Consultant Teacher Classes and Co-Teach Program

South Orangetown Middle School offers consultant teacher classes and a co-teach program. Both are mainstream classes where two certified teachers, one in special education and the other in the content area work collaboratively to support students with disabilities. Typically, there are five to eight special education students assigned to each co-teach class or consultant teacher cluster.

The courses (English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies) follow the scope and sequence of the grade level curriculum and are linked to the State standards. Both teachers attend to the instructional needs of all students in the class and collaborate in determining assessments and grades. The special educator provides strategies that promote alternative methods of instruction. He/she may offer modifications to the curriculum; provide alternative assessments and re-design projects. Often students are provided study guides, textbook outlines and/or skill building strategies to promote mastery of the content.

Academic Center

The Academic Center provides tutorial support to children with special educational needs. Services are provided in a group of no more than fifteen students. Students are grouped according to instructional need. The Committee on Special Education (CSE) through the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) sets goals for each child. The focus of the program is to support a child’s success in content area subjects in grades 6, 7 and 8. Children receive anywhere from three to six periods of support in each six-day cycle. Academic Center teachers can be called upon to perform diagnostic testing for students suspected of having a handicapping condition or for triennial assessments. In addition, Academic Center teachers may work in clusters or teams to meet the needs of the students in the mainstream curriculum at a particular grade level.

Related Services

Related services are provided where deemed appropriate by the Committee on Special Education. These may include counseling, occupational therapy, speech and language services, and/or physical therapy.

Speech/Language support is offered when a child has a serious language-based disability. The curriculum of the mainstream is supported by the speech therapist, especially in the areas of vocabulary and study skills (to assist comprehension). Students with severe articulation difficulties, fluency or stuttering issues are also provided speech. Goals are set by the CSE and monitored quarterly.

Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy is a medical service requiring a prescription. Services are awarded typically to children with physical disabilities involving fine and gross motor coordination. Goals are set on the IEP and monitored by the CSE quarterly.

Transitional Support Services

This is a short-term service offered to children transitioning out of special education. It is specified on a child’s IEP and is provided by a regular or special educator to aid in the provision of a service or class to a student transferring to a regular class or to settings, which are less restrictive than what the child previously experienced.

Additional Teacher Services

The Middle School offers services to hard-of-hearing or visually impaired students with a medical diagnosis. Books on tape, large print books or amplification systems are typical forms of assistance, which provide the child the opportunity to succeed. Some youngsters receive tutorial support by specially trained teachers in either area of specialty. Course curriculum is adapted accordingly.

Consortium of Occupational and Vocation Education Program

Unique to Rockland County is the BOCES Consortium program for classified children. Rockland County districts have designed a sequence of programs to serve these developmentally disabled children. Housed at the South Orangetown Middle School, the C.O.V.E. class is a self-contained program. This program provides handicapped students with the opportunity to interact within the school community. The focus of the program is to enable each student to maximize his/her potential and gain functional independence in the community in preparation for adult life.

The C.O.V.E. program is composed of two self-contained classes, staffed by certified special education teachers and teaching assistants. The program serves up to twelve students in each class, ages 11–16. Instruction within the classroom includes both individual and group work. Children entering the program should have the ability to work independently for 10–15 minutes at a time. Academic instruction focuses on life skills through the disciplines of reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies, written expression, and language skills. The pre-vocational component provides the foundation for learning about the world of work.