HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

SPECIAL SERVICES
Curricular Highlights
The department held the annual fall Articulation meeting with teaching staff, Child Study Team members and
Special Education administration from the four sending districts. The participants reviewed the process of
transition to high school, suggesting improvements to the current system based on input received from students
and families. Additionally, revised reading lists from each district were shared, new courses described, and
each school’s Continuum of Services discussed. The scheduling process for 8 th grade students was again
identified as challenging, since some IEP meetings occur after the Home Logic has already closed. High school
teachers of both ICS and Resource Center made presentations about expectations of the courses and offered tips
for determining placement of students. Staff from the department’s self-contained programs attended as did
representatives from the Twilight and Polytech programs.
Central’s speech therapist coordinated two additional Articulation meetings in the spring, one with therapists
from the sending districts and one with therapists from the county high schools. They, too, spent time focused
on the 9 th grade transition process, as well strategies for working with students with auditory processing, social
skills for students with Autism, on-line links related to language and social skill acquisition, and augmentative
devices.
The Coordinator of Special Education at Hunterdon Central again held three days of tours for parents and
teachers of 8 th grade students in December, just prior to the start of scheduling for the upcoming school year.
The tour schedule was full, and many additional tours were offered during second semester to accommodate
those who missed them in December. Teachers, case managers and paraprofessionals also visited sending
district programs that feed into the high school EKWIPS program to observe strategies and meet rising 9 th grade
students.
The Resource Center In-Class Support program will offer 145 sections in the 2011-2012 school year, up from
the 139 sections offered in the 2010-2011 year. These classes are scheduled in both college prep as well as
basic skills levels in all academic disciplines, including World Languages. The large number of ICS sections is
in keeping with the State Board of Education philosophy of providing special needs students programs with a
high level of academic rigor and opportunities to be successful in General Education settings.
The department continues to focus on increasing the passing rate of students on HSPA and State-mandated Endof-Course
tests. This year, additional seats were available in HSPA preparation courses offered during the
school year, and the Child Study Team and counselors strongly encouraged students to attend summer prep
courses, increasing the number of Special Education students participating in these opportunities. Special
Education teachers worked throughout the school year with General Education teachers updating curriculum
with newly adopted core content standards and created substantive lessons to improve student growth in weak
areas.
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