Atlantic County Special Services School District

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HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS

CHALLENGE PROGRAM

The CHALLENGE PROGRAM serves the needs of students with emotional and behavioral disorders and a classification of Multiply Disabled. A primary emphasis of this program is to assist students in achieving their individual goals by addressing their social, emotional, and behavioral needs. IEP goals and objectives selected for this population are based on the student’s current level of functioning and developed utilizing the ACSSSD’s Transition Curriculum. This curriculum is relevant to the needs of the students and cross-correlated with the N.J. Core Curriculum Content Standards.

The program uses a comprehensive classroom management and behavior modification program as a means of motivating students and fostering appropriate behaviors. All staff are trained in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention as a means of effectively dealing with students in crisis and their related behaviors. A support team of trained staff is available for intervention when student behaviors reach a pre-crisis or crisis level requiring additional staff support. This team ensures proper management of students by supporting the students and classroom staff when intervention is warranted. Through a team approach, the program has assisted students in accessing other programs within the school, participate in the community based work settings and return to their home district.

GOALS

ENTRY CRITERIA

STAFF/STUDENT RATIO: Two staff (teacher and aide) to eight students.

PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES:

Project Challenge provides students with many specialized program opportunities. Examples of the programs are as follows:

• ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION – The IEP for each student reflects unique learning needs and identifies the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards that will be targeted. Every effort is made to expose students to grade-level content and topics while striving for proficiency at the student's developmental level.

• BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAM – A point system is employed to reward positive behavior and track student progress. A feedback sheet, detailing student behaviors, is sent home to facilitate school/home communication.

• EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION – Students are provided routine opportunities to participate in physically interactive group activities to facilitate the development of trust, communication skills, problem solving skills and pro-social skills.

• SOCIAL PROBLEM SOLVING – This aspect of the program promotes decision making and problem solving skills. A nationally validated curriculum is used by classroom teachers to develop and implement group lessons, on a weekly basis, within the classroom setting.

• COUNSELING – Counseling is provided to students on an individual and/or group basis by school psychologists and social workers.

• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES – Students within this program receive extensive psychiatric support services. These services include therapy by certified psychiatric therapists and behavioral intervention programs when appropriate.

• PRE-VOCATIONAL / VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES – As students progress in taking responsibility for managing their behavior, they are offered the opportunities to participate in the school-based School-To-Career Program.

• STUDENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM – When students are capable of managing their behavior, they can access a specialized behavioral program outside of their classrooms. Under the supervision of certified teachers, these students are used as classroom assistants with younger or less capable students. The points earned in this program are connected to a financial value and the student receives a “student incentive” check for the points.

• STUDENT RECREATION CENTER – A Student Recreation Center has also been created as a reward for students who demonstrate appropriate behaviors for a given period of time.

LEAST RESTRICTIVE PLACEMENT OPTIONS:

As students learn to successfully manage their behavior and respond appropriately to rules and procedures, they have the opportunity to move from a self-contained setting to less restrictive settings. These include access to the following programs outside of the self-contained classes:

• Multiply Disabled Class (non-E.D.)
• Vocational Department within ACSSSD on a part-time or full-time basis for high school age students
• tudent Incentive Program
• School-Based and Community-Based work experiences
• Home district placement on a part-time or full-time basis
• Enrichment – Students who can manage their behavior have the opportunity to participate in school teams, specialized art and music skill development and other extra-curricular activities at ACSSSD as well as in their home districts.

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DYNAMITE PROGRAM

The DYNAMITE (Disabled Youth Needing Assistance Medically, Individually, Therapeutically, Educationally) Program serves the needs of children with the most severe cognitive impairments. The philosophy of the DYNAMITE Program is to provide students with a caring and supportive environment that fosters the development of their individual strengths and meets their highly specialized needs. IEP goals and objectives selected for this population are based on the student’s current level of functioning and developed utilizing the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS).

The Collaborative Therapeutic Model is utilized to support the students and classroom staff. This Model incorporates an interdisciplinary team of certified personnel trained in assessment procedure and program planning. This team consists of the following members:   child study team, speech therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, teacher, nurse, parents, and a sending district representative. By using a team approach, these students are assured of receiving the most comprehensive services.

The Collaborative Team works together to perform functional assessments of the children and utilizes this information to develop the Individualized Education Program. In addition to assessment, members of the team perform their therapeutic services within the classroom setting. As they administer therapy in class, they are training the classroom teachers and paraprofessionals to provide follow-up support in each therapeutic area. This promotes generalization and reinforcement of therapeutic services throughout the day.

Students in the DYNAMITE Program are very medically fragile. Many of these students require a special feeding program and highly specialized nursing care in order to ensure their health and safety. Through the interactions of the teacher, specialists and parents, this program offers a caring, supportive and stimulating environment that fosters student growth and development.

GOALS

ENTRY CRITERIA

• Classified as Severe Cognitively Impaired.
• Chronological ages 5-21 years
• Pervasive developmental delays in the areas of language,
  adaptive skills, motor skills and cognition
• Requires adults to perform and/or provide essential care
• Requires support services through physical therapy,
  occupational therapy, speech and nursing services
• May not be physically aggressive toward others
• Student needs for program placement are reviewed on an
  individual basis.
• May not have the type of life threatening condition(s) that
  require acute care. (The program is an educational model
  and cannot accommodate certain medical needs.)

STAFF/STUDENT RATIO: One staff member to three students.

PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES:

Program Components:  The DYNAMITE Program provides students with many specialized program opportunities. Components of the program are as follows.

• LIFE SKILLS – Life Skills are an integral part of the DYNAMITE Program. Since each child’s individual needs are unique, a specific life skills program is developed and implemented for each student to help them maximize their level of functioning. In order to achieve independence,  personal hygiene and self-help skills are incorporated into the daily routines. Self concepts, the family, the community and current events are also covered in this area.

• TECHNOLOGY – Students are provided with ongoing opportunities for adapted access to their environment through the use of various equipment. For example, by using an environmental control unit (ECU), a student can activate a common food blender, radio or tape player by touching a switch located on their tray or wheelchair. Switches can also be used to activate communication devices or battery operated toys. Touch screens for computer access, headsets and electronic books are also used in class.

• SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT – Interaction with others is a vital aspect of the DYNAMITE Program. Structured time is scheduled on a daily basis to encourage socialization. Students are encouraged to interact with one another and use social communication skills.

• VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
  ART – Through art, students are given the opportunity to express themselves creatively and work on motor skills, attending, socialization, communication skills, etc. The art experience also promotes feelings of positive self-esteem.
  MUSIC – Music is a powerful medium for the DYNAMITE students. Music activities are structured to allow positive student interaction and an appropriate outlet for creativity and enjoyment.
• HEALTH, SAFETY AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Adaptive Physical Education is provided at the student’s ability level. Body awareness, spatial awareness, and creative movement are reinforced through participation in a wide range of motor skills and group activities.
• FEEDING – Students receive oral motor stimulation and feeding training. The emphasis is on providing a positive and safe feeding environment. Trained staff assist the students at lunch and provide adaptive equipment and techniques to maximize feeding potential.
• LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY – Communication skills are an important part of all classroom interactions. Throughout the day, students are provided the opportunity to request, make choices and respond using various means of communication consisting of verbal speech, sign language, picture communication symbols or augmentative communication devices.
• SCIENCE – Students are encouraged to use their five senses to begin exploring and interacting with their environment.
• MATHEMATICS – Math concepts are integrated into all aspects of daily routines and supported through teacher directed activities.
• SOCIAL STUDIES – Concepts of “self,” family members, the neighborhood, community, and current events are covered in this area. 
     
• PHYSICAL THERAPY – Physical therapy offers expertise that helps to develop functional mobility through the use of therapeutic exercise and adaptive devices.
• OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY – Occupational therapy offers expertise that encourages student engagement in activities that promote successful participation in school and community environments. This includes educational tasks, activities of daily living, and social participation, play and leisure activities.
• SPEECH THERAPY – Group and individual therapy services are provided as needed to facilitate functional communication. A total communication approach (verbal output, sign language, pictures, and voice output devices) are implemented to provide optimal opportunities of communication.
  
 

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CAREER EXPLORATION 

One of the many outstanding programs offered at ACSSSD is the Career Exploration Program. This program is designed to facilitate successful transition from school to adult life for high school aged students with disabilities. The Career Exploration Program was first developed in 1992. Research statistics at that time from the New Jersey Department of Education and the local office of the New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services indicated that 21% of all youth with disabilities dropped out of school prior to obtaining a high school diploma. There was therefore a need to develop curriculum and programs that were relevant to students’ interests and goals; that would prepare them to succeed in employment and adult life; and that would motivate them to stay in school.

The Career Exploration program includes three components: school-based activities, work-based activities and connecting activities. Each year 100 or more students participate in the school-based component, while approximately 50 more participate in the community work-based component. The program is curriculum driven to address student needs within the domains of Life Skills, Personal-Social Development and Career Awareness, Exploration and Preparation. These curriculum areas are taken from the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards to assure that students are meeting state mandated educational standards. Daily learning is designed to be relevant, realistic and practical for the students involved.

Students begin the Career Exploration program in a school-based component, in which they participate in both academic and career exploration classes. As part of their academic program, students work on developing independent living, personal/social and career preparation skills. Units of study such as banking, budgeting, preparing for a job, interviewing and appropriate communication skills are some of the practical applications of content areas emphasized. The career exploration program starts with classes that incorporate Landscaping/Grounds Keeping, Building Trades, Cottage Industries and Business Technology. In these classes, the primary emphasis is on developing appropriate work attitudes and behaviors, such as attendance, punctuality, cooperation with co-workers and supervisors, confidence and personal responsibility. Students also learn specific career preparation skills in these classes. For example, in the Business Technology class, students learn to create electronic resumes and portfolios, business documents such as cover letters, follow-up letters, business cards and digital movies. As students progress through the school based component, the career exploration classes grow in scope, and students are provided with Structured Learning Experiences (experiential, supervised in-depth learning experiences designed to offer students the opportunity to more fully explore career interests) in school-based work environments, including a student run restaurant, the school cafeteria, school store, media center and various classroom placements throughout the district.

Following the completion of the school-based component of the program (approximately age 18 in most cases), students are given the opportunity to participate in Structured Learning Experiences in the community for more realistic work experience and job training. In partnership with several area businesses, ACSSSD operates “classrooms without walls” at various locations in the community including three hospitals, a nursing home, two colleges, and three hotel/casinos. At this level of the program, students work under close supervision of a teacher, teacher’s aide and an employee mentor to learn work skills and appropriate work behaviors. Training areas include food services, environmental services, business/clerical work and more. The teacher assigned to the work site works with individual students on career and educational objectives. They also serve to provide assistance to the business’ supervisors and mentors in understanding the Career Exploration Program, its concepts, and the students’ abilities and needs, and can provide personal/career counseling to resolve any issues that may occur at the worksite. Teacher presence at the worksite assures employees/business partners that they will have continuous support, and thus, program and student success.

Student performance is evaluated on a monthly basis. Job placement upon graduation, following training, is about 70%. The program is evaluated through an annual follow-up survey conducted each year with current graduates and graduates from the previous four years. Program changes are developed and implemented to reflect survey results and to respond to changing student needs.

GOALS

1. To assist students in acquiring life skills and personal-social skills so they can function as independently as possible in the home and in the community.
2. To assist students and their families in planning for adult life including work, living and leisure time activities.
3. To provide alternative programs to assist students in developing appropriate career education, work behaviors and attitudes enabling them to obtain and maintain employment, either independently or with supports.
4. To provide a supportive environment and experiences that will promote improvement in self esteem, behavior and social interaction with peers and adults.
5. To promote an atmosphere of collaboration among students, families, school, community and adult service providers to assist students in making an effective transition from school to adult life.

ENTRY CRITERIA

• Eligible for Special Education services as cited in NJAC 6A:14.
• Chronological ages 12-21 years.
• Identified as needing an alternative career education program.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Career Exploration program has implemented a Tier System designed to provide both school-based and community-based learning. Students progress through the Tier System, which begins at the middle school level. Student achievement and appropriate work behaviors are the pre-requisite skills necessary for movement from one tier to the next. The Tier System provides students with the opportunities to set and reach objectives, develop ownership of their goals, and obtain valuable experiences that facilitate future success. These graduated levels of work experiences reinforce and strengthen the skills necessary for success after graduation.

Tier I

Tier I serves as the introduction and transition of middle school students as they prepare for the Career Exploration program. Tier I provides middle school students between the ages of 12-14 with the initial exposure to the high school’s Career Exploration Tier Program. The program is designed to provide support for these students as they prepare to transition from middle school to high school. Tier I offers a half day of transitional academics and a half day of career preparation training, which simulates the half day classes in Tier II of the Career Exploration Program. Job shadowing and job sampling are integral parts of the Tier I program, as well as accessing the high school for lunch and extracurricular activities. Tier I plays a valuable role in facilitating a successful transition for students as they advance to the next step of the Career Exploration Program at the high school level.

Tier II

Tier II is the second level of the High School Career Exploration Program. These students participate in a half-day of transitional academic instruction and a half-day career preparation class. The transitional academic classes provide students with the opportunity to develop independent living, personal/ social skills and career education skills. Practical units of study such as banking, budgeting, preparing for a job, interviewing, completing job applications, and communication skills etc. are content areas emphasized in Tier II. Practical lessons and experiential learning activities are presented both in the classroom and in the community through job shadowing and job sampling.

Career preparation classes of Tier II provide students with work experiences in realistic settings. These classes are designed to develop appropriate work behaviors and attitudes such as: positive work ethic, cooperation with supervisors and co-workers, confidence and personal responsibility and career goals. The career preparation classes include: Building Trades, Landscaping/Grounds Keeping, Business Technology and Cottage Industries.

Tier III

Tier III provides realistic, Structured Learning Experiences, within the school setting, that simulate community based job placements. Transitional Academics are infused into each class. On a daily basis, students apply and practice language arts, mathematics, science and history skills in various settings. The classes in Tier III include:

• The Forest Restaurant Class – This student run restaurant is open to the public for lunch five days a week, while school is in session. In addition to leaning appropriate work behaviors and attitudes, students learn the basic skills necessary to work in a restaurant.
• The Food Services Class – This class teaches students skills in food preparation and distribution. Students in this program assist in preparing and serving over 500 meals to students and staff throughout the district.
• The Career Sampling Class – This class offers students experiences in a wide range of careers. These experiences include working in Environmental Services, Maintenance, Classroom Assistance, Clerical Work, Mail/Package Delivery, Library Sciences and Food Services. Within each career area, each student is paired with a mentor who teaches specific skills and appropriate work behaviors within these job areas.
• The Marketing Retail Class – This class offers the students the opportunity to work in retail sales and learn the skills necessary to promote and sell merchandise in the school store.

Tier IV

Tier IV provides the first opportunity for students to transition into a community-based setting for further Structured Learning Experiences. The community-based program is a “classroom without walls” in that the entire community is considered a classroom that provides endless experiential opportunities for learning. Community-based work sites include the following: Shore Memorial Hospital, Atlantic Care Regional Medical Center (City and Pomona divisions), Atlantic Cape Community College, Meadowview Nursing Home, and Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Within each of these settings there is a full time teacher with up to eight students. Each student is paired with a mentor who teaches the specific job skills of the position and the cultural norms of the work place.

The community work experience provides a setting for students to further develop social skills in an adult world which facilitates maturity and the development of pro-social skills and behaviors.

Tier V

Tier V is the highest level in the program. Students who exhibit independence, highly developed behavioral, social and work skills can be placed in Tier V prior to graduation. Community-based work sites in Tier V are in Atlantic City at the following hotel and casinos: Caesars, Tropicana, and Showboat. As in Tier IV, each student is paired with a mentor to assist them within the job setting. Many students transition into permanent job placements upon graduation. The Tier System provides a systematic, organizational sequence of programs. Each Tier within this program provides the students the opportunity to develop appropriate work skills and social behaviors necessary for individual achievement. The Career Exploration Program has resulted in systemic change, national recognition and the continuation of a successful program that supports the needs of middle and high school students, ultimately leading to success upon graduation.

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