Special Education

Support Services

Students who are found eligible for specialized instruction and/or related services can receive support through a variety of services. Most students will be served in the general education setting. For students who require specialized instruction and/or related services, the services below are available.

Network

The Learning Network provides an alternative or modified curriculum and inclusive classroom supports for students with significant developmental disabilities and cognitive challenges. The class follows the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks using entry points to match each student’s ability. The functional based instruction is provided in small group or one to one settings in various academic areas. Students are also supported in inclusion settings with paraprofessionals as designated in the students’ IEP. Instruction is also given in activities of daily living, and vocational skills which are an integral part of the community experience.

B.A.S.I.S

B.A.S.I.S. (Behavior Academic Social and Inclusion Supports) is based upon scientific evidence and includes an emphasis on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). This service was developed for students who experience significant behavior, social and communication, and/or cognitive difficulties. Students are taught in a variety of instructional formats through a collaborative team approach. The B.A.S.I.S. components include: promoting acquisition of adaptive behavior skills, evidence-based individualized and small group instruction, social skills and social language instruction and/or supports, meaningful inclusion participation, and collaborative teaming across educational personnel, and building school-to-home partnerships.

Connections

Connections is an alternative high school service for students on an IEP who have difficulty accessing the general education curriculum and school community due to social emotional issues. Students in Connections generally have average cognitive ability.

Connections provides academic support, in school counseling, and small group instruction as needed. This collaborative program provides wrap around services to students with severe social/emotional needs.

FOCUS

Focus is a support service for both regular and special education students who are experiencing academic and/or social/emotional stressors which interferes with their academic program in the school setting. Students in Focus receive a range of services which may include counseling and academic support. Students in Focus present with less intense social/emotional challenges and services are often short term.

Courses

Courses

900 Learning Support Class

Grades: 9 - 12 | Term Block | Credits: ½

Specific Course Number Requirements: Use course number 900T1 for term one support, 900T2 for term two support, 900T3 for term three support and 900T4 for term four support

Service identified through the IEP (Individualized Education Program)

The primary function of this daily 77 minute Individualized Education Program (IEP) service is to empower each student to become a more independent learner. Students will learn to utilize strategies to compensate for learning differences. The goals, objectives and accommodations identified in each student’s IEP will be used to guide the development and practice of these skills. For these skills to be effective and transferable to general success, it is essential for students to work towards independence in practicing these skills both in and outside of the academic environment. Additionally, while homework and coursework is often used as the context for learning and reinforcing these skills, homework completion is not the purpose of support class.

DSB Support

Grades: 9 - 12 | Term Block | Credits: N/A

The primary function of this Individualized Education Program (IEP) service is to support students as they move towards independence but still require some assistance from a special educator. These students are able to follow through, self-advocate, and utilize general education teachers for academic assistance with minimal support. Students in DSB Support attend between one and three times per week for 41 minutes each class. For some students, this level of support class prepares them to further transition away from academic support with a special educator within their daily schedule as demonstrated by their application of learned strategies.

912 Language Literature and Composition Part 1/Part 2 - CPII

Grades: 9 -10 | Semester Block | Credits: 1

Specific Course Number Requirements: Use course number 912S1 for Fall Semester and/or 912S2 for Spring Semester.

Service identified through the IEP (Individualized Education Program)

This small group, year-long 77-minute class focuses on strengthening foundational reading and writing skills/strategies and applying them to grade-level content. Class time is divided between individualized Focus Area work and Strategy Development lessons. During Focus Area time students either work independently, in small groups, or 1:1 with a teacher towards their reading, writing, listening, and speaking goals. Strategy Development lessons teach students to pair their skills with effective compensatory strategies for reading and writing tasks at their individual grade levels. Meta-cognitive scripts are also directly taught during the Strategy Development portion of the class to help students assess a given task and implement appropriate strategies. Students are taught not only what to do to improve reading and writing, but also how to use self-talk effectively to recognize and repair breakdowns. Students gain the necessary practice in applying skills and strategies to both grade-level literature and expository text so they can apply them to their other content area classes. This class is co-taught by a general and special education teacher with direct services also provided by a speech and language pathologist.

Students in the class will be evaluated routinely for appropriate placement. Following this class, students may continue for an additional year with this class, move into a co-taught/supported English class, or move into a general education English class. Students will receive an English credit for each semester of enrollment within Language, Literature, and Composition.

914 Language Literature and Composition Part 1/Part 2 CPII

Grades: 11 -12 | Semester Block | Credits: 1

Specific Course Number Requirements: Use course number 914S1 for Fall Semester and/or 914S2 for Spring Semester.

Service identified through the IEP (Individualized Education Program) process

976 Pre-Algebra and Geometry

Grades: 9 – 10 | Semester Block | Credits: 1

Service identified through the IEP (Individualized Education Program) process.

This Individualized Education Program (IEP) course is designed to consolidate the mathematical skills from previous grades and introduce algebra and geometry concepts to help students develop appropriate skills and procedures necessary to meet high school algebra and geometry course expectations in accordance with the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework and to prepare students for MCAS. Students who have had difficulty demonstrating mastery with mathematics or scored in the warning range on previous MCAS tests in mathematics may be enrolled in this course.

In this course students are expected to learn and apply skills to solve, interpret, and apply concepts to math problems in number sense, pattern, relations, and functions, geometry and measurement, algebraic geometry, statistics and probability with increasing accuracy and independence over time.

955 Secondary Life Skills

Grades: 9 - 12 | Term Block | Credits: ½

This one-term elective is designed for upperclassmen to increase students' knowledge of and ability to use the skills necessary for everyday independent living. Secondary Life Skills is a hybrid learning support and transition skills instruction class that emphasizes defining personal values, goal-setting and planning, and solving problems. Instructional material for transition skills focuses on job-related skills, developing social awareness, general life skills including chores, cooking, and leisure activities, community-based instruction, and exploring career choices.

984 Healthy Living after Holliston High School

Grades: 9 - 12 | Term | Credits: ½

This course is designed to support students to develop healthy living skills as they move into independent living situations post-graduation. This class will help students develop effective frameworks for tackling real-life problems with independence and success through action, purposeful practice, and meaningful reflection. Core skill development will focus on healthy living habits, executive functioning, emotion regulation, healthy relationship development, and communication. Students will participate in challenges in and out of class that focus on using core skills in job, community, and home. This might include anything from training for a community sporting event to practicing relationship skills to preparing a meal for a group. This may include fitness training, interviewing family members, mindfulness, and increasing community.