Intensive Support

We’re all in for Chicago's kids, providing support for the whole school and for targeted students at significant risk of dropping out. This level of support is called our Intensive Program.

This program places a highly trained, master’s level CIS of Chicago staff member on the ground at a school each day. These caring adults provide supportive guidance for individual students and groups of students, and they assist with goal-setting, skill-building, and behavior interventions. This hands-on, direct support is prioritized for students who are at serious risk of dropping out.

The Intensive Program is based on a model that has been developed through research and years of practice with our national organization. It’s called an ISS program – or integrated students supports – which really means that we are embedding ourselves within schools, providing community resources and making them available where students already are. We’re bringing the support and the services to the world that kids already exist in: school.

During the 2018-2019 school year, CIS of Chicago’s Intensive Program enrolled 967 students into case-managed services at 20 schools. Of the nearly 1,000 students who received intensive support last year from our school-based team, 99 percent either graduated or were promoted to the next grade. NONE dropped out.

Additionally, of students with specific goals for the school year, 89 percent met their behavior goals, 73 percent met their academic goals, 67 percent met their attendance goals, and 55 percent met their social-emotional learning goals.