Special Education Programs for Students with Disabilities

High School Programs

Bridges Program
Serving the needs of high functioning but fragile students – such as those with Asperger’s Syndrome and Anxiety Disorders – grades 8 through 12, The Bridge Program provides Regents-level curriculum in all subject areas.  Multi-sensory instruction, strong social skill support, and understanding and appreciation of the unique emotional needs of individual students enable students to achieve academically and progress socially.  While taking challenging academic courses, juniors and seniors can also experience one the Tech Center’s 29 career and technical education  courses.

CASSTLE
Collaborative, Academics, and Social Success in a Transitional Learning Environment – CASSTLE, is a collaborative initiative with the Briarcliff School District and serves classified students in grades 6 – 12 (a middle and a high school program) who have social and/or emotional issues that require a small, supportive setting.  Most students enrolled in this program take English, Social Studies, Resource Room, and counseling in the CASSTLE program and are mainstreamed for other classes and electives.  All students receive individual and/or group counseling services. 

Learning Center High School @ Fox Meadow
This school at Fox Meadow serves students with disabilities who require an individually designed program in a smaller, structured, less stressful school setting than that found in the regular high school or special class setting. Program includes individual counseling for all students.

OASIS
This program supports high school students with emotional or social issued that have interfered with their success in the regular high school setting.  Located at Walter Panas High School in the Lakeland School District, OASIS services classified students in grades 9 – 12.  A “school within a school” therapeutic program, it features a small student-to-staff (eight students, one teacher, one aide) as well as individual and group counseling.  Students receive most of their academic instruction within the OASIS classrooms but join their peers at Walter Panas for physical education and lunch.  The goal for all students is to attend mainstream classes to the extent possible and attain a Regents-level diploma.

Renaissance Program
This program serves middle and high school students with emotional disabilities and low cognitive functioning levels.  The overall goal of the program is for students to meet New York State academic standards and gain career-related experiences.  Reading instruction is an integral part of the individualized instruction, as well as speech/language and, if needed, occupational and physical therapy.  In each Renaissance class, one teacher along with one aide instructs eight students multi-sensory teaching strategies and one-to-one assistance maximize students’ learning experiences.  Vocational training includes volunteer opportunities at BOCES and in the community as well as in one of the 29 career and technical education courses offered at The Tech Center.