Programs & Services
Specialized Programs
- Overview - Continuum of Services & Programs
- Referral to Highly Specialized Strands
- Highly Specialized Programs
- Extended School Year (ESY) Processes and Procedures
- Early Childhood
- Elementary
- Middle School
- Transition to Lincoln Sudbury High School (LSHS)
Overview - Continuum of Services & Programs
To meet state and federal special education regulations, Sudbury Public Schools provides for a continuum of alternative services and placements. As mandated, Sudbury:
"...provides or arranges for the provision of each element of the IEPs of students in need of special education from the ages of three through twenty-one, ensuring that a continuum of services and alternative placements is available to meet the needs of students with disabilities, and takes all steps necessary to ensure compliance with all elements of the IEPs, including vocational education."
It is important to note that while Sudbury has specialized programs, not every student needs a specialized program to receive IEP services. The continuum of services means that some students will receive services within their general education classrooms or as pull-out services with service providers per their IEP, but may not be enrolled in a specialized program.
Referral to Highly Specialized Strands
Prior to referring a student to a highly specialized strand, the Team will complete the following process:
- Initial concerns regarding a student’s lack of effective progress with a current IEP will be shared with Team Chair, principal, Director of Student Services and child’s parent(s)/guardian(s). Communication with parents about concerns regarding child’s progress is open and ongoing.
- Under the direction of the Team Chair, the school based special education staff and other relevant staff will review current components of the student’s IEP to determine that all attempts at supporting the child in the least restrictive environment have been implemented.
- The Team Chair leads an intervention process seeking a clear determination of the student's needs. These needs are articulated in writing, with the essential programming components identified which will meet the student's needs.
Consideration must be given to the following:
- Increase of supports within school, including consideration of decreased time in general education setting
- Use of hybrid programming (using parts of in-house programs and/or other unique combinations of resources)
- Additional staff training
- Consultation from in-district specialists
- Consultation from outside specialists
- Use of new/alternative specialized instructional materials
- Conduct additional assessments, as needed, such as completion of FBA and possible creation and implementation of a positive behavior support plan, AT assessment, and literacy assessments
- Documentation of response to changes and interventions will be maintained by the Team chair and placed in the student’s file. These efforts will likely require an amendment to the student’s current IEP, and/or evaluation consents. Parents must be aware of the concerns and involved in the problem-solving process.
Interventions resulting in continued lack of effective progress
Evidence of lack of student progress, and additional efforts made, will be shared with principal and Director of Special Student Services by the Team Chair. The Team Chair will then contact the Team Chair and principal of potential receiving school to share information. Team Chairs will meet to review case and supporting data and documentation. At the middle school the Team Chair will meet with the Program Team Chair and the appropriate grade level administrator(s).
Team Chair of reviewing school disseminates documentation to program teachers and related service personnel for review. Within approximately 7 days of receiving documentation, reviewing school will meet to discuss impressions and determine next steps.
Program teachers, related service personnel and/or Team Chair of reviewing school will schedule a time and observe student in home school within approximately 14 school days inclusive of the 7 school days noted. Collegial school visits will serve to assist in providing additional suggestions for building based support as well as consider the appropriateness of program referral. In addition, within the same 14-school day time period, program teachers, related service personnel and/or the Team Chair at the student’s current school will visit the highly specialized strand being considered for the student to provide the team with additional information about the appropriateness of the potential referral.
After the observation, the reviewing personnel will meet with Team Chair within approximately 7 school days to discuss observations and recommendations. Close communication between reviewing personnel, Team Chairs and Director of Special Education will determine if the program is an appropriate potential option for the special education team to consider. Parents are kept apprised of all of these steps as integral members of the special education team and may also be involved in visits of potential programs.
Team meeting is held to review student progress and consider all options. The team makes recommendations for services based on student needs first, then consideration is given to placement. Representatives from reviewing school will attend this meeting as appropriate.
Next steps will include visitation(s) and a transition plan for student and parent if team recommends a highly specialized strand and parent consents.
Highly Specialized Programs
SPS has many highly specialized programs to serve the diverse needs of students. There is a legal mandate to ensure that students are being supported in the least restrictive environment. It is important to recognize that the majority of students are able to receive their specialized education support through the learning center model, which is located in each of the schools housing a continuum of services. Related services, such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy and counseling, are included in each school. All of our special education programming provides a variety of settings, including in-class and pull-out models, with a consideration of the Least Restrictive Environment appropriate for each student.
Below are brief descriptions of programs, and each year programs evolve and shift to meet the needs of the students.
Learning Centers/Skills Classes (All Schools)
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Serves students in grades K-8 who present with a variety of educational disabilities
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Individual and small group instruction to address student needs in the areas of
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Literacy (reading and writing) and mathematics
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Executive functioning and organizational skills
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Curriculum support, self-regulation and self-advocacy
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Language, Achievement, and Beyond - LAB Program (Loring/Noyes/Curtis)
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Serves students elementary-middle school with intensive language-based learning disabilities
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Provides specialized instruction with a systematic and multisensory methodology using a continuum of structures including co-taught, partial inclusion and substantially separate classes with both individual and small group instruction in the areas of literacy and mathematics.
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Particular emphasis is placed on reading, writing, and math instruction, including: phonemic awareness, decoding skills, reading comprehension and written language
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Small group or general education content instruction available based on student needs
STEPS/LEAP Program (Haynes/Curtis)
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Provides highly-specialized instruction to students with complex learning profiles
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Designed to encourage:
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Acquisition and reinforcement of core content in reading, math and/or writing
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Development of language, social, and/or functional life skills
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Independence and executive functioning
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Development of self-advocacy skills
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Supported inclusion opportunities within the classroom and small groups, or individualized instruction outside of the classroom
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Provides assistive technology integration
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Provides highly modified curriculum via multisensory, language-based instructional methodologies
Foundations/Flex Program (Noyes/Curtis)
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Serves students primarily with autism spectrum disorders, communication, self-regulation and social/pragmatic language needs
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Fosters independence and supports generalization of executive functioning and pragmatic language skills across all settings
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Provides multimodal, language-based instructional methodologies across subject areas
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Provides instructional practices using the principles of applied behavioral analysis
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Inclusive and/or sub-separate settings are available based on the student’s profile
Partner Program (Haynes/Curtis)
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Serves students primarily with autism spectrum disorders as well as other students who require programming with intensive applied behavior analysis
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Supports with comprehensive, specialized and intensive behavioral supports with a 1:1 ratio of staffing
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Development of language, academic, social, and/or functional life skills
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Provides intensive assistive technology integration
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Community focused experiences to address functional application of skills in daily life
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The program is in collaboration with The New England Center for Children (NECC).
Access Program (Nixon/Curtis)
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Serves students primarily with intensive social emotional needs grades K-8
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Students participate in a continuum of full, partial inclusion and sub-separate classes
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Provides language-based, multisensory, highly structured, systematic instruction as designated by individual student needs
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Provides support students in the general education and sub-separate classrooms to help generalize academic, social and self-regulation skills
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Intensive therapeutic and behavioral support is provided
Bridges (Loring/Curtis)
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Serves students in both general and special education who need therapeutic supports, often returning from school absence or facing intensive anxiety
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Flexibility with partial inclusion or sub-separate programming is available
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Clinical team members provide ongoing therapeutic support and social skill instruction. A special education teacher provides academic support.
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Services provided to students:
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Direct clinical supports and related services
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Academic coordination
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Coordination with family and wrap around community-based services
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Extended School Year (ESY) Processes and Procedures
At every Team meeting, the Team members must consider the need for Extended School Year (ESY) services based on eligibility criteria. Decisions regarding a student's eligibility for ESY must be based on data and evidence collected over the course of the year following vacations/breaks and is primarily based on the following:
- evidence of substantial regression
- the likelihood of substantial regression
- an inability to recoup skills within a normal period of time
- an extremely slow rate of learning
- significant memory issues which impact the rate of learning
Recommendations must be documented on the IEP on:
- the N1
- the Service Delivery grid
- the Nonparticipation Justification page of the IEP
And include:
- specific program and/or service recommendations (what services are needed in order to prevent substantial regression and the amount of services needed to prevent substantial regression), and
- how the ESY service will be coordinated across program components
Early Childhood
This section briefly explains our preschool program. To access our main early childhood website, including information about how to enroll or to request a screening, please click here.
Our preschool is committed to a developmentally appropriate philosophy that combines a play-based, language model that is enriched by a strong academic curriculum to align with the standards that are well established by the MA State Department of Early Education & Care (EEC) Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences. Our preschool believes in educating the whole child by respecting individual needs for social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. We believe our inclusive educational program provides all children with the opportunity to learn from each other while providing a lifelong foundation for respecting human differences.
Each class is staffed with a Masters level teacher and two teacher assistants. Speech and language, occupational, applied behavior analysis, and physical therapists are involved in all of the classrooms along with support personnel. Our professional staff also includes vision and mobility specialists and a school guidance counselor.
The Peter Noyes and the General John Nixon Elementary Schools are currently home to our five preschool classrooms.
The classrooms provide both integrated and separate setting options in varied configurations. The morning classes run from 8-10:30 daily. The afternoon classes run from 11:30-2:00 four days a week, and there is full day programming available as well. Wednesday afternoons are used for professional development, meetings and parent consults.
Students with Individual Education Programs have amounts of service time and days determined through the special education team process. Related services include: occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy and board certified behavior analyst consultation/direct service. The integrated classes have open slots for Sudbury preschool students to attend as tuition peers.
Program locations are subject to change according to district needs.
The preschool generally follows the Sudbury Public Schools calendar with a few exceptions.
Elementary
As instructional leaders, the School Principal and Assistant Principal oversee the coordination of instruction for all students at each elementary school. The Principal, with the assistance of the Director of Student Support Services, coordinates the delivery and supervision of special education services within each school building.
Transportation
When attending a highly specialized program means that the student will move from his/her home school to another elementary school, the District provides transportation. This is regular transportation and not specialized transportation as defined by regulations. When students move from the elementary level to the middle school level, Curtis Middle School is their home school. Therefore, district policies regarding costs associated with regular transportation apply to students who, in elementary school, are provided transportation due to their assignment to a special program (highly specialized strand) in a school other than the home school.
If a student requires specialized transportation as defined by regulations cited below, the needs will be detailed in the individual student's Individual Education Program.
603CMR 28.00 Massachusetts Special Education Regulations 28.05(5) The Team Process and the Development of the IEP (5) Transportation.
The Team shall determine whether the student requires transportation because of his or her disability in order to benefit from special education.
- Regular transportation. If the student does not require transportation as a result of his or her disability, then transportation shall be provided in the same manner as it would be provided for a student without disabilities. In such case, the IEP shall note that the student receives regular transportation, and if the school district provides transportation to similarly situated students without disabilities, the eligible student shall also receive transportation.
If regular transportation is noted on the student's IEP and the student is placed by the school district in a program located at a school other than the school the student would have attended if not eligible for special education, the student is entitled to receive transportation services to such program.
If regular transportation is noted on the student's IEP and the student is enrolled by his or her parents in a private school and receiving services under 603 CMR 28.03(1)(e), such student is not entitled to transportation services unless the school district provides transportation to students without disabilities attending such private school.
- Special transportation. If the Team determines that the student's disability requires transportation or specialized transportation arrangements in order to benefit from special education, the Team shall note on the student's IEP that the student requires special transportation. In such circumstances, transportation is a related service.
The Team shall determine necessary modifications, special equipment, assistance, need for qualified attendants on vehicles, and any particular precautions required by the student and shall document such determinations in the student's IEP. If specialized arrangements can be provided on regular transportation vehicles, the school district shall make such arrangements.- The district shall arrange to have eligible students who use wheelchairs transported in vehicles that do not require such students to be removed from their wheelchairs in order to enter or leave the vehicles; provided, however, that this requirement shall not be applicable where a Team or the student's physician recommends that the student regularly transfer in and out of conventional vehicles to or from a wheelchair for therapeutic or for independence training reasons.
- The Team shall specify whether the student requires assistance in or out of the home, on or off of the vehicle, and in or out of the school. If such assistance is specified, the district shall ensure that it is provided.
- The Team shall specify if the student has a particular need or problem that may cause difficulties during transportation, such as seizures, a tendency for motion sickness, behavioral concerns, or communication disabilities.
If special transportation is noted on the student's IEP, the student is entitled to receive transportation services to any program provided by the public school and in which the student participates.
If special transportation is noted on the student's IEP and the student is enrolled by his or her parents in a private school and receiving services under 603 CMR 28.03(1)(e), the school district's obligation to provide transportation shall be limited to transportation services within the geographic boundaries of the school district.
In no event shall a school district allow transportation considerations to influence, modify, or determine the educational program required by any student in need of special education.
Middle School
As instructional leaders, the School Principal and Assistant Principal oversee the coordination of instruction for all middle school students. The Principal, with the assistance of the Director of Student Support Services, coordinates the delivery and supervision of special education services within each school building.
Transition to Lincoln Sudbury High School (LSHS)
During each student's eighth grade year, special educators work to involve the student in transition planning. This is mandated for students who reach the age of fourteen but useful for all students transitioning from the middle school to the high school. The middle school years focus on assisting the students in developing as high a level of academic and social emotional independence as possible while supporting students in their goal attainment. Specifically, special educators focus on developing independent study skills and self-advocacy skills. Close communication is maintained with staff members at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and with parents during this year of transition.
Links
Contact Information
Stephanie M. Juriansz
Director of Student Services
stephanie_juriansz@sudbury.k12.ma.us
Jeffrey B. Lappin
Assistant Director of Student Services
jeffrey_lappin@sudbury.k12.ma.us
Bethany Westerbeke
Administrative Assistant for Student Services
bethany_westerbeke@sudbury.k12.ma.us
Shira Gaudet
Administrative Assistant for Student Services
shira_gaudet@sudbury.k12.ma.us
John Murzycki
Central Office Administrative Clerk
john_murzycki@sudbury.k12.ma.us
Department Telephone
(978) 639-3202