Northwest Area Schools ED Cooperative

Northwest Area Schools Educational Cooperative was formed in 1972 stemming from the results of Project SAVE. The purpose of Project SAVE was to serve as a needs assessment in identifying and assessing handicapped children residing in an 11,000 square mile region of northwestern South Dakota, extending over ten school districts enrolling 5,684 children. During this project a special educator was hired to contact the schools, screen school populations, identify handicapped children, compile records of these children, and determine the instructional needs for the handicapped children in the area. As children and their needs were identified, in-services were conducted for the teachers and the programs were promoted accordingly. The first services that were offered by the cooperative in 1972 were Speech/Hearing and Early Childhood Special Education. Today, Northwest Area Schools Educational Cooperative provides special education services to seven member school districts; Dupree, Faith, Harding County, Isabel, McIntosh, McLaughlin, and Timber Lake. Some services are also provided to non-member schools, based entirely on availability of staff. Since the cooperative’s conception, the number of services offered has increased, even though the enrollment has decreased significantly to approximately 1,700 students. The primary services that are offered are in the areas of Psychological, Early Childhood, and Speech / Hearing. The cooperative also coordinates services for the Birth to Three Program, Birth to Kindergarten-Age School Screenings, Occupational and Physical Therapy, and assistance with Legal Compliance. Northwest Area Schools is a growing organization with the goal to continually expand its capacity in order to meet the changing needs and demands of the patron school districts. For over 35 years, quality services have been delivered to rural northwestern South Dakota with the purpose of providing the best possible education for all students.