Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals
with Disabilities
Special
Education
Quality Assurance
|
On May 1, 2001, the second VESID sponsored BOCES Symposium was held in Syracuse, NY to highlight effective practices that promote achievement and integration for students with disabilities. Teams of two or three people represented each BOCES that included the District Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent, BOCES Special Education Director, Special Education Director of a school district, and/or a General Education Administrator for BOCES or a school district.
Results of the evaluation survey indicated overwhelming support of the Symposium and many of the participants indicated they planned to incorporate many of the ideas presented.
Attendees (with links to presentation summaries and contact information)
| Broome-Tioga BOCES | Capital Region BOCES presenter |
| Clinton -Essex BOCES | Madison -Oneida BOCES presenter |
| Eastern Suffolk BOCES | Monroe 1 BOCES presenter |
| Erie 1 BOCES | Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES presenter |
| Genesee Valley BOCES | Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES presenter |
| Herkimer BOCES | Orange-Ulster BOCES presenter |
| Otsego-Northern -Catskills BOCES | Oswego BOCES presenter |
| Questar III BOCES | Rockland BOCES presenter |
| Schuyler Chemung Tioga BOCES presenter | |
| St. Lawrence Lewis BOCES | Southern Westchester BOCES |
| Sullivan BOCES presenter | Western Suffolk BOCES presenter |
HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOCES PRESENTERS
Capital Region BOCES Presentation
Title: Maritime Academy: An Integrated Vo-Tec Special Education Program
Brief Description: This program has demonstrated effectiveness in integrating a standards-based curriculum with an intensive vocational component that focuses on a maritime theme. Students are middle school level students classified as emotionally disturbed, with the majority identified as Regents diploma bound.
Highlights of Presentation:
The innovativeness of using a maritime theme.
Contact Person: Inge J. Carmola
| phone: (518) 456-9064 | fax: (518) 456-9057 |
e-mail: icarmola@gw.neric.org
Madison-Oneida BOCES Presentation
Title: Short-term Day Treatment Program for Middle School Youth
Brief Description:
When it comes to helping a child in crisis, what is often needed is a way to help that child step back from his/her situation, find or create a position of stability and then help the child face the problem with renewed strength. This is our vision for the Fresh Start Program.Open to students ages 12-17, the Fresh Start Program gives students in situational, temporary crisis an opportunity to receive short-term (30 to 45 days) intensive therapeutic services. The three primary goals are: (1) to allow students who are having difficulty dealing with their present situation to remain in school by providing an alternate educational setting combined with intensive therapy; (2) to allow general education students experiencing situational difficulties a chance to maintain academically; and (3) to transition students back into general education classes.
Counseling is a major element of the program. All students participate in 100 minutes of group counseling daily. Parental involvement is mandatory. Parents receive counseling and/or parenting education.
Highlights of Presentation:
Resources to guide counseling sessions
Contact Person: Joan Reardon
| phone: (315) 361-5543 | fax: (315) 361-5595 |
e-mail: jreardon@mohawk.moric.org
Title: Successful Movement of a K-12 Severe Multiply Disabled Group from a Center-based Program to a Local District
Brief Description: The successful movement of the center based program to a local district was achieved through the efforts of the local district in building inclusive relationships in the building. The student population consisted of students with mental retardation, autism, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and, emotional disabilities. Success was achieved through a carefully planned phase in over three years and a process for the introduction of each class to the building. Addressing parent, staff and space issues, PTA involvement, differences for children and a connection with the main program were key factors in the successful movement to the local district
Highlights of Presentation:
Natural movement of students
Contact Person: John Campolieto
| phone: (585) 383-2234 | fax: (585) 387-3812 |
e-mail: John_campolieto@BOCES.monroe.edu
Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Presentation
Title: Supporting a Student with Autism in an Inclusive Second Grade Classroom
Brief Description: The inclusion of this particular student with autism was highlighted at the BOCES symposium to illustrate the prerequisite attitude and supports essential for including a student with autism. The inclusion experience for this student has been successful for the past three years because of initial and ongoing training of the regular teachers, consultant teacher, the classroom aides, and special area teachers in understanding the culture of autism and proactively problem solving together as a team. The parents, as an integral part of the team, are included in the regularly scheduled team meetings and communicate daily with the regular classroom teacher via a daily home correspondence notebook.
Highlights of Presentation:
Training and ongoing support are essential for everyone involved with the student.
Regularly scheduled team meetings, with parents as an integral part of the team, increases the likelihood for positive feelings and success for all involved.
Contact Person: Susan Pratt, Asst. Director, Dept. of Exceptional Children
| phone: (585) 352-2450 | fax: (585) 352-2796 |
e-mail: spratt@monroe2boces.org
Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES Presentation
Title: Building Integrated/Inclusive Programs into Building Projects
Brief Description: The focus of this presentation was on the collaborative planning that occurred between the OCM BOCES and the Solvay Union Free School District when Solvay embarked on a large-scale, district-wide building project, which will incorporate the BOCES Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as well as two other BOCES special education classes. The goal of BOCES programs located within component districts has always been to provide opportunities for inclusion as appropriate for each individual student. For over 25 years, with cooperation from the host district(s), this BOCES program has offered a continuum of instructional opportunities from self-contained classrooms to full inclusion into district classes for deaf and hard of hearing students ages 3-21. Space constraints in the current host districts prompted them to inform BOCES that alternative locations for the program needed to be found. Concurrently, Solvay was planning a building project and agreed to lease space to the K-12 Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Three major areas required consideration: the inclusion of BOCES students into the Solvay student population; the development of cooperative educational planning between Solvay and BOCES staff to the benefit of all students; and building design. From the beginning, BOCES staff have met with Solvay staff and the architects to plan the space. Changes in design have been made to accommodate the unique needs of the deaf and hard of hearing population. Plans for shared space for related services and conference areas have been developed. Plans are underway for BOCES and Solvay staff to participate in joint curriculum development days this summer. Opportunities for BOCES and Solvay staff to meet together to share concerns, questions and ideas have begun and are planned to continue throughout the construction phase of the buildings. In-service to Solvay students and staff will be provided by BOCES students and staff to explain hearing loss and demonstrate the equipment used by the BOCES students. A sign language club will be provided for hearing students. Deaf and hard of hearing students will participate in extracurricular activities supported by a sign language interpreter. New curriculum offerings may be developed that will benefit all students.
Highlights of Presentation:
Discussion with two BOCES high school sophomores about their school experience.
Staffing considerations for deaf and hard of hearing students.
Specifics regarding the building project approval and funding.
Contact Person: Susanne Merchant
| phone: (315) 672-3909 | fax: (315) 672-7800 |
e-mail: smerchan@ocmboces.org
Orange-Ulster BOCES Presentation
Title: SPARC – A Supplemental Program for At-Risk Children
Brief Description: Transitional programs designed to provide educational opportunities for nonclassified students at risk in their district-based placements. Placements are transitional and offered at the elementary and middle school levels for nonclassified students needing an emotional support base during the instructional day.
Highlights of Presentation:
Structure of the program
Funding for the program
Contact Person: Marguerite Flood and Angela Romano
| phone: (845) 291-0210 or 0211 | fax: : (845) 291-0205 |
e-mail: mflood@ouboces.org
Title: Preschool Integration Model
Brief Description: This model provides a coordinated educational effort for integration of children in a 12:1:4 preschool program with a nursery school program of 12 four- and five-year-old children. An additional component of this model is the Early Childhood Education program that allows an optimal educational experience for high school students for working with preschool children with and without disabilities.
Highlights of Presentation:
Optimal coordination of students and staff for creative programming.
Contact Person: Joan Kent
| phone: (315) 963-4319 | fax: (315) 963-4316 |
e-mail: jkent@oswegoboces.org
Title: A School-Based Mental Health Collaborative
Brief Description: The presentation focused on the practices that have been successful in the design of a school-based model for students with histories of extensive mental health issues. The goal of this model is to provide an intensive therapeutic support model for high school students (grades 9-12). Students are classified and non-classified. The goal of the presentation was to identify the components of a best practice model through review of outcome data.
Highlights of Presentation:
Collaborative component with community partners.
Contact Person: Dr. Mary Jean Marsico or Cathy O'Brien
| phone: (845) 627-4790 | fax: (845) 627-6124 |
e-mail: mmarsico@rboceslhric.org
Schuyler Chemung Tioga BOCES Presentation
Title: The 7 SHARE Initiative: Creating the Conditions for All Students to Succeed
Brief Description: The 7 SHARE Initiative is a commitment by all seven districts in the Schuyler Chemung Tioga BOCES to raise student achievement by bringing Instructional Support Teachers and Teams to every school. Instructional Support brings research-proven practices to the classroom, offering guided practice for teachers as the implement the practices. 7 Share is also a research project.
Highlights of Presentation:
Collaboration between all seven districts and BOCES.
Contact Person: Joan Papandrea
| phone: (607 ) 739-3581 x 3236 | fax: (607) 795-5310 |
e-mail: jpapandr@mail.sctboces.org
Sullivan BOCES Presentation
Title: Strategies for Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students in a Separate Setting
Brief Description: Teachers working on academic curriculum in a BOCES setting need access to a mentor program with a district. This serves to build a quality academic program and transitional supports to student creations of curriculum maps to ensure a spiraled curriculum.
Highlights of Presentation:
Dealing with the foreign language component
Contact Person: Karen A. O’Brien
| phone: (845) 292-7900, ext. 105 | fax: (845) 292-7910 |
e-mail: kobrien@scboces.org
Western Suffolk BOCES Presentation
Title: Using Instructional Strategies to Facilitate Learning in Preparation for HS Regents Diploma
Brief Description: Grant funds were used to develop instructional guides designed for use by Commencement and Intermediate level general and special education teachers. The goal was to help educators prepare students with a history of academic failure to master NY State assessments.
Western Suffolk BOCES, in conjunction with its 18 component school districts, organized a project designed to merge the specific strengths and skills of special and general educators. The manuals created covered topics in line with the NY State Standards. Teams of teachers worked together to implement strategies proven to facilitate instruction in the areas of high school math, science, social studies and ELA, as well as middle school ELA and math. The strategies were designed to teach activating and focusing, comprehending and organizing, and integrating and applying skills.
Follow-up activities included having general education consultants work directly with special educators who teach in self-contained settings. In addition, curriculum maps were developed to facilitate instruction.
Highlights of Presentation:
Samples of curriculum maps, developed by special educators with input from general education content area teachers, were distributed.
Presenters concentrated on the collaborative efforts of Western Suffolk BOCES and the component school districts. This included teachers, parents, administrators and students from a variety of settings
| phone: (631) 549-4900 | fax: (631) 427-6514 |
e-mail: vloiacono@wsboces.org