Frequently Asked Questions about our School
Are you state certified?
Yes, Chicago Education Project is an Illinois State Board of Education certified non-public day facility. Children are enrolled at CEP through their parents or home school districts in place of a classroom in their home school.
How many classrooms do you have?
CEP currently has five classrooms servicing children with autism, PDD-NOS, Aspergers, and related disorders.
What grades do you serve?
Currently students at CEP range from 5-10 years old, although we are certified for students 3-11.
How many students are enrolled?
CEP currently has 24-30 students enrolled at any given time.
What is the student-teacher ratio?
The average student to certified teacher is 1:6. (one classroom teacher per every 6 students)
What is the student-staff ratio?
There is a minimum of one staff for every student enrolled.
What credentials does your staff hold?
In each classroom, there is one certified special education teacher and one Associate Behavior Analyst. An Associate Behavior Analyst is someone, who at a minimum, has begun their coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis and is near completion of their Supervised Clinical Experience. Each classroom is also staffed by classroom instructors. Classroom instructors hold a minimum of a bachelors degree in psychology, education, or a related field. The classroom teachers are supervised by the Program Director, Amanda Parker, M.Ed, BCBA and the Associate Behavior Analysts are supervised by the Director of Behavioral Services, Melinda Pieniazek, M.A, BCBA.
What curriculums are used in the classrooms?
Because CEP individualizes curriculums for the students, we never rely on one method per classroom. CEP's highly trained teachers and behavior analysts modify a variety of curriculums and pull from many sources to best serve the needs of the students. Most educational content for our Early Learners do not come from traditional academic curriculums, but rather use their strengths to build up weaknesses as determined by assessments such as ABLLS-R, VB-MAPP and the Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires. Our intermediate and advanced classrooms utilize these assessments and also utilize the following sources: Language for Learning, Language for Thinking, SRA Horizons, Math-U-See , Distar, HWOT, Jolly Phonics and the Association Method.
Do you offer Special Services such as Speech and OT?
CEP employs Speech and Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Social Workers to provide services to our students as outlined in their IEPs. We do not offer special services in the areas of physical therapy, vision therapy, or sensory integration therapy. Special service personnel work closely with classroom teachers and instructors to ensure skills are taught across all environments and instructors.
Is there a school nurse?
There is not a school nurse on duty at CEP.
How is ABA used at the school?
Applied Behavior Analysis employs methods based on scientific principles of behavior to build socially useful repertoires and reduce problematic behaviors (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 1989). A common misconception of ABA is that it in order to be ABA, the student must learn at a table in a cubicle in a 1:1 setting. CEP uses the basic principles of ABA, reinforcement, punishment, motivation, extinction, and stimulus control to arrange ALL environments to maximize learning opportunities. The principles are at work during one-on-one instruction, but also during transitions, groups, free play, community outings, snack, lunch, circle, etc.
What is the tuition?
Students are placed at CEP through their district by the decision of the IEP team OR are placed privately by the student's family. The current daily rate for enrollment in the school is $306.12 per day.
How many days are students in session?
CEP is a year-round school operating 208 days for the 2009-2010 school year. Students have scheduled breaks through out the year as well as school holidays.
How does a public school decide to place a student at CEP?
Most students at CEP are referred to us by their local school districts. At a student's IEP, the team decides that the most appropriate placement for a student may not be in district. The district then sends CEP a formal request for placement letter and referral packet which includes the student's current IEP. CEP will then learn about the student though parent and teacher interviews and observations in the current placement. If the intake team decides that CEP is an appropriate placement for the student, the student is then accepted and an intake IEP is conducted and/or the student placed on our waiting list.
Can I enroll my child privately?
Parents may choose to send their child to CEP without a referral from their district. These families are responsible for paying the daily tuition assigned by ISBE as well as an intake assessment to determine if placement is appropriate for the student.
How does the wait-list work?
There may be a wait-list when you apply to CEP. The wait list at CEP is NOT first-come-first-served. Students are placed into classrooms at CEP depending on both, their age and their skill level. We will only accept a student if there is an opening in an appropriate classroom. First openings will not always be the appropriate classroom. If a student is on our waiting list, we have already deemed CEP an appropriate place for their education. When a spot becomes available on our student roster in the appropriate classroom, the district and/or family is notified via phone call and an acceptance letter is mailed.
Do students age out of CEP? Where do they go?
One of the missions of CEP is that all students have the right to effective teaching. Although CEP has only been at this location since 2005, we have arranged and rearranged classrooms to fit the students changing needs. Students do NOT age out of CEP, we age with them.
