The Office of Special Education had their final Special Education Teacher Academy (S.E.T.A.) meeting of the year. The new staff participated in various sessions throughout the year to sharpen their skills regarding special education instructional strategies. For the final meeting, new special education teacher, Ms. Belfiore, was given the opportunity to showcase her classroom and student learning to colleagues. The group participated in a classroom walkthrough and discussed the impact of her strategies on achievement with special education students.
The District’s new Child Study Teams (CST) met on June 14th to discuss their learning from the school year and provided feedback to enhance the Special Education Academy. Both meetings were energetic and allowed new staff to reflect on this school year and plan for the 2023-24 school year. The new special education teachers and CST members were very positive about the on-going support from the Special Education Teacher Academy and their cohort members. Additionally, they developed their own professional learning group to provide guidance and support to increase their knowledge of special education and the District’s protocols.
The Office of Special Education initiated this special education teacher retention program in September 2019. The vision was led by Assistant Superintendent Carolyn Granato and Director Marilyn Mitchell.