Special Education

The St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Special Education Program provides services for students with disabilities from age 3 to 21. Each student receives the program and related services requested by the local district’s Committee on Special Education (CSE) or Committee for Pre-school Special Education (CPSE), and specified in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Student Learning Sites

An array of programs are available in various locations to meet the instructional needs of students with exceptionalities who require a level of support not available within their home school districts.

Canton

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) 6:1+1

Preschool and school-age classrooms provide intensive individualized programs based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Highly trained Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), teachers, related services providers, and teaching assistants work collaboratively to teach a broad range of skills with the goal of maximizing each child’s potential. Ages: 3-10

Learn more about our Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program in Canton and Potsdam.

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Heuvelton

Management Needs Programs 8:1+I

Provides services for students with behavioral challenges who have not been successful in a general education setting. Students in the program may have a history of struggling academically due to a variety of unique factors. Students benefit from frequent pre-sets, changes in activities, and an intensive staff ratio in a highly structured classroom. This program includes counseling and behavior consultant support. Grades: 7-12

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Norwood and Ogdensburg

Community Connections Program

Provides an environment encouraging academic and personal growth for students who have not been successful in other settings due to attendance, behavior issues, or are returning from a residential setting. Counseling is offered individually and as a group. The program has four major components: academic, social/emotional, work/community service and recreation. Ages: 15-21

Transition Services-Community Based Work Program

Provides support for students in a half day work program in a community setting. Students are introduced to this program through an unpaid work experience and will exit with a work skills based portfolio with resumes and references to assist in gaining future employment. 

The transition team guides daily program activities to earn the Career and Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) certificate. The CDOS Learning Standards are aligned with the program and students are assessed on CDOS skills, with the goal of achieving commencement level skills. Grades: 10-12

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Ogdensburg Region

Life Skills Programs 12:1+1

Provides support for students to achieve their highest level of independence. Students learning in this program demonstrate cognitive, speech language, motor and social emotional delays. 

Students will benefit from a highly structured classroom environment with a classroom management plan based on positive behavioral strategies. Explicit classroom instruction is focused on real life experiences connected to academic skills as well as functional life and pro-social skills. For high school students, secondary vocational training is included. Grades: K-12

Management Needs Programs 8:1+I

Provides services for students with behavioral challenges who have not been successful in a general education setting. Students in the program may have a history of struggling academically due to a variety of unique factors. 

Students benefit from frequent pre-sets, changes in activities, and an intensive staff ratio in a highly structured classroom. This program includes counseling and behavior consultant support. Grades: 1-6

Behavioral Needs Programs 6:1+2

Provides a highly structured program for students who are experiencing behavioral difficulties. Students in this program have one or more mental health diagnoses and/or a history of trauma that impacts their academic learning. They may exhibit unpredictable or aggressive behavior and have difficulty with self-regulation, establishing and maintaining relationships, adult authority, classroom routines, and transitions. The program provides a structure of supports for the student’s behavioral needs. The supports may include Crisis Intervention Team availability and an area within the learning environment for de-escalation. This program includes full time counseling and behavior consultant support. Grades: 7-12

Potsdam Region

ABA Programs 6:1+1

School-age classrooms provide intensive individualized programs based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Highly trained Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), teachers, related services providers, and teaching assistants work collaboratively to teach a broad range of skills with the goal of maximizing each child’s potential. Grades: K-12

Management Needs Programs 8:1+I

Provides services for students with behavioral challenges who have not been successful in a general education setting. Students in the program may have a history of struggling academically due to a variety of unique factors. Students benefit from frequent pre-sets, changes in activities, and an intensive staff ratio in a highly structured classroom. This program includes counseling and behavior consultant support. Grades: K-8

Behavioral Needs Programs 6:1+2

Provides a highly structured program for students who are experiencing behavioral difficulties. Students in this program have one or more mental health diagnoses and/or a history of trauma that impacts their academic learning. They may exhibit unpredictable or aggressive behavior and have difficulty with self-regulation, establishing and maintaining relationships, adult authority, classroom routines, and transitions. 

The program provides a structure of support for the students’ behavioral needs. The support may include Crisis Intervention Team availability and an area within the learning environment for de-escalation. 

This program includes full time counselor and behavior consultant support. Grades: K-6

Life Skills Programs 12:1+1

Provides support for students to achieve their highest level of independence. Students learning in this program demonstrate cognitive, speech language, motor and social emotional delays. Students will benefit from a highly structured classroom environment with a classroom management plan based on positive behavioral strategies. Explicit classroom instruction is focused on real life experiences connected to academic skills as well as functional life and pro-social skills. For high school students, secondary vocational training is included. Grades: K-12

Extended School Year

A six-week, full-day, summer program for students requiring a 12-month program to maintain developmental levels. Components of the program are designed to prevent substantial regression and include; language rich programming, community engagement, and relevant academic skills applied to life experiences. Grades: Determined by District Needs

We strive to provide every student the high-quality education they deserve and help them thrive in the context of their varied identities across race, apparent and non-apparent disability, gender, age, religion, identity and experience. This is a matter of equity and fairness and embodies the spirit of leaving no child behind.

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Additional Special Education Resources: North Country Regional Partnership Center

The North Country Regional Partnership Center (NCRPC) provides professional development including training, on-site technical assistance and coaching in the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices and systems that have been proven to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Learn more about the North Country Regional Partnership Center and its work to support BOCES in special education.

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New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) and New York State Grades (3-8) English Language Arts and Mathematics State Testing/(Computer Based-CBT) within the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Programs

Some students in the SLL BOCES Special Education Programs participate in the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA). The student’s eligibility is determined by the home school district Committee of Special Education. NYSAA is part of the New York State (NYS) testing program that measures attainment of the State’s learning standards in the areas of English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science for students with the most severe disabilities in grades 3-8 and high school. The NYSAA in ELA, mathematics and science are assessed using the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment. DLM is a computer-delivered adaptive assessment measuring a student’s achievement of the State Standards in these subject areas at a reduced level of depth, breadth, and complexity. 

Some students in the SLL BOCES Special Education Programs participate in the New York State Grades (3-8) English Language Arts and Mathematics State Testing also known as Computer-Based Testing (CBT). The student’s in grade 3-8 who are not eligible for the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) are required to participate in the NYS English Language Arts and Mathematics State Testing. These exams are administered to provide students, families and educators with credible measures of the students’ skills and knowledge. 

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Related and Itinerant Services

Related services are non-academic services that supplement instruction to support the needs of special education students. Related services may be provided to students enrolled in BOCES programs, or purchased on an itinerant basis by school districts to support their special education programming. Itinerant services offer schools the opportunity to share the services of professional educators and related service providers on an individual basis to support district special education programs.

Adaptive Physical Education (APE)

Assists students who may not safely or successfully engage in a general physical education program through a diversified instruction of activities, games, sports and rhythms focusing on their developmental abilities. 

Behavior Consult/Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Assists students with behavior challenges and access to the curriculum through behavior assessment, analysis and creation of behavior plans. On-going consultation with teachers and parents. 

Counseling

Assists students through personal interactions in which students explore their feelings, ideas, and behaviors with a professionally trained counselor to:

• Strengthen student relationships with peers and adults
• Increase student understanding of behavioral choices, consequences and self-awareness
• Improve student decision making and problem solving skills
• Support students in transition to post-secondary life

Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy

School-Based occupational and physical therapists work to enhance a student’s ability to fully access and be successful in the learning environment by assisting them to be as independently functional as possible within their educational setting. They work to identify a child’s needs and collaborate with that student, parent, teachers and other professionals to achieve the best school experience possible for that student and assist them to meet their motor and functional goals of their Individual Educational Plans through direct and/or consultant services.

School Social Work

Serves on the students interdisciplinary team. Assists students and families with accessing appropriate community resources as well as serving as the link between home and school. Provides professional support to students and families to address school and home related concerns. 

Speech-Language Therapy

Assists students in meeting the communication goals of their Individual Education Plans; providing individual and small group therapy and/or consult services.

Teacher Of The Vision Impaired (TVI)

The TVI provides a range of educational support and services to students who are identified as blind and visually impaired. Working as part of the educational team, we will identify student needs through assessments, provide direct specially-designed instruction in the expanded core curriculum (i.e. Braille, compensatory skills, technology, and utilization of functional vision), or consult services to students whose visual impairment adversely affects their educational performance.

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