What Was SSCA?
Student Specific Corrective Action (SSCA) was a program that provided remedies to students with disabilities to make up for delays and denials of services that may have been caused by specific special education procedural changes during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.
To facilitate the process of getting remedies to families who may have been eligible for additional support, the district offered remedies to a group of students who might have been impacted. For a detailed overview of these efforts, review the Corrective Action Summary.
For questions about Student Specific Corrective Action, contact the SSCA Helpline by calling 773-553-1843, or by emailing us at ssca@cps.edu.
A Brief History
November 2017
Parents and advocate groups shared concerns with ISBE that some CPS procedures were making it more difficult for students to get certain services on their IEPs.
Winter 2017 to Spring 2018
ISBE conducted and completed a Public Inquiry regarding these concerns, and directed CPS to adjust certain procedures and offer remedies to the students whose services were delayed or denied. This portion of the Corrective Action was called the “Student Specific Corrective Action,” or “SSCA.”
Summer to Fall 2019
School IEP teams were trained on SSCA guidelines and processes; however, the Chicago Teachers Union bargained to prevent teacher workloads from being impacted by SSCA.
Spring 2020
CPS created centralized SSCA teams. These teams began outreach to families to offer remedies.
March 2020
Schools closed to avoid the spread of COVID-19; SSCA meetings were held virtually.
August 2021
CPS announced that it would convert service-based remedies into monetary remedies.
August 2021 to November 2021
CPS procured and hired KCC, a claims administrator to handle the distribution of monetary remedies.
January 26, 2022
ODLSS notified families that they had until April 30, 2022, to file a claim to receive their remedy or request an SSCA meeting to be considered for eligibility.
January to April 2022
CPS and KCC continued to reach out to eligible families—they issued mailings, emails, robocalls, live calls, and partnered with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to hold town halls and answer questions.
April 4, 2022
KCC issued the first round of payments to families.
April 27, 2022
ODLSS extended the deadline for filing a claim through May 31, 2022. (The deadline for requesting an SSCA meeting remained April 30, 2022.)
May 31, 2022
Deadline for filing a claim.
September 30, 2022
Deadline for filing a State Complaint regarding SSCA.
December 2022
Fourth and final distribution round completed.
Procedural Guidance Public Comment
| Document | Public Comment Period | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Specific Corrective Action Procedural Guidance - Proposed August 2021 | August 11, 2021 - September 27, 2021 |
Closed for Comments | View Comments |
| Student Specific Corrective Action Procedural Guidance - Proposed August 2020 | August 6, 2020 - September 20, 2020 |
Closed for Comments | View Comments |
Archived Materials
Archived SSCA materials are no longer current. These archived documents should be used for historical reference only.
Related Links
For questions about Student Specific Corrective Action, contact: SSCA Helpline 773-553-1843, or email ssca@cps.edu.