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AN INNOVATIVE YEAR FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES With many new initiatives launching in the coming weeks and months, 5767 will be an exciting year in Special Education Services. The 06-07 school year will be the first year of implementation of the Special Education Enhancement Project (SEEP) grants, made possible through the generosity of the Charles Crane Family Foundation. SEEP grants are intended to help increase our school community’s capacity to effectively integrate and serve students with a variety of special needs.
This year promises expanded projects and services through the PEN project, CJE’s collaborative effort with the Maryland State Department of Education and Baltimore Jewish Council to advocate for services for children with special educational needs in our community. We look forward to the continued provision of on-site related services, such as speech, occupational and physical therapies, as well as educational support for eligible children in selected schools. Additionally, we will offer comprehensive professional development in the areas of reading, math and differentiated instruction, including mentoring in literacy instruction and assessment in pilot schools. Special Education Services staff is in the process of developing an educational testing program, made possible by a generous grant from the Charles Crane Family Foundation. Our goal is ensure that all children, even those with financial need, have access to the highest quality psycho-educational assessments and other related services. CJE consultants can then work with a student’s school to develop a meaningful educational program to address the student’s unique learning style and needs. CJE’s JADE (Jewish Advocates for Deaf Education) Interpreter Fund will direct its efforts this year to support the Jewish schools in their efforts to serve the deaf community. JADE will offer interpreters for deaf parents at school functions, in-services for staff on how to communicate with deaf people and use MD Relay or Video Relay Service, and consultation on integrating deaf children into Jewish schools. The theme for our popular Yad b’Yad Workshop Series will be When Yellow and Blue Make Green: Learning Disabilities and Giftedness. The first session, Demystifying Learning Disabilities, will feature Ellen Fishman, M. Ed., executive director of the Learning Disabilities Association of Cuyahoga County in Cleveland, Ohio. The second session will focus on students who are Gifted and Talented, presented by renowned author Rosemary Callard-Szulgit, Ed.D. The final workshop in the series will spotlight children who are “twice exceptional”– gifted students with learning disabilities. Dr. Callard-Szulgit, who will soon release a new book on the subject, will present that workshop as well. As always, our presenters will offer practical strategies for inclusion in the general education environment. If you have questions about any of our services, please contact Shayna Levine-Hefetz at 410-735-5028 or slevine-hefetz@cjebaltimore.org. |
Funded projects, which are listed on our website, include four elementary schools, two congregational schools, two middle schools, a high school and a community program. Each of the projects focuses on a unique way of supporting a variety of learners in the classroom through assistive technology, curriculum and professional development.