Countywide Special Education Programs

The focus of the MIPA program is on increasing communication, independent life skills, social skills, and academic performance. Students who are receiving special education support due to autism may be candidates for the MIPA program. The program provides a highly structured environment and research-based academic and behavioral interventions for autism. The program uses a variety of strategies to prepare students to transition to less restrictive settings. Examples of curricula used in MIPA classes include the STAR Program (Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research, Arick, Loos, Falco, Krug, 2004) and the Links Curriculum.

The Community Peer Pre-K (CPP) Program, located in 11 elementary schools, provides children with and without disabilities the opportunity to participate in an engaging and comprehensive inclusive Preschool program. ELIGIBILITY: Placement in CPP for children with disabilities is determined by the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.

The Toddler Program is a 25-hour-a-week program designed for children ages 2 1/2 – 3 years (must be 2 1/2 by Sept. 30). It offers approximately 1/3 of the seats to students without disabilities.

The Pre-K Program is a full-day program designed for children ages 3 years 6 months – 5 years (must be 3 1/2 by Sept. 30). These classes have equal proportions of students with and without disabilities.

View a recording of our Pre-K Virtual Information Night to learn more about CPP

• Inclusive preschool programs have a positive and profound academic and social impact on children with and without disabilities.
• Children in the CPP Program receive differentiated instruction based on the Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS). Instructional areas of focus include literacy, mathematics, science, history, health and physical development, personal and social development, music, and visual arts.
• The toddler programs provide play-based instruction to target all developmental areas with a focus on communication, interactions with peers and adults as well as fostering growing independent skills.

Program Locations

• Toddlers: Carlin Springs, Jamestown
• PreK (3 1/2 – 5 years): Alice West Fleet, Barcroft, Carlin Springs, Dr. Charles R. Drew, Glebe, Hoffman Boston, Innovation, Nottingham, Taylor, Tuckahoe

CPP Program Locations (Spanish) (Amharic) (Arabic) (Mongolian)

CPP PROGRESS REPORT

• 3 YO PreK Progress Report- (English) (Spanish)
• 4 YO PreK Progress Report- (English) (Spanish)

Integration Station (IS) has several Pre-Kindergarten special education programs that serve Arlington Public School (APS) students ages 2-5 who have disabilities.

IS is co-located with The Children’s School (TCS) in Ballston, and provides an integrated educational program for 2-5 year old children with disabilities.

Learn More

4770 Langston Boulevard Arlington, VA  22207. For more information, please call 703-462-5180 or email Sara Shaw.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing program is designed for students with deafness or significant hearing impairment who require a specialized language-rich program. It is taught by a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (TDHH) with support from a speech-language pathologist and audiologist.  The goal of the program is to improve the language and communication skills of students and provide full access to the general education curriculum. Sign Language, spoken English, and/or visual aids are used to support students in general education classes.  The program serves students Pre-K  through 8th grade. Preschool students attend Alice West Fleet Elementary, where the elementary program is located.  The middle school location is at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. High school students are provided any necessary supports in the Arlington Public Schools school or program they choose to attend.

Contacts:

• Alice West Fleet: Jenna Weinberg,  jenna.weinberg@apsva.us
• Jefferson: Matthew Gavin,
  matthew.gavin@apsva.us

Elementary:  The focus of the FLS program, elementary level, is on establishing basic academic skills, increasing daily living skills, communication, motor/mobility skills, and sensory development. Students who receive special education support due to cognitive or intellectual disabilities, sensory impairments, orthopedic impairments, or other health impairments, may be candidates for the Functional Life Skills program.  The program provides highly individualized educational programming with intensified related services. FLS, elementary level, utilizes a variety of research supported curricula and practices, such as the Unique Learning curriculum for academic and pre-vocational skills.  As one component of instruction, Unique Learning provides individualized assessment, monitoring, and lessons in the critical skill areas of reading, writing, math, science and social studies.  The team-oriented approach draws upon a variety of strategies and interventions to develop educational plans to serve the needs of the students.  Elementary FLS locations are Ashlawn, Barrett, and Discovery.

Secondary:  The FLS program, secondary level, is designed to provide students with opportunities and experiences for developing and refining academic and adaptive skills as they move toward greater independence. FLS, secondary level, utilizes a variety of instructional resources, including the Unique Learning curriculum for academic and vocational skills. Unique Learning, for example, provides individualized assessment, monitoring, and lessons in the critical skill areas of reading, writing, math, science and social studies, as well as transition readiness preparation. In addition, FLS, secondary utilizes the Life Centered Career Education Curriculum, developed by the Council for Exceptional Children, and designed primarily for students with severe disabilities (i.e. cognitive disabilities, traumatic brain injury, multiple disabilities, severe and profound disabilities) who require specialized instruction in the following skill areas: self-help, personal/social, daily living, functional academics, and job/vocational. The curriculum is designed to be used in natural settings with connections made for concrete applications of skill development. Therefore, community-based experiences play a large role in the program as students practice skills in real life settings. Students in the FLS program usually participate in state-wide assessment via the Virginia Alternative Assessment Program (VAAP). However, each student’s IEP team determines whether students participate in the Standards of Learning (SOL) curriculum or the Aligned Standards of Learning (ASOL) curriculum, as well as how the individual student will participate in state-wide assessments. Each APS middle and high school, as well as the Shriver program, provides an FLS program.

The focus of the Interlude program is on improving social and emotional functioning in students who have significant interfering behaviors due to psychological or behavioral disorders. Students who are receiving special education support due to an emotional disability or significant behavioral issues, but whose academic skills are at or near grade-level, may be candidates for Interlude. The program provides a therapeutic environment designed to foster increased self-regulation, improved self-concept, positive relationship skills, and academic success. Supplemental curriculum emphasizes resiliency, self-regulation, interpersonal and problem-solving skills. The team-oriented approach draws upon academic, therapeutic, family and interagency resources to develop educational plans to serve the needs of the students. The elementary Interlude program is a single countywide program conducted at Campbell Elementary School. For middle and high school, the Interlude Program is available individually at each school.

Elementary Contact:

• Eileen Temprosa

The focus of the MIPA program is on increasing communication, independent life skills, social skills, and academic performance.  Students who are receiving special education support due to autism may be candidates for the MIPA program.  The program provides a highly structured environment and research-based academic and behavioral interventions for autism. The program uses a variety of strategies to prepare students to transition to less restrictive settings.  Examples of curricula used in MIPA classes include the STAR Program (Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research, Arick, Loos, Falco, Krug, 2004) and the Links Curriculum.

The Program for Employment Preparedness (PEP), launched in school year 2014-15 and located at the Arlington Career Center, is a job training and transition program.  This program is multi-tiered and creates a dynamic and targeted approach to meeting the transitional needs of students. PEP is based on specific competencies developed in consultation with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) using resources such as Virginia’s Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth. PEP provides students with experiences and learning opportunities based on current business trends and needs so that students may gain relevant skills for obtaining employment in today’s market, including the requisite social skills necessary to secure and maintain long-term, meaningful employment. The program is designed for students to receive internship and apprenticeship experiences, trade certifications, licenses, college credit and/or networking connections that may lead to employment directly upon graduation. Referrals should be made to PEP during the student’s final year of high school participation, with specific transition preparation programming to be determined subsequent to acceptance.  Student participation is individualized, according to needs, and if appropriate for the student, courses may simultaneously be taken for academic credit. Secondary students with disabilities accessing special education support for 50% or more of the school day as they exit high school may be candidates for PEP.  The program is non-categorical and students with various disabilities may be referred.

Contact:

• Jennifer Doll

Students who are identified to receive special education services due to autism and who are working on grade-level (or higher) curriculum may access specially designed classes which address social skills and executive functioning.  This programming will focus on the development of interpersonal and organizational skills, while encouraging a challenging academic experience. Students will integrate into general education classes per services on their IEPs and are instructed on grade-level SOL curriculum.  Supplemental curricula may include Unstuck and On-Target!:  An Executive Function Curriculum to Improve Flexibility for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and the PEERS Curriculum for School-Based Social Skills Training for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Shriver Program provides a highly individualized, supportive environment for students with significant disabilities within a smaller school setting with a low student-to-staff ratio throughout the program.  Students in the Shriver Program require intensive, explicit instruction in functional academic and vocational skills, as well as community-based educational program. Instruction is provided primarily in a self-contained special education setting with opportunities for inclusion and interaction with non-disabled peers on-site, at the H.B. Woodlawn Program. Specific classes within the Shriver Program follow the Functional Life Skills (FLS) or Multi-Intervention Program for Autism (MIPA) curricula.  Students who require FLS or MIPA in a small school setting with a low student-to-staff ratio, may receive those programs at Shriver. In addition to instruction in functional academics and adaptive skills, the Shriver Program provides specific training to prepare students for participation in post-secondary settings, such as sheltered workshops, semi-sheltered enclaves, supported work, and competitive job placement. Individual student programs are developed to achieve maximum social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth while acquiring the related skills necessary to function in the community as independently as possible. Students may participate in the Shriver Program up to age 22 (as of September 30).

Contact:

• Frida Krachenfels, Shriver Program, 703-228-6440, frida.krachenfels@apsva.us

For students with disabilities who require an alternative program as a result of long-term suspension.