STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Supporting learners through individualized programming, services, and opportunities.

Support.
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Individual needs and unique learning profiles are supported through programming and services from specialists.

Include.
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All students are connected to their peers, schools, and community through a variety of learning opportunities and environments

Empower.
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Students develop the tools and strategies to be accountable for their learning, through challenging, yet supportive experiences that blend content, interest, and skill.

courseS, programS, and ServiceS

Programming, services, and delivery of support are provided for students who require specialized instruction, curriculum modifications and/or additional remediation through various environments and approaches which include speech and language services, social cognition groups and co-teaching, as well as more specialized instruction and opportunities in our STAR and VISTA program.  

Executive Functioning                                                                  0.5-1 credit                                                          Grades 9-12
The Executive Functioning course is for those students who require specific skill instruction with planning and organization, time management, task completion and other organizational strategies.  The course will support students in further developing  goal setting, cognitive flexibility, study skills, self-checking and monitoring.   Assistive technology solutions will also be explored.


Essentials of Literacy                                                                  0.5-1 credit                                                          Grades 9-12
In the Essentials of Literacy course students will increase their reading comprehension, receptive and expressive language capacity and written language skills using a variety of intensive developmental programs. This course will support students in further developing their language skills for listening, speaking, reading and writing.  It will incorporate the standards for the English skills outlined in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and Common Core through preview, reteaching and follow-up practice.  Numerous programs will be utilized to target various aspects of literacy, including but not limited to programs focused on:

• Language comprehension and thinking.  Building students’ receptive and expressive oral abilities and providing a strong foundation for reading comprehension skills.
  
• The development of independent reading skills enabling students to read for both literal and inferential understanding in narrative and informational texts across the curriculum.
  
• Develop student appreciation of social pragmatic language to further the understanding of social expectations, verbal and nonverbal social cues/nuances and appropriate interpersonal behavior in various situations and settings.
  

Transitions                                                                  0.5-1 credit                                                          Grades 11-12
The Transitions course is a practical course that will facilitate the transition process by assisting students to clarify their vision for their future and to determine the strategies/next steps necessary to achieve their goals.  Direct instruction in many of the essential skills for successful transition to post high school employment and independent living will assist students in meeting their IEP transition goals.  For many students this may involve participation in community-based opportunities and service projects. Students will be provided opportunities to develop functional skills in the following areas:

• Career Exploration:  Completing interest inventories and determining educational/training requirements of various jobs based on student interest, lifestyle implications of potential career selections, projecting income and potential overtime, examining potential for career advancement and projecting career stability in various economies, etc. 
  
• Career Readiness:  Employment related skills including resuming writing, interviewing, obtaining references, job search and the application process, job shadowing, vocational experiences/internships, community service, etc.
  
• Interpersonal Skills:  Topics include presentation and interview skills, appropriate dress in the workplace, appropriate topics of conversation in the workplace, appropriate use of internet/social media, effective telephone communication, conflict resolution, when and how to effectively negotiate, understanding organizational hierarchy/chain of command, etc.
  
• Functional Skills:  Independent living skills including banking, creating a budget, general household skills, using public transportation, cost of car ownership, etc.
  
• Work Efficiency Skills:  Topics include time management, prioritizing, organization, routines to improve efficiency, etc.
  

Co-teaching
Co-teaching is a service which provides specially designed instruction to students in the general education classroom using an inclusive approach with two certified teachers working collaboratively to develop curriculum, deliver instruction, and assess student progress.


VISTA Program                         Grades 9-12/postsecondary
The VISTA Program is designed for children with moderate to severe cognitive and physical disabilities.  

Core skills in reading, written language, mathematics, social studies and science are the base curricula within the academic day.  A life skills curriculum related to current events, health, nutrition and safety is also employed through small group instruction. The students practice six targeted areas of independent living: homemaking, health issues and grooming, consumer affairs, money matters, and community and government involvement, which include travel within the area.

Community, life-skill experiences include grocery shopping as well as participating in a food bank, recycling and restaurant etiquette. 


STAR Program                             Grades 9-12/postsecondary         
The STAR (Success through Alternative Resources) Program supports students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The program strives to have each student reach their highest potential and become a valued member of society.  The program is based on the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis and provides behavioral interventions, student specific inclusion opportunities, parent support and consultative support to general education teachers.  The STAR Program uses data-based, empirically-derived, and validated strategies. The teaching methods include but are not limited to task analyzed instruction, discrete trial instruction, fluency based instruction, incidental teaching methods, a rich array of prompting and reinforcement strategies and behavior reduction strategies. Additionally, students have the opportunity to engage in vocational and domestic training within and beyond the school environment as well as community outings.

Speech & Language (Communication)                                  
Speech and language (communication) services provide students skills assessed and addressed through instruction and consultation including: listening comprehension, auditory processing, oral expression, written expression, articulation, cognitive retraining, and social cognition*.

Social cognition groups are small groups, supported by a school adjustment counselor, focused on instruction and support to improve students’ understanding of themselves and others in a social world (including knowing that people do not always share points of view). Students learn self management strategies that allow for appropriate behaviors and thinking in order to thrive in higher education, employment and relationships.

Every effort is made to integrate the student's academic objectives into sessions, in order to enhance the effectiveness of services and students’ successes within the high school classroom.

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