The Capital Region BOCES Special Education
division’s mission is to provide meaningful and challenging
educational programs within which students with disabilities can
learn and grow to their maximum potential.
Just a decade ago, many BOCES classes served students who might be
described as mildly disabled. Today, these students are being
included in regular education classes, often with support from BOCES
in the form of itinerant social workers, therapists and other
specialists. At the same time, BOCES has created new programs to
serve students facing more severe physical, mental and emotional
challenges.
The following programs and service listings represent our current
efforts to achieve these goals and priorities. However, we remain
committed to considering additional options and/or to modifying
existing offerings to further enhance our support for the districts
and students we serve.
Program Key
(E) =
Elementary-aged program
(MS) = Middle school-aged program
(HS) = High school-aged program
(T) = Transition program
Alternate Assessment
Comprehensive Development Skills/CDS (CoSer 210-4240)
This program is designed for students who have multiple disabilities or significant delays in speech and language, physical development, cognitive development and/or social and emotional growth. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used to provide educational, therapeutic intervention and stimulation. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 9:1:3. (E, MS and HS)
Comprehensive Development Skills II/CDS II (CoSer 240-4240)
This program is designed for students with multiple disabilities who require an intensive small-class setting. Students who have severe behavioral or cognitive impairments, including students on the autism spectrum, are provided instruction in functional communication, adaptive daily living skills and learning readiness behaviors in addition to the goals established in their IEPs. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 4:1:2. (E)
Fundamental Specialized Instruction/FSI (CoSer 226-4220)
This program is for students who are cognitively delayed and would benefit from a curriculum that emphasizes functional skills in reading, writing, math, communication and self-care. For students at the secondary level, job exploration takes the form of a creative and successful entrepreneurship project, which is based on retail food sales to the school community and incorporates practice in all of the core subject areas and with life-skills.
The College-based Transition Experience, located at the College of St. Rose in Albany, is a program option within the FSI strand that provides students with a post-secondary experienceon a college campus. In addition to a classroom-based, functional skills academic curriculum in reading, writing, math, communication and self care, students audit one college class per semester. They also participate in a variety of vocational training/work experience opportunities on campus and in the community. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 12:1:1. (MS, HS and T)
Intensive Comprehensive Development Skills/ICDS (CoSer 220-4240)
This program serves middle and high school students with multiple disabilities or significant delays in academic, speech and language, social/emotional and behavioral development. Instruction is provided in all of these areas as indicated on the student’s IEP within a 8:1:3 student/teacher/aide ratio. (MS and HS)
Regular Assessment (Elementary, Middle School and High School)
Diagnostic Development Program/DDP (CoSer 227-4220)
This program is designed for primary-level elementary students who do not yet possess school readiness behavior skills. The program focuses on this skill development through structured activities that are interactive and hands-on. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 12:1:2. (E)
Deaf/Hard of Hearing/D/HH (CoSer 206-4220)
The middle and high school students in this
program are deaf or hard of hearing. Personal
amplification and/or cochlear implants may be utilized by students.
Total communication
is used, and, where appropriate, students are mainstreamed in
regular education classes for
academic, social and vocational training. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 12:1:1. (MS, HS)
Deaf/Hard of Hearing II/D/HH II (CoSer 211-4235)
The elementary students in this program are deaf or hard of hearing. Personal amplification and/or cochlear implants may be utilized by students. Total communication is used, and, where appropriate, students are mainstreamed in regular education classes for academic, social and vocational training. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 8:1:2. (E)
Intensive Comprehensive Development Skills II/ICDS II (CoSer 259-4230)
This program is designed for students who are dually diagnosed with cognitive delays and psychiatric disorders. The student/teacher/aide ratio of 6:1:2 provides intensive support for these students' academic and emotional/behavioral needs. The primary instructional emphasis is on functional academics and social skills. There are currently classes at the middle and high school levels within this strand. (MS, HS)
Intermediate Development Program/IDP (CoSer 207-4220)
This program is for students eight- to ten-years-old who are developmentally delayed. An interdisciplinary approach to teaching focuses on experiential, hands-on learning, as well as pragmatic language development, basic motor development and socialization. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 12:1:2. (E)
Intense Management Needs/IMN (CoSer 219-4230)
This
program is designed for students who require a highly structured,
yet flexible and therapeutic environment as a means to address
moderate to severe behavioral concerns. This program offers this
support with a 6:1:2 student/teacher/aide ratio and utilizes an
interdisciplinary approach to addressing these issues. The goal is
to remediate behavior and provide alternate instructional methods
that might appeal to students' learning and emotional needs.
Students work toward a Regents or Local diploma and also have the
option to attend a
half-day vocational program at the Capital Region
BOCES Career and Technical School. (E, MS,
HS)
Intense Management Needs (IMN)/Pathways (CoSer 219-4230)
This clinical program is a collaborative effort between the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Capital Region BOCES. Pathways serves adolescents in grades 9-12 with acute mental health diagnoses. Students in the program typically exhibit symptoms of anxiety, depression, psychosis, suicidal ideation or other mental health problems that render them temporarily unable to function in more traditional school programs. Pathways is recommended as a year-round program. There is a 6:1:1 student/teacher/aide ratio. (HS)
Intense Management Needs II/IMN II (CoSer 279-4230)
This program is a more intensive level of support than that provided by our IMN program and serves a population that displays more severe behavioral and psychiatric needs. There is a 4:1:2 student/ teacher/aide ratio and this program also benefits from the regular consultation of a child psychiatrist. (E, MS, HS)
Interdisciplinary Skills Program/ISP (CoSer 208-4220)
ISP classes are designed for students who are cognitively impaired and exhibit some problematic behaviors. Speech and social work services are integral components of a multi-disciplinary approach aimed at helping students reach their highest potential. Mainstreaming is available and utilized when appropriate. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 9:1:2. (E, MS, HS)
Life Employment Applications Program/LEAP (CoSer 216-4220)
This is a community-based, flexible alternative
to more traditional special education settings and approaches. While
LEAP focuses on job opportunities and
training, there is also an academic component designed to help young
people reach the basic goals needed to complete an Individualized
Education Program (IEP) diploma or prepare for a General Equivalency
Diploma (GED).
In addition, students enrolled in LEAP may also pursue a broad range
of vocational programs by attending the
Capital Region BOCES Career
and Technical School, as part of the Capital Region BOCES Career and
Technical Education division. The student/teacher/aide ratio is
12:1:1. (HS)
Performance Expectancy Preparation/PEP II (CoSer 221-4235)
This program is offered at the middle and high school levels. PEP II is designed to meet the academic and social needs of students with Asperger's syndrome, autism and related disabilities. The PEP II program offers resource room support along with curriculum adaptations and modifications in the mainstream setting. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 8:1:2. (MS, HS)
Primary Management Intervention/PMI (CoSer 209-4230)
This program serves primary-aged students who have moderate to severe management needs. Students' behavior can range from highly disruptive to severely withdrawn and can include the need for intensive speech and language therapy. School readiness, language development, academic skills and appropriate behavior are the primary emphases of this program. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 8:1:2. (E)
Skills Development II/SDII (CoSer 207-4220)
This
program serves students with mild to moderate learning and
social/emotional needs.
Programs are tailored to meet individual student needs and include a
combination of
primary instruction in basic skill areas in addition to resource
room and push-in support for
students participating in mainstream classes.
A school-to-work
component is included in one of the secondary-level SD II
classrooms. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 12:1:2. (MS, HS)
Social Emotional Development II/SE II (CoSer 218-4220)
This program is for students who have difficulty
succeeding in a traditional school environment
either due to behavioral difficulties, mental health issues
or learning-related difficulties. These
students are often cognitively capable of learning, but have not
been successful within a traditional
public school model. There are a variety of classrooms available
within
this option, all of which are located in integrated public school
settings. These options include
mainstreaming opportunities when appropriate, separate instruction
when needed and, at one site, the
opportunity to participate in career-based instruction. The
student/teacher/aide ratio is 9:1:2. (E, MS, HS)
Specialized Literacy Instruction Program/SLIP (CoSer 269-4230)
This program provides intensive reading instruction at the middle school levels to students who are primarily experiencing significant reading delays that affect their success in other areas of school. Instruction is provided with a 8:1:2 student/teacher/aide ratio and reading strategies are incorporated into all aspects of the student's instructional program. (MS)
Severe Social Emotional II/SSE II (CoSer 239-4230)
This program is located at the Ellis Hospital within the Adolescent Psychiatric Unit and provides short-term educational support for students experiencing acute psychiatric episodes while there as inpatients. The student/teacher/aide ratio is 6:1:1 and the staff works closely with the student's home district to facilitate a continuation of the student's current educational program and establish a support network that will continue after the student's discharge from the hospital. (HS)
