Academic Supports
Tiered Intervention
Hackettstown Middle School utilizes a multi-tier approach to efficiently differentiate instruction for all students. The model incorporates increasing intensities of instruction offering specific, research-based interventions matched to student needs who demonstrate regression; i.e. academic, behavioral, social, and/or emotion.
The success of a student begins with effectives practices that incorporate the School (teacher), student and parents/guardians in a collaboration, all stakeholders having an equal part in the student’s education.
Tier I: Classroom Intervention(s) for All
Support within Tier I serves as the foundation for behavior, social/emotional and academic well-being. Hackettstown Middle School provides these universal supports to all students in collaboration with the instructional staff, parents/guardians and students for both the school and home environments. For most students, the core programs give them what they need to be successful and to prevent future problems.
Tier II: Target Prevention(s) for Some
This level of support focuses on improving specific skill deficits. Hackettstown Middle School often provides Tier II to identified students who continued to show regression with intervention strategies provided in Tier I after a minimum period of six weeks of implementation and multiple measures of data collection. Providing support to the idententified student provides more opportunities for practice and feedback while keeping the intervention maximally efficient.
Intervention and Referral Service
As outlined in Board Policy 2417, there is an establishment and implementation in which general education students are served, of a coordinated system for planning and delivering intervention and referral services designed to assist students who are experiencing learning, behavior, or health difficulties, and to assist staff who have difficulties in addressing students’ learning, behavior, or health needs in accordance with the requirements of N.J.A.C. 6A:16-8.1 and 6A:16-8.2. Students who are experiencing learning, behavior, or health difficulties shall be referred to the school’s Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS) Team, which is a collaboration of stakeholders in the individual student’s education (re. student, parent/guardian, instructional staff, school nurse, school counselor, Child Student Team member, and administration). The committee assists in designing, implementing, and monitoring specific improvement plans in both school and home environments to help the student experience success.
Tier III: Intensive, Individualize Prevention for Few
Supports in Tier III are the most intensive Hackettstown Middle School offers and require the most resource intensive due to the individualized approach of developing and carrying out interventions. Hackettstown Middle School often refers the identified student to the Child Study Team in Tier III who continues to show regression with intervention strategies provided in Tier II after a minimum period of six weeks of implementation and multiple measures of data collection. At this level, if qualified, the Child Study Team will formally assess the identified student through the evaluation process to determine eligibility for special services.
Section 504
The Board of Education of the Hackettstown School District recognizes that a student is disabled pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 794, or section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if they have a :
- physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person’s major life activities;
- record of such an impairment, or
- is regarded as having such an impairment.
An impairment as used in Section 504 may include any disability, long-term illness, or various disorder that substantially reduces or lessens a student’s ability to access learning in the educational setting because of a learning-, behavior- or health-related condition.
In accordance with the Board Policy 2418, Hackettstown Middle School will ensure that a student with a disability participates with nondisabled students in activities and services to the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of the student with a disability. The school administration will place a student with a disability in the regular educational environment within the district unless the district demonstrates that the education of the student with a disability in the regular environment with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
504 Plans
To give students with disabilities the support they need in the educational setting, 504 plans are developed in a collaboration with the 504 Committee members and provide accommodations for medical conditions that limits daily activities in a major way
504 Committee
The Hackettstown Middle School’s 504 Committee is a collaboration of stakeholders (re. student, parent/guardian, instructional staff, school nurse, school counselor, and administration) that will evaluate students who have been identified or in need of referral, and make a determination of eligibility for accommodations of the student’s program in accordance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as Board Policy 2418. Any 504 plans that are developed will be evaluated annually. Additional information on Section 504 services may be obtained by the Director of Student Services, at (908) 852-8150 or located on the District’s website.
Special Education Programs and Services
Students identified by the Child Study Team in need of special education programs and/or services are educated in the least restrictive environment, as per the New Jersey Administrative Code Title 6A. The services provided as well as the placement of the student is based on the Individual Education Plan (IEP) in determination of the individual needs of the student; re. academic, developmental and functional.
Child Study Team
The Middle School has available the services of a child study team. The team consists of a learning consultant(s), psychologist(s), social worker(s) and therapist(s) (re. speech, occupational and behavioral). Students with an IEP are encouraged along with their parents, to discuss concerns with their child’s teachers and case manager. Contact information for the Child Study Team as well as the Director of Special Services can be found on the District’s website.
Related Services
Related services including, but not limited to, counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy, school nurse services, social work services, medical services and speech-language services shall be provided to a student with a disability when required for the student to benefit from the educational program, as identified by the Child Study Team as in need of the related services. Related services shall be provided by appropriately certified and/or licensed professionals as specified in the student’s IEP and according to New Jersey Administrative Code Title 6A:14-3.9.