HAFTR Middle School’s student support programs are targeted towards students’ specific areas of need. A cornerstone of these programs is the collaboration that occurs between special education teachers, general education teachers, and parents. We develop student academic skills, as well as their ability to advocate for themselves. We regularly measure and monitor student growth, and intervene as needed.
Response to Intervention
Response-to-intervention (RTI) is a support system for supporting students who are experiencing a need for support in the realms of behavior and/or academics.
If you find that your child is struggling academically and/or behaviorally, please contact Mrs. Allison Braverman. HAFTR Middle School’s Pupil Personnel Team will discuss your concerns and will connect with you to make an action plan to provide more targeted supports for your child.
Depending on the area of concern, these interventions may include observations, assessment, short-term counseling, or targeting support in reading comprehension. Your child’s progress will be measured, and the Pupil Personnel Team will be in touch with you regarding progress. Most of the time, students do make good progress following the initial intervention.
Students who require more intensive interventions following the Tier 1 intervention, receive that support, where progress continues to be monitored. A referral to the Committee on Special Education (CSE) is made when students continue to struggle after receiving both Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports.
Learning Center
Learning Center is a HAFTR provided support for students who struggle academically.
The primary focus of Learning Center is to provide students with additional support in their General Studies content area classes. Learning Center teachers pre-teach, re-teach, scaffold, and modify material to ensure that each child can effectively access the material they are taught in the classroom. Study skills and test taking strategies are also incorporated through the content that is taught.
Learning Center classes provide students with small group instruction where they learn how to develop their skills and review the General Education curriculum with the support of dedicated special education teachers.
EFA Center
This program is designed to support student academic skill development, with a major focus on executive functioning skills.
EFA will provide reteaching of materials taught in general studies courses, and focus on organization, study skills, and note-taking. In addition, the EFA teacher will function as a case manager for students in his/her class, communicating regularly with general studies teachers and parents.
ACES Program
The ACES Program (Academic Center for Educational Success) was founded so that students with significant academic difficulties can continue to be placed in a Yeshiva setting. In addition to district services (e.g., resource room, speech and language therapy), ACES Program students receive intensive, targeted evidence- based support in reading and writing skills, as well as support in content areas.
This instruction can be provided individually as well as in a small group. Students in the ACES Program may often need classroom material to be modified in some manner. The ACES Program teacher works closely with General Studies teachers to ensure that students are supported appropriately, and that students are provided with materials that are challenging, but doable.
For any questions regarding the ACES Program, please contact Ms. Esther Nahon, Director of the ACES Program.
IEP
An IEP is an Individualized Educational Plan developed for a special education student.
The Lawrence School District serves as the District of Location for HAFTR, and provides related services providers (e.g., resource room teachers, speech and language pathologists, school psychologists) who are placed at HAFTR Middle School. The IEP is updated annually with delineated achievable goals by a team that includes a learning specialist, a general education teacher, and a student’s family member. It addresses a student’s strengths and challenges, as well as a time frame for achieving certain benchmarks.
All teachers who serve students with an IEP will be informed of the contents of that student’s IEP, as well as a student’s strengths, weaknesses, accommodations and modifications.
If you have any questions about either your child’s IEP or related services (e.g., resource room, speech therapy, occupational therapy, or counseling), or about your child’s classroom or testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, copy of class notes) please contact Allison Braverman, Coordinator of Special Education.
