At St. John Berchmans School, we are committed to providing an education and curriculum that all students can access. We believe it is our duty as Catholic educators to welcome students who learn and behave differently and foster an environment where all of our students learn side-by-side, to the benefit of all. 

Through our inclusive education program, students and families can receive support through specialized instruction, counseling, behavioral therapy, academic coaching and other social and academic services. Our Director of Inclusion will work with students and families to create a plan of support that ensures academic growth and social and emotional well-being.
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Decisions concerning the admission and continued enrollment of students are made on an individualized basis. A student with diverse needs is admitted to St. John Berchmans if it is determined that the child has the emotional, academic, and physical abilities to be successful in our program with the support services we have available. 

Meet the Members of our Inclusive Ed Team

Director of Inclusion
The Director of Inclusion serves as the liaison between parents, teachers, service providers and in coordination with the Chicago Public School (CPS) assessment team to support inclusion of students identified with disabilities and students in need of any level of specialized learning or behavior support. Please contact Sydney Davis at [email protected] in order to start a discussion about individualized support needs your child may have. 
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When it is determined that we need more expertise on students’ specific learning style and needs, Cathryn Cheney is able to assist teachers and families with requesting academic, speech, behavioral and social-emotional evaluations through the CPS city-wide assessment team; we can also guide families through the process of evaluations with private providers.
RISE (Title 1) Teacher
RISE provides an extra layer of academic support to qualifying students in need of targeted reading and math support. In a small group no larger than 8 students, our RISE teacher provides focused instruction and review of foundational reading and math skills. Students receive support twice a week for 30 minute sessions in each subject area. This service is funded through the ESSA Title 1 program in conjunction with Superior Chicago Tutoring. ​
Academic Coach
Academic coaching is designed to support students in the following areas: executive functioning skills, following directions in the classroom, organization skills, study skills. This will be personalized to your child’s needs based on teacher and student reports. This service is funded through the ESSA Title 1 program in conjunction with Catapult learning.  ​
School Counselor
A part-time licensed professional counselor is available to work with students in need of social-emotional support to maximize each students’ ability to access learning and community at school. Students may benefit from short-term or long-term counseling services. School counseling is helpful for providing skills and strategies to help students in the school environment; outside therapy may be recommended in order to ensure wrap-around support.
BCBA (Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst)
A BCBA consults with our staff on a part-time basis to analyze concerning student behavior, hypothesize the function of behavior, and provide recommended strategies that will teach and reinforce replacement behaviors that will help students access learning and relationships.
Additional Resources Available to Students who Qualify through a Chicago Public Schools IEP
IDEA Teacher: Two part-time IDEA teachers provide math, language arts, and/or independent functioning instructional support to students who qualify through a CPS IEP (Individualized Education Program) / service plan.

Speech Therapist: A part-time speech therapist provides speech therapy for students who qualify for speech services through an IEP/service plan.
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ABA Therapy: ABA therapy is offered to students found eligible through a CPS evaluation and IEP/service plan. Applied Behavior Analysis therapy (ABA) is a type of intensive therapy that focuses on the principles and techniques of learning theory to help improve social behavior. ​