Student Services
Independence Community School District is committed to providing a quality education for all students. The At-Risk/Dropout Prevention Program is designed to provide support to meet student needs in our district. Students benefit from additional support in meeting Iowa Core learning expectations. We provide additional assistance during the school day along with support to improve self-concept and academic success.
ICSD offers a variety of support services including, but not limited to:
- At-risk teachers & Academic Interventionists
- Computer-based Credit Recovery Programs
- Summer School
- Mentoring
- Counseling
- Attendance Intervention
- Alternative Program (Buchanan County Success Center)
Our goal is to have 100% of students show academic progress, 100% of students exhibiting improved study skills, personal and social skill development, improved choices, and improved relationships. In addition, we work to help families access appropriate school and community-based services.
For more information, please contact our At-Risk Coordinator or Director of School Improvement.
An English Language Learners Program (ELL) provides the opportunity for students to become proficient in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This program includes cultural study and develops an understanding of American society. It provides a positive environment where the student’s culture is valued and the study of their first language is encouraged. According to Iowa Code Section 280.4, a limited English proficient student is defined as “A student’s language background is in a language other than English and the student’s proficiency in English is such that the probability of the student’s academic success in an English-only classroom is below that of an academically successful peer with an English Language background.”
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The Independence Community School District Extended Learning Program (ELP) will strive to provide services for youth who perform at levels notably advanced for their age/grade level. The ELP provides differentiated instruction; emphasizes rigor and challenge; and explores various learning environments, academic opportunities, and affective growth opportunities in the K-12 setting. The purpose of formal identification for ELP is to serve gifted students whose specific aptitude and/or general intellectual needs require classroom differentiation and enrichment to ensure appropriate learning opportunities. ICSD is committed to providing these students with a learning environment flexible enough to allow a diversity of options in order to maximize their potential.
ICSD Extended Learning Program Handbook
The Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is authorized under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, most recently re-authorized in December 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The McKinney-Vento Act mandates state action to ensure that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education as their non-homeless counterparts.
Definition of a Homeless Child/Youth
- A homeless child or youth ages 3-21;
- A child who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes the following:
- A child who is sharing the housing of others (includes doubled-up families) due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; is abandoned in a hospital
- A child who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
- A child who is living in a car, park, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
- A migratory child/youth who qualifies as homeless because of the living circumstances described above
- Includes youth who have run away or youth being forced to leave home.
For more information, please contact our Homeless Liaison.
Homeschooling or private instruction is when a family educates their children at home instead of sending them to a traditional public or nonpublic school. There are several private instruction options in Iowa
- Competent Private Instruction (CPI) provided or supervised by a licensed practitioner (Option 1), which may include:
- Enrollment in the resident district’s home school assistance program (HSAP; if offered),
- Instruction by an appropriately licensed teacher that is privately retained (i.e., at their own expense) by the family, or
- Instruction provided by an appropriately licensed parent, guardian, or custodian.
- CPI supervised by a parent, guardian, or custodian (Option 2) without a current Iowa teaching license.
- Independent Private Instruction (IPI).
Homeschooled high school students cannot receive a diploma from an accredited school.
For more information, please see the Iowa Department of Education's Homeschooling page.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in any program that receives federal funding. All schools in the Independence Community School District must comply with this law. Section 504 defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Under Section 504, schools must provide students with disabilities the accommodations needed to access and benefit from education equally with their peers.
For more information, please see our Section 504 Guideline Manual or contact our Director of School Improvement.