Exceptional Achievers - School Town of Munster

Welcome to the Exceptional Achievers Department

School Town of Munster provides a full continuum of special education services for our students. Special education includes specially-designed instruction to meet a student’s unique educational needs and related services to support a student’s educational program. The services range from support for students placed in general education classroom settings to self-contained specialized programs for students whose educational needs require more intensive services and support.

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Description of services offered by our department

Vida Choucalas

Director of Exceptional Achievers

School: (219)836-9111 ext. 4101

Jana Maric

Assistant Director of Exceptional Achievers

School: (219)836-9111 ext. 4102

Tammy Katalinic

Primary Coordinator of Exceptional Achievers

School: (219)838-2060 ext. 6303

Marianne Orfanos

Secondary Coordinator of Exceptional Achievers

School: (219)836-9111 ext. 3441

Julie Massoud

Assistant to Food Service & Exceptional Achievers

School: (219)836-9111 ext. 4103

Staci Vukadinovich

Administrative Assistant

School: (219)836-9111 ext. 4100

Little Mustangs | Early Childhood Programs

Developmental Early Childhood Program

Do you have concerns about your child’s development?

The Early Childhood Developmental classrooms provide a developmentally appropriate, structured classroom experience for children with disabilities. Certified staff provide individualized attention to each child’s needs. The curriculum is based on the needs, abilities, and interests of children. Children between the ages of 3-5 who are eligible for special education services have an individualized education program (IEP) based on their strengths and needs. If you have additional questions, please contact Claire Starcevich, Early Childhood Coordinator at 219.838.2060 x 6206.

Click HERE for more details about this program.

ISPROUT Early Learning Assessment Tool

Indiana Student Performance Readiness and Observation of Understanding Tool (ISPROUT) is utilized to measure skills in children from infancy to kindergarten. ISPROUT is aligned to the Indiana Early Learning Foundations.

ISPROUT will be utilized for Indiana students receiving services as part of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to meet the reporting needs of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The web or app based instrument is utilized by teachers to rate students based on their ongoing observations of children engaged in typical daily routines and activities.

ISPROUT for Families

First Steps

First Steps students transition from Indiana First Steps. Students must be evaluated and the initial case conference must be completed before the child turns 3 years of age. If the child is found eligible for special education, they are able to start on their third birthday. For children ages 0 to 3 years: Your child may be eligible for early intervention through Northwest Indiana First Steps.

To make a referral, call 219.662.7790 or visit the Indiana First Steps' website.

Developmental Milestones

New for the 2024-25 School Year - Monthly Screenings

The School Town of Munster will conduct monthly screenings for families who are concerned that their child may need specialized instruction. Click HERE to complete the questionnaire or call Staci Vukadinovich at 219.836.7256 ext. 4100 for more information.

Monthly Screening Dates:

Special Education Exceptional Achiever’s Program

Special Education Identification Process
Dyslexia Screening Data

Special Education Identification Process

WHAT ARE THE PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING
THE NEED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES?

Indiana State Board of Education Special Education Rules Title 511 Article 7 Rules 32 -47, have set forth a new process to determine a student’s eligibility for Special Education. The determination of an educational disability would be evident through either:

an assessment of a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement or both, relative to age; state standards or intellectual ability or
through insufficient progress to meet age or state standards when using a process based on the student’s response to scientific, research based interventions

The latter process referred to as early intervening services involves school staff planning and collecting data regarding the student’s response to scientific research based interventions. As students participate in this process, it may become apparent that certain students have more significant needs and an evaluation is indicated. The following information outlines this process.

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)is a practice of providing high quality instruction or interventions matched to student needs that use learning rate over time and level of performance to make important educational decisions. The following components of MTSS are essential to the development of a successful MTSS implementation strategy.

High quality instruction/intervention is defined as instruction or intervention matched to student need that has been demonstrated, through scientific research and practice, to produce high learning rates for most students.
Learning rate and level of performance are the primary sources of information used in ongoing decision making. Learning rate refers to a student’s individual growth in achievement or behavior competencies over time. Most students respond to explicit and intense instruction/interventions. Decisions about the use of more or less intense interventions are made using information from learning rates and performance levels.
Important educational decisions about intensity and the likely duration of interventions are based on the individual student’s response to instruction across multiple tiers of intervention. Decisions about the necessity of more intense interventions, including eligibility for special education and or exit from special education or other services are informed by data based on the student’s demonstrated learning rates and performance levels.

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Team

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Teams are formulated in each school. These problem-solving teams are brought together when the staff determines that the student has not responded to interventions. The MTSS Team is composed of the parent, school psychologist, classroom teachers and specialists who have expertise in the area of need. The parent will be notified that the team will formulate a specific intervention plan for their child. The purpose of the MTSS Team is to review the existing data and formulate a plan to address the areas of need. The team determines:

the specific intervention
the method in which to monitor the students’ progress
who will carry out the intervention
the duration of the intervention

The team will meet at specified intervals to review, and if needed, revise the intervention plan based on the results of continued progress monitoring.

Referral for Special Education Evaluation

If the Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Team determines that the child is not responding to the interventions as set forth in the plan, a referral for special education assessment is initiated and parent permission is obtained. The case conference committee will utilize the data collected within the evaluation process in addition to the data that has been collected through the MTSS process in order to determine if the student qualifies as a student with a specific learning disability. A multidisciplinary team report is written and the case conference committee determines if the child qualifies. If the student qualifies for services, an individual education plan (IEP) is written.

District-Level Planning

Each school district provides guidance and training to staff. Assessment tools and interventions of increasing intensity are available in all buildings. This process increases student outcomes that are crucial to making accurate decisions about the effectiveness of interventions. It also allows for early identification and academic interventions to prevent school failure. The process prevents excessive identification of students with disabilities and enables special education personnel to formulate effective programs for students who need it.

Parent Special Education Concerns

What if I think my child has special educational needs?

Children ages 0 to 3 years

Children ages 3 to 5 years

Children Kindergarten to Grade 12

Child Find is a program to identify, locate and evaluate all children who are suspected of having a disability. Any individual (parent, teacher, principal) that suspects a child may have a disability and could benefit from special education services should initiate a referral by contacting the building principal. You may also contact the Exceptional Achiever’s Office directly at 219-836-7256.
The School Town of Munster:

establishes, maintains, and implements written procedures that ensure the location, identification, and evaluation of all students three (3) years of age, through twenty-two (22) years of age, and who are in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, including students who:
who reside within the boundaries of the School Town of Munster
attend a non public school, are served by an agency, or live in an institution located within the jurisdiction of the public agency:
are homeless as defined at 511 IAC 7-32-46;
are wards of the state;
are highly mobile students, including migrant students.

If you suspect your child may have an educational disability that is impacting their ability to learn, please reach out to your child’s school and speak directly with the principal about your concerns. You may also contact the Exceptional Achiever’s Office and speak with an administrator about your educational concerns for your child.

Classrooms

We recognize each child is a unique person with an individual pattern and timing of growth along with individual personality, learning style and family background. Assessment of the student’s strengths and needs is necessary to determine instructional needs.

Young children learn most effectively through a concrete, play-oriented approach. Their development and learning occur throughout daily activities and routines. The program provides a developmentally appropriate curriculum for the age span of the children being served and is implemented with attention to the different needs, interests and developmental levels of each child. An integrated approach is used to encourage the children’s physical, emotional, social, communicative and cognitive development. Emphasis is placed on providing materials and activities that are concrete, relevant to the children, and encourage self-directed play and active exploration.

Dyslexia Screening Data

In 2015 the Indiana General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1108. This law put in place an official definition for dyslexia in Indiana. This definition is based on the International Dyslexia Association’s definition of dyslexia. When referring to dyslexia, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) uses the language from HEA 1108.

House Enrolled Act 1108 defines dyslexia as: A specific learning disability that: (1) is neurological in origin and characterized by: difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities; (2) typically results from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction; (3) may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and (4) may require the provision of special education services after an eligibility determination is made in accordance with Article 7.

Beginning in the 2019 ‐ 2020 school year, Senate Enrolled Act 217 requires schools to universally screen all kindergarten, first, and second‐grade students annually to identify and predict students who may be “at some risk” for dyslexia.

STM will utilize universal screeners approved by the Indiana Department of Education that includes indicators for dyslexia that include:

Phonological and phonemic awareness
Sound symbol recognition
Alphabet knowledge
Decoding skills
Rapid naming skills
Encoding skills

If a student is determined to be at risk for dyslexia following this screening, a Level I dyslexia screening will be administered with parent consent. If a student's dyslexia screening indicates the need for dyslexia intervention services for the student, the dyslexia intervention may include one or more of the following:

Explicit, direct instruction that is systematic, sequential, and cumulative and follows a logical plan of presenting the alphabetic principle that targets the specific needs of the student without presuming prior skills or knowledge of the student;
Individualized instruction to meet the specific needs of the student in a setting that uses intensive, highly concentrated instruction methods and materials that maximize student engagement;
Meaning‐based instruction directed at purposeful reading and writing with an emphasis on comprehension and composition;
Instruction that incorporates the simultaneous and use of two or more sensory pathways during teacher presentations and student practice; and
Other instructional approaches as determined appropriate by educational team.

Helpful Resources and Links

*Please note that the following resources and links are not meant as endorsements by
the School Town of Munster, but merely as information that may be helpful to our families and visitors.

Indiana Department of Education
Article 7, Procedural Safeguards, Parent Rights and other information.
Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities
Information on Medicaid Waivers and other valuable information
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Providing Hoosiers with disability-related information and services from birth through older adulthood. Click on their name to visit their webpage.
IN*Source / Indiana Resource Center for Families with Special Needs
Helps parents of children with disabilities navigate the complicated special education process in the state of Indiana. We help bridge the gap between schools and parents and we strive to connect the dots that become the individual path to success for children with disabilities.
Cooperative Special Recreation Initiative (CSRI) - Email csri2004@yahoo.com to join their email list.
Autism Support Network
Designed by those living with ASD, for those with ASD and those seeking social connection, peer guidance and a feeling of community with others.
Autism Distance Education Parent Training (ADEPT)
Distance parent training module from the UC Davis MIND Institute UCEDD providing several strategies for teaching functional skills for parents.
Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA) - Free Summer Family Support Webinars.
GRASP
The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership
Down Syndrome Association of NWI
Serving Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper and Newton Counties.
National Down Syndrome Congress
They provide information, advocacy and support concerning all aspects of life for individuals with Down syndrome, and work to create a national climate in which all people will recognize and embrace the value and dignity of people with Down syndrome.
AccessAbilities, Inc.
Focusing on the provision of services that emphasize best practices, comprehensiveness and overcoming possible barriers between human potential and physical or cognitive abilities.
Center for Possibilities
Their mission is to improve the quality of life for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.
Innovations in Learning
Dedicated to implementing best practice standards in helping consumers achieve their individual potential throughout the developmental life span.
Nat'l Dissemination Center for Children w/Disabilities (NICHCY)
Serving the nation as a central source of information on disabilities. Now known as Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR).
National Autism Association of NWI
Providing real help and hope through webinars, downloadable toolkits and support.
Asperger's Syndrome support at Lakeview Health
A 24/7 live private and confidential chat option is available.
Share Foundation with the Handicapped
Assists developmentally disabled/other-abled people and their families in many different areas. They also offer mini-camps through their Camp Sharing Meadows property.
Opportunity Enterprises
Offers innovative and impactful services for individuals with a wide range of physical and developmental disabilities.
Hannah's Hope
Aims to assist children with special needs obtain various therapies and costly medical equipment.
Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BBDS)
BBDS is a program of the Division of Disability & Rehabilitative Services, a division of the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration. BDDS provides services for individuals with developmental disabilities that enable them to live as independently as possible in their communities. BDDS assists individuals in receiving community supports and residential services using a person-centered plan to help determine which services are needed and who can best provide them. BDDS also monitors the quality of care and the facilities of those who are approved to provide these services in Indiana.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Jana Maric at 219-836-7256 X4102 jmaric@munster.us.

Click here to to learn more about the State of Indiana's Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services.

BDDS fact sheet

Family Supports Waiver Fact Sheet

Parental Rights

Article 7: Effective May 2024

Article 7 - 2024
Article 7 - 2024 Spanish

Indiana Department of Education Notice of Procedural Safeguards

Federal Legislation • Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
A civil rights law to prohibit discrimination solely on the basis of disability in employment, public services, and accommodations.

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