Special Services

Director of Special Services

Mrs. Ann Marie Bruder
 
Secretary: Mrs. Trina Bradley
 

Department Phone: 201-444-7445/201-444-7400 ext. 229
Fax: 201-444-5265



The Midland Park Public Schools have a variety of Special Education Programs meeting the unique needs of our learners; including:

Godwin School’s Integrated Preschool Program

Midland Park’s Integrated Preschool Program, housed at Godwin School, is for students who are determined eligible for special education and related services based upon the criteria of a Child Study Team Evaluation.  Children who are three to four years of age may be enrolled.  Two sessions are offered: Morning (8:45 am – 11:30 am) and Afternoon (12:30pm – 2:35 pm).  The program is considered the least restrictive environment for our young learners.  General education students are selected through a lottery-based system.  Enrollment for the general education students is or maybe limited, based upon the number of students moving to Kindergarten or previous attendance. 

The program utilizes the Creative Curriculum building upon the foundation for learning.  Areas of focus include:  literacy, math, science, social studies, arts and technology.  Progress is documented using the GOLD Assessment emphasizing physical development, social/emotional skills, language/communication skills, literacy, science, social studies, technology and cognitive skills.

Preschool Self-Contained Class

Midland Park’s Full-Day ABA Program provides students experiencing delays, or those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, with a highly-structured full-day program.  Implementation of ABA principles and individual instructional supports are available for all students enrolled. The student-to-adult ratio is low and utilized to properly implement ABA instruction and discrete trials.  While ABA is also infused throughout the entire day, lunch, specials, and therapies are incorporated into the daily schedule.  

Teachers and para- professionals have specialized training regarding: assessment practices (ABLLS or VB-MAPP), programming, prompt and prompt fading techniques, shaping new skills and chaining task sequences, error correction procedures, data collection (skill acquisition as well as behavioral data,) and behavior management (both general and as per specific student plans.) Data collection and comprehensive assessments are administered on each child enrolled in the class (ABLLS.) This assessment dictates individual program goals for each student. 

Although the program is individualized and provides a large amount of structure and support, group activities and socialization skills are including during Circle Time, Letter of the Week, and structured play activities (focusing on a specific social skill such as turn-taking,) and science or social studies units. The application of multi-modal instructional practices is included throughout individual and group lessons.  Emphasis is also placed on adaptive and daily living skills as students continue to develop their abilities to achieve independence by dressing, eating/feeding, toileting, tooth brushing, unpacking and packing up their items.  Depending upon the situation, physical, visual, gestural or verbal prompts will be provided and faded as independence is achieved. 

Communication and collaboration with parents must take place to ensure the interventions are effective across the home and school environments.  Consistency is required for these behaviors to be monitored and addressed.  Picture schedules, token boards, positive behavioral supports, positive reinforcement for appropriate behaviors, and scheduled reinforcement is considered and utilized. 

All students are provided with the opportunity to be integrated with their non-disabled peers during recess, center time, special area classes, class programs, and assemblies, etc.  Integration into the general education preschool class will be considered on an individual basis and determined by the teacher, child study team, and parent when appropriate.  Per law, the Child Study Team must always consider the least restrictive environment when making educational decisions.  Consideration to the maximum extent possible with general education students is the first option. 


Collaborative Classes: Kindergarten through Grade 12

A collaborative class is a regular education class where there are two teachers educating the students: a general education teacher to teach the instructional content, and a special education teacher to teach content and also make the necessary accommodations to the lesson.  The child’s IEP is implementing making certain all accommodations, goal, objectives, and specialized approaches are included.  A collaborative class may be utilized for all subject areas: Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. 

Resource Center: First Grade through Grade 12

Resource Center is to further develop reading, writing and/or mathematics skills.  Students receive small group instruction by a teacher who has a special education degree.  The students are taught through the implementation of specialized techniques, approaches, and strategies to further develop skills in the identified areas of weakness.  In the area of reading/language arts literacy, students are exposed to a multi-sensory approach and reading emphasis is placed on decoding, fluency, and comprehension of printed text.  During the elementary years, students are closely monitored using the Fountas and Pinnell assessments to track their growth.  In the area of mathematics, implementation of a parallel curriculum takes place with the general education classes. The teacher holds a special education degree and implements specific strategies to teach the concepts to the students.  Drill and repetition, utilization of manipulatives materials, and/or calculators are also provided to provide opportunities for the students to gain exposure to the content on the standardized end-of-year assessment. 

 

Resource Center: Secondary Level, Grades 9 – 12

Students who have greater or more significant learning needs at the high school level may require small group instruction in multiple areas.  Therefore, there is availability for resource center classes for each of the four instructional levels: English, Mathematics (Pre-Algebra, Algebra,) Geometry, Science and Social Studies.  Class offerings are provided on a rotating basis for each subject matter depending upon student placement and need.  Instruction for the content subject areas include a variety of curriculum modifications, such as fewer writing experiences, use of class projects, content reading on different grade levels, modified tests and quizzes, responding with prompts, etc. 

Self-Contained Classes:  Kindergarten through Grade 2; Grades 3 through 6    

Students enrolled in these classes experience delays in a variety of areas or may be diagnosed with autism.  Therefore, a teacher and instructional aides are required, providing a low student-to-staff ratio.  Classroom content is completely modified meeting the individual needs of each student enrolled.  Close monitoring of pupils individual goals and objectives outlined in their IEP are reviewed regularly and progress is documented.  Specialized approaches and instructional supplies are utilized for the daily instruction. The self-contained class has a teacher and instructional aides based upon student need and class enrollment.

Implementation of ABA principles and individual instructional supports are made available. The student-to-adult ratio is low and utilized to properly implement ABA instruction and discrete trials.  Teachers and para-professionals have specialized training regarding: assessment practices (ABLLS or VB-MAPP), programming, prompt and prompt fading techniques, shaping new skills and chaining task sequences, error correction procedures, data collection (skill acquisition as well as behavioral data), and behavior management (both in general and as per specific student plans.)  Although the program is individualized and provides a large amount of structure and support, daily living skills, functional academics, group activities and socialization skills are also scheduled during the week. The application of multi-modal instructional practices is utilized through individual and group lessons. 

All students are provided with the opportunity to be integrated with their non-disabled peers during recess, center time, special area classes, class programs, and assemblies, etc.  Integration into the general education classes will be considered on an individual basis and determined by the teacher, child study team, and parent when appropriate. Students attend special subjects (music, physical education, art, and library) with their general education peers.  Integration into the general education academic or other elective classes will be considered on an individual basis and determined by the teacher, child study team, and parent when appropriate. 

*Midland Park Administration and Child Study Team review the district student population and needs annually to determine if programs need to expand or new programs need to be developed. 



 
 

 

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