The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough

Process for identifying and addressing the needs of regular education students:  

Academics Social/ Emotional Behavior
Organization or Executive Functioning
Communication

Open Houses/Curriculum Nights

• Occurs once per year in each school. Sets the stage for open collaboration, review of curriculum.

Conferences

• Focused on student-specific progress and review of student learning data
• Provides an opportunity for teachers and parents to share and collaborate in the students’ overall progress.

As-Needed/Requested Meetings

• Parent/guardians may request a meeting with school staff to discuss specific concerns or questions

Induction Program

• New teachers attend an orientation prior to the start of the school year
• New teachers, who do not yet hold a professional-level license with DESE, attend monthly, district-wide induction meetings with the district leaders.
• New teachers in their second or third year of teaching complete 50 hours of additional induction time through collaboration with colleagues and additional mentoring opportunities.

Mentoring Program

• Mentors are assigned to all teachers who are new to the District. 
• Mentors are required to complete the district’s mentor training, which is aligned with DESE regulations for mentor training. Mentors must also keep a log of their meetings with the new teacher.
• Mentors meet, on average, about 45 minutes a week with the mentee.
• The mentee attends three (3) mandatory after-school meetings to enrich the mentoring process. The mentee allows the mentor to observe his or her classroom at least two (2) times during the school year, as a way of gaining feedback.  This is not an evaluative process and the mentor’s observation is not be shared with other faculty members or the administration. 
• The mentee observes their mentor and/or other colleagues in their school district at least two (2) times during the school year.

Grade Level Teams / Department Teams / Professional Learning Communities

• Grade level and/or departmental teams of educators collaborate regularly to examine student assessment data, set learning goals and design interventions. (See section III for a list of team members.)

Reading and Mathematics Specialist Support

• Reading teachers and mathematics coaches may provide additional small group instruction.

Student Support Teams

• Each school has a structured process to review students who are not making effective progress academically, socially/emotionally or behaviorally. 
• Teams include administrators, teachers, and specialists who review data, make recommendations for accommodations, set learning goals, design interventions and monitor progress.

Sheltered English Immersion Programming

• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) – a program model that incorporates strategies to make content area instruction more comprehensible to English Learners and to promote language development. As part of the SEI program, a student receives English Language Development (ELD) instruction, direct English language instruction focused on developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills; and Sheltered Content Instruction (SCI) instruction: content area instruction that integrates sheltering strategies to make content comprehensible according to the students’ different language proficiency levels.

Summer Academic Programming

• Title III English Learner summer program for Grades 1-12 students.

Counseling Services

• School Adjustment counselors, Grades 6-12
• Guidance counselors, Grades 6-12
• School Psychologists, Grades K-12

School Nurses

• Provide physical and mental health-related supports
• Support District wellness and safety plan
• Serve on student support teams

Behavioral Specialists

• Consultation regarding behavioral issues

School Resource Officers

• Provide proactive interventions with at-risk students; work with leadership teams to develop prevention programs, incident management, and anti-bullying policy.

In no particular order:

• Principals
• Assistant Principals
• School Psychologists
• School Adjustment Counselors
• School Nurses
• Classroom Teachers
• Behavioral Specialists
• Instructional Specialists
• Curriculum Coordinators
• Department Chairs
• Media Specialists
• Special Education Teachers
• District Consultants
• Education Support Personnel
• English Language Development Teachers
• Speech and Language Pathologists
• Occupational & Physical Therapists
• Board Certified Behavior Analyst
• Assistive Technology Specialist
• Focus Study Teachers

Assessment

• Provide study guides/instructional notes
• Provide visual aids, manipulatives, real objects, and other hands-on strategies
• Provide alternative assessments, e.g. oral, project-based, performance-based
• Modify the language of the assessment to match the student’s language proficiency level
• Provide word banks and sentence starters according to the student’s language proficiency level
• Allow extended time
• Provide rubrics to clarify expectations
• Clarify directions (in student’s home language as needed)
• Use an alternative setting for assessments
• Include a portfolio system for collecting student work samples and assessing progress over time

Instruction

• Provide study guides/instructional notes
• Provide visual aids, manipulatives, real objects, and other hands-on strategies
• Use data analysis to inform instruction and modify instruction based on student needs

• Identify essential questions students should be able to answer at the end of the lesson
• Clearly articulate learning goals for students
• Preview new concepts; connect new learning to students’ prior knowledge and culture
• Identify key vocabulary and provide a word bank with vocabulary words, visuals, and cognates
• Provide multiple predictable routines for students to orally articulate their learning in intentional groupings (structured academic conversations) 
• Break down tasks into explicit chunks
• Provide organizers and templates
• Provide additional small group instruction
• Implement homework checks/ homework help/ targeted homework (quality vs. quantity)
• Provide work contracts
• Provide peer tutoring
• Offer extra help sessions
• Accept computer-processed or typed assignments
• Reteach concepts with a different approach
• Provide student conferencing time
• Communicate with parents frequently
• Provide reading support
• Provide speech and language consult to classroom teacher
• Support oral or written responses with sentence frames

Organization

• Provide study guides/instructional notes
• Provide visual aids, manipulatives, real objects, and other hands-on strategies
• Post schedules
• Provide study guides/instructional notes
• Implement homework checks/homework help/targeted homework (quality vs. quantity)
• Implement planner checks
• Implement cues for transition
• Offer extra help sessions
• Post homework assignments in a consistent location
• Use time management tools. e.g. daily planners, assignment sheet, calendar timers, and agendas

Behavioral

• Establish a positive behavior support plan (goal setting, positive reinforcement, point system, etc.)
• Establish logical consequences
• Home/school communication log
• Establish clear routines/expectations
• Provide breaks as needed
• Cultivate relationships with peers and faculty
• Use Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Grades K-8
• Implement preferential/alternative seating
• Cue student for a change of behavior
• Use diverse classroom management strategies
• Clearly defined standards
• Establish a positive behavior support plan (goal setting, positive reinforcement, point system, etc.)
• Establish logical consequences
• Home/school communication log
• Establish clear routines/expectations
• Provide breaks as needed
• Implement alternative seating
• Provide counseling
• Offer peer mediation
• Alternative schedule/restructure demands
• Develop strategies for behavior modification, e.g. charts, contracts, checklists, behavior plans, etc.
• Provide lunch groups
• Re-establish academic rules and routines
• Utilize a behavioral specialist

Assessment

• Teach study and test-taking strategies
• Use data to inform instruction and modify instruction based on student needs
• Provide varied forms of assessments
• Modify the assessment to make it more accessible
• Modify the language of the assessment to match the student’s language proficiency level
• Provide word banks and sentence starters according to the student’s language proficiency level
• Allow extended time
• Use an alternative setting for assessments
• Provide timely and specific feedback about student performance
• Provide rubrics to clarify expectations
• Clarify directions (in student’s home language as needed)
• Provide opportunities for student self- assessment
• Alternative assessments, e.g. oral, project-based

Instruction

• Identify and communicate learning targets, success criteria, and language objectives for each lesson
• Scaffold presentation of content according to student’s language proficiency and developmental level
• Check for understanding 
• Provide wait time
• Provide study guides and guided notes
• Vary the grouping in the classroom for different purposes
• Directly teach reading strategies
• Clearly model steps, procedures, and questions to ask when solving problems
• Provide a copy of class note handouts
• Provide manipulatives, real objects, concrete models
• Provide a variety of ways to respond: oral, choral, student whiteboards, concrete models, pictures, etc.
• Provide multiple predictable routines for students to orally articulate their learning in intentional groupings (structured academic conversations)
• Peer tutoring
• Use “think-aloud” and other metacognitive strategies
• Provide scaffolding and supports
• Provide technology and assistive technologies
• Provide visual and transition cues
• Use predictable classroom routines
• Preview new concepts; connect new learning to students’ prior knowledge and culture
• Break down tasks into explicit chunks

Organizational

• Use time management tools, e.g. daily planner, assignment sheet, calendar, timers, and agendas
• Provide graphic organizers and templates
• Post homework assignments in a consistent location
• Post schedule
• Provide study guides and guided notes
• Provide a timeline for long-range assignments with intermediate due dates
• Provide access to homework club
• Reformat handouts to provide more workspace and/or language support
• Provide cues for transitions
• Provide models or examples of end products

Behavioral

• Set clearly defined standards for behavior
• Cue student for a change of behavior
• Establish clear expectations/standards
• Provide access to a guidance counselor
• Establish clear routines
• Develop strategies for behavior modification, e.g. charts, contracts, checklists, behavior plans, etc.
• Use diverse classroom management strategies
• Provide access to a school adjustment counselor
• Use data analysis to monitor positive behavior changes
• Use transition cues prior to any changes
• Provide breaks as needed
• Utilize a behavioral specialist

Assessment

• Teach study and test-taking strategies
• Provide credit recovery opportunities
• Use data analysis to inform instruction and modify instruction based on student needs
• Provide varied forms of assessments
• Modify the assessment to make it more accessible
• Modify the language of the assessment to match the student’s language proficiency level
• Provide word banks and sentence starters according to the student’s language proficiency level
• Allow extended time
• Provide varied assignments
• Use an alternative setting for assessments
• Provide timely and specific feedback about student performance
• Timely communication with parents
• Clarify directions (in student’s home language as needed)
• Provide rubrics to clarify expectations
• Provide opportunities for student self-assessment
• Adjust assignment length for quality vs. quantity

Instructional

• Differentiated Instructional Strategies
• Vary the grouping in the classroom for different purposes
• Directly teach reading strategies
• Scaffold presentation of content according to student’s language proficiency and developmental level
• Preview new concepts; connect new learning to students’ prior knowledge and culture
• Identify key vocabulary and provide a word bank with vocabulary words, visuals and cognates when appropriate
• Clearly model steps, procedures, and questions to ask when solving problems
• Provide models or examples of end products
• Check for understanding 
• Clarify directions or questions
• Break down complicated assignments/questions into manageable parts
• Use metacognitive strategies
• Use technology and assistive technologies
• Provide scaffolding and supports
• Provide assistance and direction with assignments
• Provide a copy of class notes, handouts
• Provide enlarged copies
• Provide manipulatives/concrete models
• Use of learning aids to help students focus on conceptual understanding
• Provide study guides
• Provide visual and transition cues
• Provide wait time
• Offer the use of graphic organizers
• Provide small group instruction
• Provide a variety of ways to respond: oral, choral, student whiteboards, concrete models, pictures, etc.
• Provide multiple predictable routines for students to orally articulate their learning in intentional groupings (structured academic conversations)
• Support oral or written responses with sentence frames
• Provide active learning experiences
• Use predictable classroom routines for lessons, homework postings, etc.

Organizational

• Provide access to CANVAS (Learning Management System)
• Provide study guides and guided notes or note-taking templates
• Utilize technology and learning apps 
• Establish clear routines
• Use time management tools,  e.g. daily planner, assignment sheet, calendar, timers, CANVAS and agendas
• Reformat handouts to provide more workspace and/or language support
• Post homework assignments in a consistent location
• Provide templates, graphic organizers, visual aides as appropriate
• Post-course objectives
• Help students develop study skills and learning strategies
• Provide a timeline for long-range assignments with intermediate due dates
• Provide models or examples of end products
• Use of homework checks, homework help, targeted homework completion
• Provide peer tutoring when requested

Behavioral

• Set clearly defined standards for behavior
• Cue student for a change of behavior
• Establish clear expectations/standards
• Provide breaks as needed
• Provide access to a guidance counselor
• Provide access to a school adjustment counselor
• Communicate frequently with parents
• Establish clear routines: behavioral, social, emotional
• Develop strategies for behavior modification, e.g. charts, contracts, checklists, behavior plans, etc.
• Utilize a school adjustment counselor
• Learn about who your students are outside of your classroom
• Use data analysis to monitor positive behavior changes
• Use transition cues prior to any changes
• Use diverse classroom management strategies
• Personally connect with your students each day