1. Welcome to River Dell Middle School
Transitioning to 7th Grade
April 5th, 2017

2. The Topics for Today An overview of the Department of Special Services
Information about River Dell Middle School
The district’s transition process
How will my student be supported? And by who?
The IEP process
Technology support: Laptops,programs,etc.
Communication with staff
Finding district information and information regarding my student
Questions from you

3. Department of Special Services-Middle School Programs and Services
General Education:
General education with ICS
-Resource: All content areas
-Learning/Language Disability (LLD)
Flexible Scheduling-if needed
-Care Plus-School Based Counseling
-Social Skills Groups
-Related Services (OT,PT, Speech)
-Study Skills
Extended School Year

4. Transitioning Students to 7th Grade
District communication with Oradell and River Edge
Annual transition meeting with Oradell and River Edge
Case management assignment to current 6th grade students
River Dell case managers attending IEP meetings
Parent presentations (i.e. Open House, Special Education)
District counselor visits to Oradell and River Edge
Preliminary and final schedules: June and August
Summer BBQ for 7th grade students
Confirmation of River Dell case manager assignment: Summer letter

5. Staff Supporting Classified 7th Grade Students
Case managers
School Counselors: Ms. Ross/Ms. Braconi
ELA and Math teacher pairings
World Civilization and Science teacher pairings
School Nurse
Student Assistance Counselor
Administration
Support staff (i.e aides)

6. Case Managers and the IEP Process
Case managers remain your case manager through middle school and high school.
Facilitating teacher participation, academic feedback, program recommendations, accommodations, modifications, transition, and state testing accommodations (PARCC).
Speech-only students: Speech therapist remains case manager
The IEP process does not change for the RDMS student and parent.
Annual Reviews/Triennial evaluations
Transition-Age 14 (interests,high school course plans)
Communication as to parent concerns
Case manager-student contact for student input

7. Standardized Testing: PARCC and NAEP
PARCC: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
-Grades 3-8 and high school
-ELA and Math
-Aligned to Common Core
NAEP: National Assessment of Academic Progress
- NAEP provides results on subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment for populations of students (e.g., 8th grade) and groups within those populations (e.g., male and female students).
- NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools.
- NAEP results are based on representative samples of students at grades 4, 8, and 12 for the main assessments.

8. PARCC: The Class of 2021 and Beyond
Starting with the class of 2021 (this years 8th grade class) students will have two paths to meet the high school graduation assessment requirements:
Pass the ELA 10 and Algebra 1 assessments; or
Submission of portfolios through the NJDOE portfolio appeals process
To be eligible for the portfolio process students must take the PARCC and receive a valid score
Universal accommodations and IEP accommodations for PARCC
District steps to ensure implementation of PARCC accommodations

9. Section 504 Supports
“504” comes from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
It is a civil rights statute guaranteeing equal access to all programs through appropriate accommodations.
Eligibility is determined by any disability that substantially limits a major life activity
Accommodations are determined by an evaluation team, which includes the parents, school nurse, counselor, instructional staff, and an administrator.
Differences between Section 504 and IDEA

10. Technology Support at RDMS
Lap Tops
What You May Hear Your Student Using
River Dell is a 1:1 lap top district
Students receive their laptops in September
Students will receive an introduction to their laptop
Students can bring their lap tops home
Technology support throughout the year
Microsoft One Note
Achieve 3000 (Reading)
Moby Max (Vocabulary)
On-Line Text Books
Turnitin.com
IXL:On-Line Math Practice

11. Communication and Information Access
Communication with your student’s case manager
Communication with teachers
Communication with administration
Progress Reports
School Messenger
Constant Contact
SEPAG-Parent group
Genesis Parent Portal
Teacher School Wires Page
Counselor Pages
Case Manager Pages
Special Services web page:
Riverdell.org, click on departments,click on special services
SEPAG-parent group

12. Special Education Parent Advisory Group
The River Dell Special Education Parent Advisory Group is a state- mandated group of parents, educators, and individuals concerned about the children with special needs and learning disabilities. The goal of the advisory group is to facilitate communication between students, parents, staff, the Board of Education, and the community. The group communicates issues surrounding the districts special education program, for the purpose of advising the Board of Education and administration on matters pertaining to improving the quality of special education
The parent liaison for parent advisory group is Mr. Paul Tina. He can be contacted via at:
Come June of 2017 the district will be seeking a new parent liaison

13. Final thoughts…
Communication with staff as soon as issues arise or there is a question.
Encourage your student to take positive risk (sports, club, making new friends).
Encourage self-advocacy (speaking with teachers,counselors, case managers, and attending IEP meetings).
Stay connected to your student’s social media activity.
Check teachers’ Week-at-a-Glance for class topics, assignments,etc.

14. Questions