Program / Inclusion/General Education/Resource Room
95% of Special Education Students should be represented in this category. / Community Based Program
Less than 2% of Special Education Students should meet this criterion. / Bridges to Success Program
Less than 3% of Special Education Students should meet this criterion.
Who is served? / General education classroom or resource room in school building with special education and related services as required across the day.
K-12 special education students identified under any of the Article 7 disability categories (including academic and cognitive).
Secondary self-contained subject area classrooms may supplement/replace the inclusion supports experienced at the elementary levels. / Separate classroom in general education building with special education and related services as required across the day.
Identified K-12 special education students with a
significant cognitive disability and speech/language delays, and adaptive delays, which could include:
- multiple disabilities
- significant communication needs ( not understood by a stranger and not related to ESL issues)
- multiple adaptive deficits (unable to use bathroom, stay in a chair, walk in line, hold a pencil)
- need for self-management of behavior & emotions
- social skills deficits
- participate in alternative to standardized testing
- receiving a Certificate of Completion
Identified K-12 special education students with
severe emotional/behavioral challenges:
- to a marked degree
- across a variety of settings
- over a long period of time.
- program is designed for students who are capable of understanding the Boys Town Model (with modifications as needed).
Entrance Criteria
to be admitted to a more restrictive environment / Criteria: see above, and…
Significant lack of school readiness/attending skills
Not gaining from general education curriculum;
Requires alternative functional skills curriculum
Unable to work independently
Requires 1:1 or small group for learning new material / Criteria: see above, and…
Team utilizes Supporting Students with Significant Behavioral Needs Document documenting four phases of supports implemented
Behavioral data consistently collected
Behavior plans implemented with fidelity and modified as needed over time
Regular team consultation with school psychologist
Involvement of district behavior specialist over time
Exit Criteria
to exit less restrictive environment (return to inclusion) / Student spends a majority of time (>75%) in general education classroom with minimal support from Community Based staff
Student able to be in general education setting independently for up to 60 min/visit
Student learning is now primarily from the general education curriculum, not the functional skills curriculum / Student spends a majority of time (>75%) in general education classroom with minimal support from Bridges staff
0 instances of physical/office intervention over a period of several months
FBA and Behavior Plan are modified and consistently implemented to articulate strategies needed for continued success in inclusion
Student progresses through Boys Town model of behavior (Merit status)
Program / Inclusion/General Education/Resource Room / Community Based Program / Bridges to Success Program
Behavior / This could include students who exhibit disruptive/distracting behaviors to intermittent/isolated unpredictable verbally or physically aggressive behaviors.
Students may require FBA and behavior plan
This could include students on the Autism Spectrum.
Student is exposed to targeted interventions across school environments
Behaviors, if any, can range in intensity and may be attributed to temporary life events and may or may not be typical for students of that age/gender or cultural experience. / This could include students who exhibit disruptive/distracting behaviors to intermittent/isolated unpredictable verbally or physically aggressive behaviors.
Students may require FBA and behavior plan
This could include students on the Autism Spectrum.
Student is exposed to targeted interventions across school environments.
Behaviors, if any, can range in intensity and may be attributed to temporary life events, or the nature of the child’s disability (lack of communication skills or characteristics associated with Autism) and may or may not be typical for students of that age/gender or cultural experience. Language deficits and limited communication skills may lead to significant behavior across settings. / This could include students who exhibit behaviors to a marked degree in multiple settings over a long period of time, to include dangerous, unpredictable and situational behaviors that could be verbally or physically aggressive. Students who pose imminent risk or danger to self or others.
Students entering the program require evidence of completed FBA and behavior plan.
This could include students on the Autism Spectrum.
Student is not responding to sustained systematic targeted interventions in less restrictive settings for that behavior. This targeted intervention was across school environments with documented fidelity to implementation over time.
Behaviors can range in intensity and severity. There is a pattern of times when problem behaviors occur. Duration of behavior is not due to a temporary life event and behavior exceeds that of what is typical for the age/gender/culture of peers.
Location / General education setting with inclusion supports in the student’s home school. May receive supports in a resource setting and/or across school settings. Inclusion Supports is a case conference decision. School location is in the student’s home school. / Self-contained classrooms in selected elementary, middle and high school settings. Student may not be attending home school. Community Based placement is a case conference decision. School location is determined by Special Education Administrators. / Self-contained classrooms in selected elementary, middle and high school settings. Student may not be attending home school. Bridges placement is a case conference decision. School location is determined by Special Education Administrators.
Additional Factors / Student may lack emotional regulation, executive functioning, social skills, cognitive flexibility, impulse control, emotional flexibility, and frustration/tolerance and display distorted perceptions of events.
Students could have other disabilities including need for mobility assistance, health related needs, vision and hearing needs. / Student may lack emotional regulation, social skills, cognitive flexibility, and impulse control and may have multiple disabilities with need for trained medical care to meet daily needs. / Student typically lacks socio/ emotional skills, emotional regulation, executive functioning, social skills, cognitive flexibility, impulse control, emotional flexibility, and frustration/tolerance and display distorted perceptions of events to a significant degree over a marked period of time.
Students could have other disabilities including need for mobility assistance, health related needs, vision and hearing needs.
Program / Inclusion/General Education/Resource Room / Community Based Program / Bridges to Success Program.
Focus / Focus is on adapting the general education curriculum and in providing push in/pull out supports (1:1, small group) to ensure success and increased independence across general education environments.
Inclusion teacher collaborates with and supports the General Education teacher as the student is primarily in the general education setting across the day. Could include modified and/or alternative curriculum, visual supports, behavior plans, communication systems, reinforcement system etc.
Elementary students:
Inclusion teacher focuses on academic, social and functional skill success across typical settings, while collaborating with general educators for increased academic independence and social success with typical peers across the school day.
Secondary students:
Variety of self-contained and inclusion supports across school settings, as determined by the school. This can include receiving support in diploma track courses of study as well as non-credit classes teaching life skills and work readiness. / Focus is on
- Developing language (e.g. receptive, expressive and spontaneous language skills)
- Functional school/life readiness skills (e.g. toilet training, eating varied diet/textures, visual and tactile schedules, following directions, learning to wait, using token reinforcement systems, socializing with peers, looking to & attending to teacher, sitting in chair, lining up with peers, working independently).
- Preparing for academic success (functional reading and functional math)
- Building social and functional success with typical peers in general education settings (as well as reverse inclusion) with primary curriculum addressed in alternative self-contained setting.
Community Based teacher focuses on pre-academic, academic, social and functional life skills and then collaborates with general educators to seek out meaningful opportunities for increased successful participation with typical peers throughout the school day.
Secondary students:
Community Based teacher focuses on functional academics, life skills and work experiences and spearheads transition plan with community helpers and service providers to increase successful student participation in the Bloomington community.
Students exit Community Based and attend home school with inclusion supports once exit criteria have been met. / Focus is on behavioral strategies and supports so that students gain skills needed to incrementally earn time back with typical peers.
During this time students receive general education curriculum or alternative curriculum supports in the self-contained classroom setting
Bridges teacher collaborates with and supports the General Education teacher as the student integrates successfully back into the general education setting across the day, earning the ability to participate with peers by demonstrating appropriate classroom behaviors. Could include modified and/or alternative curriculum, visual supports, behavior plans, communication systems, reinforcement system etc.
Students exit Bridges and attend home school with inclusion supports once exit criteria have been met.
Program / Inclusion/General Education/Resource Room / Community Based Program / Bridges to Success Program.
Curriculum / APPLIES TO ALL THREE CATEGORIES:
Each elementary student must be assigned to a gen education teacher (classroom activities, specials, field trips, convocations)
Access to same desk and materials available to general education peers in classrooms
Special educator must program for generalization of skills in natural environment
Individualized access to alternative curriculum/ functional academics based on individual student needs.
Accommodations and modifications to general education curriculum. / All Community Based classrooms: alternative curriculum may include: Discrete Trial/ABA, Touch Math, TEACCH, Edmark, DTT, News2You, visual supports and AAC core vocabulary and LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning).
Elementary:
STAR (Strategies based on Autism Research);, Handwriting Without Tears, Early Literacy Skills Builder, May include adapted specials (art, music, PE, library, computer),
Secondary: job training, community access to shopping, leisure activities, recreational activities, city bus training, and electives in the school. Modified general education curriculum. / Boys Town behavior curriculum (social skills, reinforcement system, academics mirror general education curriculum with accommodations.
Assessment / ISTEP, ISTAR
Most on Diploma track / ISTAR, non-diploma
All on Certificate of Completion / ISTEP, ISTAR
Most on Diploma track
Classroom Environment / General education classrooms throughout the school building with support in resource room as needed for individualized instruction; small group or 1:1 instruction across environments. / Separate classroom
Room is arranged to reduce distractions
Visual supports created for student success
Student/class schedules are posted
Discrete Trial 1:1 areas
Choice areas (e.g. mini trampoline, tent, yoga ball)
Small group instruction areas
Limited verbal instruction provided
Adult support/student, approximate ratio 1:3 / Separate classroom
60% focus on behavior, 40% on academics
Classroom setup includes student desks/chairs per typical classroom
4:1 praise factor (praise 4x more often than critique)
8:1 praise factor when returning from office referral
Classroom rules posted
Social skills posted
Menu is posted
‘store’ to redeem points during the day
Procedures posted (how to sharpen pencil, how to walk in hallway)
Move from extrinsic reward to intrinsic reward system
1