1. 1 Journey toward inclusion through the GATES A Regional Model of Support for Students with Special Needs

2. 22 Boston seeks the full range of options for individuals with special needs: Background: Inclusion/ Self-contained Gateways Day School Programs  Professional Development: GATES  Student Support Services and Programs Financial Implications Benefits of Gateways’ Regional Model Challenges

3. 33 Background: The Need 10-11 years ago, many Boston Jewish community students were: struggling in their preschools and congregation or community supplemental or day school classes at risk of or actually being counseled out of their programs opting out of Jewish education altogether because of their special learning needs.

4. 44 How Gateways began… 1999-2006 JSEC (Jewish Special Education Collaborative provided supports and services in inclusive Day School settings) Etgar L’Noar (which provided self-contained Jewish education programs for students with moderate to severe special needs) 2006 JSEC & Etgar L’Noar merged to become Gateways: Access Jewish Education 2009 With the closure of Boston’s Bureau of Jewish Education, Gateways assumed responsibility for Jewish special education programs in congregational and community supplementary schools and Jewish preschools and early learning centers

5. 55 Now: Gateways is Boston’s central agency for Jewish Special Education, and includes: Day Schools (12) Jewish Education Programs -previously Etgar L’Noar; now The Sunday Program & B’nei Mitzvah & Mitzvah Mensches – (3) Community Special Education Services – community, congregation & preschools (43) GATES Professional Development Programs = Gateways Access to Training for Educational Success (Day, Community, Congregation & Pre-Schools)

6. 6 6 Day Schools: Student Support Services & Programs Gateways provides student services and programs above and beyond what the school itself can provide: Speech and Language Therapy (SLP) Occupational Therapy (OT) Learning and Reading Support Behavioral Consultation Social Skills Groups Writing Groups Skills-based Curriculum-Replacement Programs  Modified Language Arts  Skills-based Modified Math Co-teaching Supported Inclusion Services are provided both in-class and pull out, individually, in small groups, an/or for the entire class

7. 7 7 Student Support Services and Programs: Students We Serve Wide range of student needs; vary somewhat by school: Language-based learning disabilities Non-verbal learning disabilities Aspergers syndrome, high functioning autism Cognitive impairment, Down syndrome Genetic, medical, and psychiatric conditions

8. 8 8 Student Support Services: Gateways multidisciplinary team of 25 coordinators, therapists and specialists deployed across 10 day schools: Day School Program Coordinators Speech-Language Pathologists Occupational Therapists Learning Specialists Reading Specialists Instructional Assistants Behavior Consultants

9. 999 Day School Student Support Services and Programs: Consultation Therapists and specialists  meet regularly with teachers, grade-level teams, and the day school’s support staff to generalize skills and strategies to the classroom, work with teachers to differentiate instruction, modify assignments, plan accommodations, etc.  write progress notes, communicate with parents, teachers, and other Gateways therapists. These ongoing meetings between Gateways (coordinators, therapists, and specialists) and the school staff (general studies teachers, Judaics teachers special educators) serve as “informal professional development”.

10. 10 Student Services Dov: Occupational Therapy Shoshana: SLP & Writing Group Binny: Comprehensive Inclusion Program 10

11. 11 Dov Needs Easily distracted, difficulty focusing, difficulty staying in seat, short attention span, difficulty transitioning Gateways Services 30 minutes OT/week, flexible combination of pull-out, in-class, and OT consultation with teacher to plan sensory activities for Dov (and others in the class as well) in the classroom  Sensory diet (taking breaks, seat cushion, fidget toys, sour candy, carrying heavy books to the office, time on trampoline in OT office, etc)  Predicable routine and schedule, visual supports, timer before transition  “Alert” program (Engine Run) which helps students identify their energy/alertness level and strategies for the student to use if the level is too high or too low 11

12. 12 Shoshana Needs Reading comprehension, difficulty making inferences, writing, word retrieval, vocabulary, organization of written work Gateways Services  Individual speech-language therapy 1/week Focus on vocabulary, word retrieval, making inferences, paraphrasing  Small reading/writing group 1/week working on reading strategies to identify main idea and supporting details composing 1-2 paragraphs containing complete sentences and an organized beginning, middle, and closing. composing paragraphs that contain multiple, complete compound sentences which are correctly punctuated. using a proofreading checklist to proofread her writing and correctly edit for capital letters, ending punctuation, and sentence completeness 12

13. 13 The Binny Team Gateways + SHAS* + Parents = Full Inclusion of 2 nd Grader with Down Syndrome Classroom Teachers (SHAS) Speech-Language Therapy (Gateways) Occupational Therapy (Gateways) Learning Specialist (Gateways) Instructional Assistant (SHAS) Inclusion Facilitator (Gateways consultant) Program Coordinator (Gateways) Special Education Coordinator (SHAS) Supportive Head of School (SHAS) Highly Collaborative Parents Parent-School-Gateways Communications (all) $$$ *Striar Hebrew Academy 13

14. 14 Jewish Education Programs: Self-contained The Sunday Program: Serves children ages 2 to 18 who benefit from highly structured programming, individualized attention and small class sizes. Encourages the use of visual supports and differentiated instruction to present a multisensory curriculum that includes Jewish holidays, Bible stories, Hebrew language, Jewish culture, creative arts, technology and music therapy. Provides one-to-one aides to each child from the Gateways Teen Volunteer Program

15. 15 Jewish Education Programs for older children and teens The B’nei Mitzvah Program offers individual Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutoring, small group activities and a weekly prayer service supported by an on-site reading specialist, and special education teacher. Includes students with a variety of special needs who benefit from a small class size and an individualized B’nei Mitzvah learning plan..

16. 16 Professional Development Model for Day & Community Schools Gateways Access to Training for Educational Success (GATES)* Shared learning by multiple staff members from a day school, ideally a grade level or content area team. Classroom observation, consultation, and coaching for individuals and team members related to the topic or focus area; and teacher coaching aimed at ways to improve student success. Facilitated selected staff meetings/discussions for continued collaborative team work throughout the year to continue to encourage the application of knowledge into the classroom *Developed and implemented in collaboration with Hidden Sparks

17. 17 Adapting the Day School model to congregation, community and pre-schools We provide shared learning, consultation, and coaching. Professional development offered within individual schools and at one location for several schools in a region over time We build teams of consultants and specialists to serve schools and centers as the “clients”. Number of congregations, community and pre- school applications for 2011-12 doubled ; 43 will receive CJP funds to improve their special education services.

18. 18 Benefits of Gateways Model Reach more programs and schools Provides direct services to more children Balances the needs of the individual with the need of the group Recognizes the importance of adult learning, ongoing coaching and consultation to achieve lasting change in school cultures and

19. 19 Challenges Recruitment and retention of qualified professionals Building capacity constantly Maintaining high quality given limited resources Securing new funds to sustain and grow the programs Engaging families, professionals and community in the process

20. 20 For More Information Arlene Remz or Sherry Grossman Gateways: Access to Jewish Education 333 Nahanton Street Newton, MA 02459 617-630-9010 arlene@jgateways.org sherry@jgateways.org www.jgateways.org