Child Study Teams & Special Needs
Child Study Teams
Providing opportunities for academic success for all students is a central focus at Mile High. Student needs are also recognized through parent and teacher referrals to the Child Study Team, which is composed of the specialists in learning disabilities, teachers, and the child’s counselor. Included may also be the school nurse, the physical or occupational therapist, speech therapist, and specialists in the areas of hearing and visual impairment.
The team discusses the concerns about the child and devises a plan to address the child’s needs. An action plan is written describing the roles members of the team will play and the provision for diagnostic testing and any other services that may be needed. Parents are involved continuously throughout the process.
The teaming concept promotes better communication among teachers, students, and parents about individual student’s successes, needs, concerns, and performance in academic and elective classes. These components provide a comprehensive picture of the individual student, which in turn dictates necessary accommodations for the student’s success.
Special Needs
Special education classes, hearing and vision programs, speech, physical and occupational therapy are available for qualified special needs students. We currently serve 86 special education students by offering the least restrictive environment a student might have and still be successful with their education. Of the 17 students receiving speech services, 3 are for speech articulation and 14 for language delayed/language disordered.
Two additional programs, which set us apart from other middle schools in the area, are: 1) ALPS (Alternative Learning Program), which is a special education program currently serving 11 students with emotional and behavioral disorders; and 2) a comprehensive Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) class for our students whose first language is not English. Thirty-six SEI students are mainstreamed into classes with support from both the classroom teachers and their SEI teacher.