Student Services

At CJDS, we emphasize professional communication between educators to best meet the needs of our Reach students.  Reach teachers and classroom teachers regularly collaborate and work in close partnership to support student learning and address students' social and emotional needs. The following list depicts some examples of how Reach staff and classroom teachers collaborate:

• Review of Individualized Student Service Plan (ISSP);
• Scheduled Reach teacher-classroom teacher meetings;
• Scheduled meetings between case managers and classroom teachers; and
• Informal daily communication regarding current classroom curriculum and student needs.

Reach professionals engage in systematic assessment and data collection to ensure each student is making adequate and appropriate progress.

Case managers support students who have Individualized Student Service Plans (ISSP) by coordinating with teachers, school service providers, private providers and parents to ensure services are implemented according to the plan. Case managers gather information, data, and updates from teachers; observe students in class and social settings to monitor progress; respond swiftly to situations that directly relate to the student’s learning profile; and facilitate communication between teachers, parents, and providers on student progress.

Our CJDS school psychologist does not directly work with students but supports teachers in both the general classroom and the Reach department. The school psychologist collaborates with teachers and parents to support children’s academic, social, and emotional needs. This may include classroom observations, teacher and parent collaboration, and the development of an Individualized Student Service Plan (see below). In addition, the school psychologist will recommend and/or refer students for outside school evaluations and/or support services (e.g. speech, language, counseling, etc.). He also collaborates and communicates with evaluators and private specialists/therapists that are working with CJDS students.

An Individualized Student Service Plan (“ISSP”) is a CJDS internal document that articulates a student’s unique educational or social/emotional needs and identifies services and classroom supports and/or accommodations that will facilitate and maximize that child’s growth and learning. Our ISSPs are written to educate teachers and service providers on the unique learning profile of that student, usually based on the results of a private neuropsychoeducational evaluation, to allow for thoughtful and goal oriented implementation of accommodations and services. The ISSP is updated annually, or as needed, by the student's support team which includes parents, teachers, Reach staff, outside providers and any other appropriate stakeholders.  

There may be occasions where students may be referred for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan. The school psychologist will guide students and families through an evaluation process with Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (“ODLSS”). 

The CJDS school social worker supports our students and their learning communities by developing, facilitating, reinforcing and nurturing healthy connections within the classroom, between students and teachers, within small groups and between individual students. The goal of the school social worker is to help students fully participate as positive and productive members within their learning and social communities and to help them fully participate in mutually beneficial relationships with their peers. The school social worker does not provide psychotherapy for individual students, but rather concentrates on the above social and educational goals. In most instances, this means the school social worker’s focus is on direct service inside the classroom during morning meeting, class time, advisory (for Middle School), and/or during group work. She employs a social emotional learning curriculum that complements the Responsive Classroom philosophy and approach implemented by the classroom teachers and includes teaching students strategies and skills such as resolving conflict, engaging in social negotiation, managing stress/anxiety, and/or learning to take someone else’s perspective.  

In urgent situations, the social worker will intervene when acute needs arise. For students with on-going therapeutic needs, the social worker will refer students to outside providers as needed. In those instances where students are already working with outside therapeutic services, the social worker will collaborate and consult with parents and outside providers and then, in turn, help case managers and classroom teachers implement appropriate student support.  

CJDS believes that the high school search, placement and transition process should be driven by the social, emotional and educational needs of the student. We will help families identify educational environments (independent, public, and Jewish high schools) that will foster continued growth in all aspects of students’ lives. 

For students who receive Reach services, the continuation of which is essential for success in high school, we facilitate a process with Chicago Public Schools to memorialize those services either in the form of an Individual Education Plan (“IEP”) or a 504. These plans are legal documents and will ensure continuity of services in high school.  

Students are referred to Reach when teachers identify concerns with student learning, growth, and/or their social-emotional well-being that routine classroom differentiation or interventions have not or cannot sufficiently address. Classroom teachers, administrators, a case manager, and parents will confer to determine next steps. These steps may include:

• Administration of additional assessments to determine need for academic Reach support;
• Consultation with the school psychologist or social worker;
• Observations by school personnel;
• Small group work with the school worker; 
• Consultations with the family’s private providers; 
• Creation of Individual Student Service Plans; and/or
• Recommendation for a neuropsychological evaluation to identify specific learning needs.  

If you are wondering if your child needs more support, your first point of communication should always be your child’s classroom teacher in Lower School or advisor in Middle School. Teachers will then confer with the appropriate professionals to determine if a referral to Reach is appropriate.