The general purpose of this program is to provide services for the above circumstances in order to help the students become an educated, literate and employable individual upon high school graduation. Some of the activities involved in this program include: differentiated instruction for each student; tutoring for students needing extra assistance; postsecondary planning; development of personal goals; assistance in understanding social and behavioral expectations within the work place and society as a whole; community involvement; involvement in supplemental school activities; high school graduation. Type of Service Offered: Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truancy Grade of Students Served: 9-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Lafayette Academy, 747 W. Lafayette St., Jacksonville, IL

52 ROE #47 Lee/Ogle - Lee Ogle Dropout Intervention System (LODIS) ROE #47 Lee/Ogle Paul McMahon, Regional Supt Clinton Street Dixon IL Phone: (815) Ext pmcmahon@leeogle.org Website: Janet Kacvinsky 1261 IL Rte 38 P.O. Box 100 Nachusa, IL Phone: (815) Ext jkacvinsky@leeogle.org Counties Served: Lee and Ogle The Lee/Ogle ROE works closely with all schools in the area to address the needs of all students. One need that is identified by all districts is that of non-attendance. Many issues affect non-attendance and include disconnection from the school, problematic self management skills, lack of parental support for education, and need for individual attention to the matter. In an effort to address these issues the ROE formed the Lee/Ogle Dropout Intervention System (LODIS). LODIS is a comprehensive truancy program which focuses on prevention, intervention, remediation, and systematic change. The prevention phase works with our schools to identify students who have irregular attendance patterns and to provide support to those students. The intervention phase works with truants and chronic students to improve attendance and promote academic success. Remediation connects identified students to programs that offer credit recovery. LODIS will connect at risk students to alternative learning opportunities within Lee and Ogle counties. Systemic change will target school improvement by promoting methods for clear identification and referral procedures and clear policies and procedures. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-18 Program Sites: Lee/Ogle ROE #47 45

53 ROE #48 Peoria - Project Target ROE #48 Peoria Beth Crider Derry, Regional Supt. Peoria County Courthouse 324 Main St., Suite 401 Peoria IL Phone: (309) bderry@peoriaroe48.net Website: Beth Crider Derry Peoria County Courthouse 324 Main St., Suite 401 Peoria IL Phone: (309) bderry@peoriaroe48.net Counties Served: Peoria The Peoria County Regional Office of Education s dual-program approach provides a continuum of services to public school students in Peoria County identified as truant, chronic truant, potential dropout or dropout. 1. Project T.A.R.G.E.T has provided truancy intervention services for truants and chronic truants in grades K-8 for the past 27 years. Activities toward the general purpose of truancy prevention include home visits, courtrelated services, monitoring, and services referrals for students and families. 2. The Peoria Regional High School fills a service gap in Peoria County by providing an alternative education program for drop-outs, truants, chronic truants, and potential dropouts in grades Activities include academic instruction, counseling, credit recovery, mentoring, life skills training, monitoring, and support for parents. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services), Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Truant, Chronic Truant, Potential Dropout and Dropout Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-21 Program Sites: Peoria County Courthouse, 324 Main St., Peoria, IL. Peoria Regional High School, Wildlife Prairie State Park, 3826 N. Taylor Rd., Hanna City, IL. 46

54 ROE #49 Rock Island - Prevention Services Program ROE #49 Rock Island Tammy Muerhoff, Regional Supt Avenue of the Cities Moline IL Phone: (309) tammy.muerhoff@riroe.com Website: Clayton Naylor 3430 Avenue of the Cities Moline IL Phone: (309) clayton.naylor@riroe.com Counties Served: Rock Island The Rock Island County Regional Office of Education (RIROE) collaborates with all Rock Island County school districts to assist them in addressing the Illinois Compulsory Attendance (105 ILCS 5/25-1) school code requirement that all children between the ages of 7-17 attend school regularly. To achieve this goal, the RIROE Prevention Services Truancy Program provides prevention and intervention services for youth who are truant, chronic truant and potential dropouts. The goal is to support a collaboration network of RIROE Prevention Services Truancy Program and community partners. The RIROE Prevention Services Truancy Program staff, school personnel, law enforcement, court services and community social service agencies maintain and foster efforts to provide effective and sufficient use of services to youth. The target population is youth identified as truant, chronic truant and potential dropouts to achieve academic success leading them to becoming productive citizens of their communities. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: Program Sites: Riverdale CUSD #100, Sherrard CUSD #200, Rockridge CUSD #300, Hampton School Dist. #29, United Township High School Dist. #30, Silvis School Dist. #34, Carbon-Cliff-Barstow Dist. #36, East Moline School Dist. #37, Moline School Dist. #40 and Rock Island-Milan School Dist. #41. 47

55 ROE #50 St. Clair - St. Clair County TAOEP ROE #50 St. Clair Susan Sarfaty, Regional Supt South Illinois Street Belleville IL Phone: (618) ssarfaty@stclair.k12.il.us Website: Tracy Gray 1000 South Illinois Street Belleville IL Phone: (618) tgray@stclair.k12.il.us Counties Served: St. Clair The St. Clair County TAOEP program will serve 688 students which represents 15% of the chronic student population. After local interventions with truant students have proven unsuccessful, a Regional Truancy Liaison will meet with truant students and their families to design more intensive services. The Regional Truancy Liaison is a trained professional with access to services through St. Clair County Mental Health, as well as other county agencies. The other primary activity will be weekly St. Clair County Regional Truancy Review Board hearings conducted by an experienced hearing officer with a panel of educators, representatives from local agencies and the juvenile justice system. This step is the final intervention attempt prior to the case being referred to the St. Clair County State Atorney s office. The objectives of this program will be: (1) increased daily attendance rates of chronic truants to at least 90% after interventions have been designed and implemented by the Regional Truancy Liaison. (2) The St. Clair County Truancy Review Board will hear 600 cases of chronic truancy. At least 570 will be cleared through intervention strategies set by the Truancy Review Board. The possible remaining 30 cases (5%) will be referred to the court system. These activities will be implemented through successful collaboration of schools, social service agencies and the juvenile justice system dedicated to decreasing the number of St. Clair County chronic truants. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: 2-12 Age of Students Served: 7-17 Program Sites: 48

56 ROE #51 Sangamon - Sangamon County Learning Academy ROE #51 Sangamon Jeff Vose, Regional Supt. Sangamon County Complex 2201 South Dirksen Pkwy Springfield IL Phone: (217) jvose@roe51.k12.il.us Website: Shannon Fehroholz 2201 South Dirksen Pkwy Springfield IL Phone: (217) sfehrholz@roe51.k12.il.us Counties Served: Sangamon ROE #51 s TAOEP program provides services to truants, chronic truants and dropouts in Sangamon County. All students in the program are given an Individualized Optional Education Plan which outlines the focus and services for each student. Students in grades K-10 in Sangamon County and grades K-8 in Springfield District #186 who are considered to be truants or chronic truants receive attendance intervention, remedial and supportive services. In addition, all referred students receive initial home visits to begin service. During the home visit and while serviced, the parent, school and student contact will continue on a regular basis throughout the school year. Services are provided in collaboration with community and school resources. The Sangamon County Learning Academy (SCLA) serves truants, chronic truants and retrieved dropouts in grades 9-12 from Sangamon County schools at its location within the Capital Area Career Center. SCLA is able to offer students the opportunity to attend the center s vocational/technical programs and additionally offers career counseling services to assist any of its students. Transportation is provided by each county school district in conjunction with students being transported for career programs. Unique features of SCLA include: small class size, increased parental involvement, academic services, individual and small group instruction, behavior remediation, academic counseling, attendance intervention, support services, transportation and transition services to return the student back to the home school. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-18 Program Sites: Sangamon County Learning Academy & Truancy Services to all districts in Sangamon County. 49

57 ROE #53 Tazewell - Tazewell County Truancy and Dropout Services ROE #53 Tazewell Gail Owen, Regional Supt. 414 Court St., Suite 100 Pekin IL Phone: (309) gowen@roe53.net Website: Gail Owen 414 Court St., Suite 100 Pekin IL Phone: (309) gowen@roe53.net Counties Served: Tazewell Tazewell County Truancy and Dropout Services consists of two programs: 1. The Truancy Intervention Program provides a caseworker to serve K-12 students, families and school districts in Tazewell County during the school year, in accordance with TAOEP guidelines. The goal is to serve truants, chronic truants and potential dropouts and their families to re-establish & improve regular school attendance, achieve promotion to the next grade level, and re-establish positive school habits and academic success. Programming involves student assessments, parental contact and home visits, academic and personal counseling, and attendance incentives and monitoring. When needed, students are referred to the Tazewell County Alternative High School, the judicial justice system or further counseling. 2. The Tazewell County Alternative High School provides an alternative high school education for dropouts, chronic truants, truants and potential dropouts from Tazewell County. The rigorous curriculum addresses various learning styles and includes traditional high school courses, small group academic intervention, online Edgenuity courses, social work services, counseling, and student development seminars all designed to meet the needs of students and their requirements for a high school diploma. A service plan (IOEP) created for each student in each program, identifies student objectives and allows measurement toward success. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Dropout, Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-21 Program Sites: Tazewell Alternative High School, Creve Coeur, IL. Tazewell Truancy Program Pekin, IL. 50

58 ROE #54 Vermilion - Vermilion County TAOEP Program ROE #54 Vermilion Cheryl Reifsteck, Regional Supt. 200 S. College Street, Suite B Danville IL Phone: (217) csreifsteck@roe54.k12.il.us Website: Mark Janesky 200 S. College Street, Suite B Danville IL Phone: (217) mjanesky@roe54.k12.il.us Counties Served: Vermilion The Vermilion County ROE provides intervention and support services for students across the county. Objectives for this program address identified needs for increasing student attendance and graduation rates and are met through truancy intervention services. While students may drop out of school physically when they reach the age of 17, they emotionally disengage from school much earlier than that. This truancy intervention component provides an attendance liaison to work with students in grades K-12 identified as truants or chronic truants. Counseling is provided for students through home visits, conferences, and small groups. The attendance liaison works with families and serves as a liaison between the family, school and court, and serves on the county-wide Truancy Intervention Committee. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 6-21 Program Sites: Ver milion County ROE, Danville 51

59 ROE #55 Whiteside - Whiteside County Truants Alternative Program ROE #55 Whiteside Robert Sondgeroth, Regional Supt West 23rd Street Sterling IL Phone: (815) bsondgeroth@whitesideroe.org Website: Chris Palmer 1001 West 23rd Street Sterling IL Phone: (815) cpalmer@whitesideroe.org Counties Served: W hiteside The Whiteside County Truants' Alternative Program (WCTAP) provides interventions and supportive services to truant and chronically truant students, potential dropouts and their families. The effects of truancy and dropping out of school create problems that are both short and long term. Significant factors that contribute to truancy are insufficient achievement or lack of success in school, low self-esteem, dysfunctional family situations, substance abuse, homelessness, poverty, gang affiliation, and cultural limitations. The WCTAP acts as a liaison between home, school, and community resources to provide a broad-range approach for assisting truant students and their families. Program staff meet with each referred student and his/her guardian to identify truancy causes, and together they develop an individualized service plan to improve each student s attendance. Individual and family issues contributing to truancy are addressed during home visits, school visits, and through counseling and linkages with community resources. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) Students Served: Potential Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-19 Program Sites: ROE #55 52

60 ROE #56 Will - TAOEP Program ROE #56 Will Shawn Walsh, Regional Supt. 702 W. Maple St. New Lenox IL Phone: (815) swalsh@willcountyillinois.com Website: Jake Mahlik 702 W. Maple St. New Lenox IL Phone: (815) jmahalik@willcountyillinois.com Counties Served: W ill Lincoln School is the attendance center for Optional Education and offers optional education services to eligible chronic truants, truants, potential dropouts and dropouts in grades 6 through 12. The alternative school uses Edgenuity as a base curriculum and works with cooperating school districts for further customizing. Certified teachers and classroom aids complement this curriculum with direct instruction and community services. Support services address the root causes of truancy and provide intervention in those areas most relevant to student success. Students participate in employment preparedness and character building activities. The goal of the educational program is to provide alternative educational experiences for students who have problematic attendance patterns. These educational experiences are aligned with the common core and provide youth with the necessary skills to become productive citizens. The Will County ROE employs caseworkers who collaborate with the 29 school districts in the Will County. School personnel and caseworkers collaborate to identify and support youth that remain truant despite school-based interventions. Caseworkers provide a variety of attendance interventions after school based interventions are exhausted. Emphasis is placed on connecting the student to the school and community to increase positive interaction between truant youth and trusted adults. Type of Service Offered: Truant Intervention (Supplemental Services) and Optional Education/Alternative Students Served: Potential Dropout, Dropout, Truant and Chronic Truant Grade of Students Served: K-12 Age of Students Served: 5-21 Program Sites: Will Co. ROE, Lincoln School 53