Special Services

Our mission is to use a student-driven approach to cultivate meaningful relationships through relevant, individualized programs that provide a rigorous, systematic, and holistic approach to promote success and unlock each student's potential.

Faculty members in the Special Services program are certified special educators in the state of Maine and have many years of collective experience. Students in the Special Services program have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), 504s, Personal Learning Plans, or, in some instances, support services to develop referral plans. Students with an IEP also have a detailed transition plan designed to connect curriculum programs with long-term, post-secondary aspirations.

These students are integrated into regular academic and career tech courses with a schedule that fulfills their interests and maximizes their individual strengths. At Washington Academy, students begin their day in an advisory class with an assigned teacher who is the advisor for all four years at the Academy. Small class sizes, advisor support, and constant communication provide an intricate support system for every student. In some instances, the support system includes a Special Service staff member assisting the teacher and the student directly in the regular education classroom. This additional team members allows the Special Services staff to remain apprised of daily academic lessons, assignments, and long-term projects. Our goal for all students is to provide the best possible learning environment.

Written Language and Wordly Wise

Written language skills are individualized for all students that receive IEP services in the Special Services program. Written language modifications are considered on an individual basis during the team design of the IEP planning process. These are based upon the pre-assessed ability levels of each student, along with team input. Washington Academy teachers have developed written language assessment rubrics that serve as a framework for all teachers in every content area. These rubrics provide a consistent approach for research and written language assignments for all students. Teachers use the framework, or core parts, of the assessment and modify the rubrics other requirements to meet the specific needs of their content areas. Students soon realize that all teachers expect the same basic core requirements.

Wordly Wise has been used in the Special Services program for several years. It is a comprehensive program including, sentence and paragraph development, reading comprehension, grammar and usage, and vocabulary development. This program is scripted and consistent. Each student is placed in the appropriate level(s), based upon their pre-assessed abilities.

Mathematics

The Special Services math curriculum is individualized based upon each students identified IEP needs. This ranges from basic math skills for everyday living, to pre-algebraic concepts. Many Special Services students are integrated into regular campus math curriculums. Often these students get support during the directed study period, or in some instances, a Special Services staff support person will also attend the class and provide direct support(s) during and after the daily lesson.

Directed Studies Program

The majority of students in the Special Services program that have an IEP, have an 80 minute directed study support class every day. The directed studies program is an integral component that provides success for Special Services students. This small group setting provides direct support for students in all academic areas. Within this setting a student may be getting assistance to complete a chemistry lab, pre-read a biology lesson, organize notebooks, and perhaps get assistance to do research for an upcoming history report, to name a few possibilities. The directed studies teachers generally has daily communication with all teachers that work with Special Services students in order to make this intervention successful. This collaborative, proactive approach, attempts to make sure that all students work to the best of their abilities and receive the necessary accommodations to support their learning differences everyday.

504 Student Accommodation Plans

The Special Services program is also responsible for the design plans and case management of 504 students. Students that qualify for 504 services have a documented disability that impacts a “major life activity”. 504 is one part of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In 2008 Congress revised the ADA/504 eligibility standards. The general standard for qualification is a student must have a physical or mental impairment which “substantially limits” one or more major life activities. (See ADA Amendments Act 2008, Sec 4 (amending 42 U.S.C. § 12102(3)). The parental section on this website has more specific information regarding details of 504 eligibility and procedures. (§ -this symbol refers to a particular section in a document)

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