Lincolnshire-Prairie View Dist. 103 gets special ed grant

Lincolnshire-Prairie View Elementary District 103 officials are set to use federal stimulus funding to create a new computer database for their special-education program.

The Internet-based software will help administrators and teachers track the individual goals of students in the special-education program, said Julie Postma, the district's director of student services. It also will let officials monitor how special-education services are being used.

The program will replace an existing system that's six or seven years old and outdated, Postma said.

The venture, developed in partnership with the Special Education District of Lake County, will be funded with a roughly $21,000 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The stimulus program was designed to boost the national economy, and the District 103 effort will do that: The district will hire a Massachusetts firm called esped.com to create the software, Postma said.

"It really should benefit the kids and stimulate the economy," she said.

About 300 District 103 students, roughly 18 percent of the student population, receive special-education services.

The new program will assist educators with a variety of tasks, Postma said. For example, it will help them track how many minutes of occupational therapy selected students need, or what types of math resources are needed.

It will improve efficiency and save teachers time, allowing them to spend more time with students in classrooms, Postma said.

Only District 103 employees, not parents or students, will have access to the database. Future programs could allow parental interaction, however, Postma said.

Postma hopes the database will be ready this fall.