Special Education Programs for Students with Disabilities

High School Programs

Bridges Program
Serving the needs of high functioning but fragile students – such as those with Asperger’s Syndrome and Anxiety Disorders – grades 8 through 12, The Bridge Program provides Regents-level curriculum in all subject areas.  Multi-sensory instruction, strong social skill support, and understanding and appreciation of the unique emotional needs of individual students enable students to achieve academically and progress socially.  While taking challenging academic courses, juniors and seniors can also experience one the Tech Center’s 29 career and technical education  courses.

CASSTLE (Collaborative Academics and Social Success in a Therapeutic Learning Environment) at Briarcliff Manor High School
The CASSTLE program is a collaborative initiative with the Briarcliff Manor School District and serves classified students in grades 9 - 12 who have social and/or emotional issues that require a small, supportive therapeutic setting. Most students enrolled in this program take English, Social Studies, math (through first Regents exam), resource Room, and counseling in the CASSTLE program and are mainstreamed for other classes and electives. The goal for all students in this program is to attend mainstream classes to the greatest extent possible and attain a Regents-level diploma. All students receive individual and/or group counseling services.

OASIS at Walter Panas High School
Oasis is a collaborative initiative with the Lakeland Central School District that supports high school students in grades 9 - 12 with emotional and/or social issues that have interfered with their success in the regular high school setting. Located at Walter Panas High School, Oasis is a "school within a school" therapeutic program and features a small student-to-staff (eight students, one teacher, one aide) ratio as well as individual and group counseling. Students receive most of their academic instruction within the OASIS classrooms but join their peers at Walter Panas for certain electives as appropriate, physical education and lunch. The goal for all students in the program is to attend mainstream classes to the greatest extent possible and attain a Regents-level diploma. All students receive individual and/or group counseling services.

Renaissance Program
This program serves middle and high school students with emotional disabilities and low cognitive functioning levels.  The overall goal of the program is for students to meet New York State academic standards and gain career-related experiences.  Reading instruction is an integral part of the individualized instruction, as well as speech/language and, if needed, occupational and physical therapy.  In each Renaissance class, one teacher along with one aide instructs eight students multi-sensory teaching strategies and one-to-one assistance maximize students’ learning experiences.  Vocational training includes volunteer opportunities at BOCES and in the community as well as in one of the 29 career and technical education courses offered at The Tech Center.