2005-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Monthly staff meetings were held to focus on the Report of the issues relating to MCAS, changes in the law and the spe- Administrator of Special cial education process. Education The Administrator of Special Education continues to be actively involved in the development of programs The Mashpee Public School System provided spe- for young children. The Community Partnerships for cial education services to over 439 students ages three Children (CPC) program, with assistance and guidance through twenty-one. The intensity of the Special from the Child Development Council has provided sup- Education programs range from monitoring of a studen- Port for families, young children, day care providers and is progress to more substantially separate programs educators. Currently the Department of Education grant depending on individual needs. The Cape Cod funds this program in the amount of $112,669. The Collaborative continues to serve the Mashpee Public Preschool program expanded from two self-contained Schools by providing programs, support services, and Programs for students with special needs and a half-time CPC program to three full-time inclusion classrooms ser- some special needs transportation. Additionally, vicing 38 special education students and CPC students. Mashpee collaborates with the surrounding public school districts, human service agencies, private Special In addition, the Kenneth C. Coombs provided space to the Mashpee Head Start Program,which allowed the staff Education schools and with Cape Cod Child to provide Mashpee special needs students in Head Start Development to provide appropriate programming for the opportunity to remain in the program and to receive Mashpee students. Mashpee promotes a strong philoso- phy of including students with special needs in the regu- their services within the program. lar setting whenever possible. Federal Special Education grants awarded the During the 2004-05 school year, 130 kindergarten Mashpee Public Schools totaled $403,970. Additional children were screened resulting in 1 referral for further funds were awarded totaling $18,855 to support early evaluation. A total of 255 student annual review meet- childhood special education programs. Funds for train- Ings and 69 three-year reevaluations were accomplished ing received from the State Department of Education in district-wide. A total of 85 students district-wide were response to our applications for training totaled$11,512. referred for evaluation through the Teacher Assistance TOur district also received during the course of the Team (TAT). All evaluations were completed with 46 ear, a total Circuit Breaker reimbursement of$280,690. students qualifying for special education services. Y Additionally,74 preschool age children were referred for Medicaid reimbursement in the amount of $375,802.62 screening, resulting in 3 evaluations. was returned to the Mashpee Town Hall. The Mashpee Public Schools' Indian Education In-service training was provided to administration, program is designed to provide Native American students regular education and special education teachers, and with a strong sense of cultural integrity and values. This paraprofessionals continuously throughout the school helps to promote self- awareness by learning and under- year and summer. An Inclusion Task Force was estab- standing their own history and indigenous beliefs. The lished to focus on the specific issues relating to the suc- program also provides Native students with tutoring and cess of special education students in the regular educa- other educational opportunities that will help them real- tion classroom. In addition,the Behavior Task Force met ize and be able to make both short and long-term goals monthly to review the programmatic needs and progress concerning their schooling. of the newly established district-wide Student Support By developing a student's knowledge and skills this Center programs. Intensive training was also provided to teachers and paraprofessionals working directly with Program can then better equip students to become self- sufficient and will enable them to contribute to the devel- children identified in the autism spectrum. In late spring, opment of their community and society. a new computerized IEP program was introduced and integrated into our system allowing special education. Our top priority is our special needs students, who staff on-line access to student information, and improv- are closely observed regarding their learning styles, val- ing the transfer of records within the system and to other ues, and cultural understanding. districts when students move. IThe target population is comprised of approxi- mately 160 Native American students in grades K-12. 156