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District

Special Education Programs & Services

Continuum of Supports & Services Program Definitions

 

special ed students

Related Services
Related services are provided to students by appropriately qualified specialist/service providers as specified by their IEP beginning at Preschool through Adult Transition. A service provider may work with a student individually, in groups, and/or through consult. The service provider is an IEP team member who supports the student’s goal areas specific to their area of expertise. The following are areas provided by CUSD:

  • Adaptive Physical Education (APE)
  • Assistive Technology (AT)
  • Audiological Services (AS)
  • Counseling and Guidance (CG)
  • Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH)
  • Health Services
  • Occupational Therapy (OT)
  • Orientation and Mobility (O/M)
  • Physical Therapy (PT)
  • Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI)
  • Speech and Language Therapy (S/L)
  • Transportation Services
  • Visual Impairment Services (VI)
  • WorkAbility

Learning Centers for Academic Support (K-5)
Located at all Elementary Sites

  • Delivered in a small-group environment by an Educational Specialist that supports IEP goals. Learning Centers offer a variety of focused skill areas including reading intervention, writing intervention, math intervention, study skills, organizational skills and transition skills.

Students dressed up in deer costumes

Directed Studies for Academic Support (6-12)
Located at all Secondary School Sites

6th through 8th Grade

  • Elective Course delivered in a small-group environment by an Educational Specialist who supports IEP goals, as well as a variety of other focused skill areas including reading intervention, writing intervention, math intervention, study skills, organizational skills and transition skills.

9th through 12th Grade

  • Elective Credit Course delivered in a small-group environment by an Educational Specialist who supports IEP goals, as well as a variety of other focused skill areas including reading intervention, writing intervention, math intervention, study skills, organizational skills and transition skills.

 

Special Day Class for Foundational Skills (Mild-Moderate)
Located at Jefferson Elementary (TK-5), Poinsettia Elementary (TK-5), Calavera Hills Middle, Aviara Oaks Middle, Valley Middle and Carlsbad High (9-12) Schools

  • Content area courses taught in a highly-supported, small-group environment by an Educational Specialist that delivers modified curriculum (two years or more below grade level) and instruction tailored to meet the needs of the students. Students are mainstreamed into the general education environment for classes and activities deemed appropriate by his/her IEP Team. At the high school level, this course does not meet diploma credit requirements.

Collage of Special Education Students playing outside

Special Day Class for Social Emotional Academic Support (SEAS)
Located at Calavera Hills Elementary (TK-5), Calavera Hills Middle (6-8) and Carlsbad High (9-12) Schools

  • SEAS is an acronym for Social Emotional Academic Support. The SEAS program provides students with Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) in a therapeutic setting in order to work on academic, social, and behavioral goals that cannot be met within the general education setting due to a documented disability. While SEAS classrooms are self-contained, students are incorporated into the general education environment for activities that are considered appropriate (socialization, peer modeling, academics, etc.), based on each child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). The ultimate goal for a SEAS program is to intervene and provide social and emotional remediation that will allow the student to mainstream back into the general education setting for the majority of his/her school day.

 

The ASPIRE Special Day Class
Located at Kelly Elementary (TK-5) and Aviara Oaks Middle (6-8) Schools

  • ASPIRE is an acronym for Academic and Social Pragmatic Independence for Readiness in Education. The ASPIRE program offers a highly individualized, modified, functional and academic-skill based curriculum delivered primarily in the special education setting, with mainstreaming into the general education setting to the maximum extent appropriate. The ASPIRE program provides Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) in order to work on academic, social, and behavioral goals that cannot be met within the general education setting due to a documented disability. The program is specifically designed to consist of an array of researched based supports such as ABA, visual supports, communication strategies, and behavioral techniques to address the needs of students educationally classified with Autism, as well as other students with related needs determined to benefit from the program. While the ASPIRE classrooms are self-contained, the program functions to provide a continuum of support to incorporate each student into the general education environment for activities that are considered appropriate (socialization, peer modeling, academics, etc.), based on each child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). The ultimate goal for the program is to intervene and provide social, behavioral, and pragmatic remediation that will allow a child to mainstream back into the general education setting for the majority of his/her school day.

Aspire Special Day class photo collage

Special Day Class for Students with Autism
Located at Hope Elementary School (TK-5) 

  • The Hope Autism program provides a highly structured, visual, and language enriched educational environment to support the academic, social, behavioral, functional, and language growth of students educationally classified with Autism, as well as other students identified with related needs determined to benefit from the program. The program offers a highly individualized, modified, functional and academic-skill-based curriculum delivered primarily in the special education setting, with mainstreaming into the general education setting to the maximum extent appropriate. The Hope Autism classrooms incorporate, as appropriate to each student, research-based methodologies, including ABA, Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), visual supports, communication strategies and behavioral techniques which have proven to be effective for teaching students with Autism. These students necessitate an increased amount of individualized or very small group support in order to benefit from their education. The ultimate goal for the program is to provide support that maximizes students independence in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

Preschool for Students with Autism
Located at Buena Vista Elementary School

  • The Buena Vista Preschool Autism program provides a highly structured, visual, and language enriched educational environment to support the academic, social, behavioral, functional, and language growth of students educationally classified with Autism, as well as other students identified with related needs determined to benefit from the program. The program offers a highly individualized, modified, functional and academic-skill-based curriculum delivered primarily in the special education setting, with mainstreaming into the general education setting to the maximum extent appropriate. The Autism classrooms incorporate, as appropriate to each student, research-based methodologies, including ABA, Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), visual supports, communication strategies and behavioral techniques which have proven to be effective for teaching students with Autism. These students necessitate an increased amount of individualized or very small group support in order to benefit from their education. The ultimate goal for the program is to provide support that maximizes students independence in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

 

Special Day Class for Fundamental Skills (Moderate-Severe)
Located at Kelly Elementary (TK-5), Valley Middle (6-8) and Carlsbad High (9-12) Schools

  • Fundamental Skills is a highly-supportive program that may be considered by the IEP team for students with Moderate/Severe disabilities who benefit from a highly individualized, modified, functional-skill based curriculum delivered primarily in the special education (Functional) setting, with mainstreaming into the general education setting to the maximum extent appropriate. These students necessitate an increased amount of 1:1, or very small group supports in order to benefit from their education. The specialized supports are tailored to address significant needs in the skill areas including, but not limited to, functional/applied academics, behavior, pragmatics, health/medical, community connections, career/vocational, recreation/leisure and social/interpersonal; individualization is determined based on each student's needs.

 

Preschool
Located at Aviara Oaks Elementary and Buena Vista Elementary

  • Preschool program classes provide structured, small group, individualized instruction with reverse mainstreaming opportunities for social interaction with typically developing peers. Preschool Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) targets student needs across domains to include; pre-academics, communication development, social/emotional/behavioral functioning, gross motor and fine motor development, adaptive/daily living skills, and health/medical needs. In addition to targeted individualized instruction, preschool students receive general education preschool curriculum exposure/education.

 

Adult Transition Program (ATP)
Located at Bressi Ranch

The Adult Transition Program is a highly-supportive program that may be considered by the IEP team for transition-age youth (approximate ages 18-22) who have not achieved a high school diploma, but have participated in four years of high school. These students continue to benefit from a highly individualized and modified, specialized curriculum delivered in a mixture of both special education and community based settings. The specialized curriculum focuses on student needs in the skill areas including, but not limited to the following four areas:

  • Education
  • Employment
  • Training
  • Independent Living Skills


Individualization is determined based on each student's needs.