MMSD's Intensive Intervention Programs

The Madison Metropolitan School District is committed to providing an excellent educational experience for all students within the most inclusive environment. In very limited circumstances, a smaller, specially designed environment with supportive wrap-around care is necessary to provide the conditions where students can thrive and develop as learners. MMSD’s Intensive Intervention Programs offers a continuum of small group or individualized programming. It is designed to meet the highly personalized learning needs for special education students K-12. Intensive Intervention Programming is intended to provide intensive, time-limited services and support with the ever-present goal of students returning to their home schools in a timely manner as they demonstrate progress and readiness.

Vision

All staff, students, parents/guardians within Intensive Intervention Programs are committed to helping each student acquire the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral skills necessary to successfully participate in their community and home school setting through equitable and inclusive instruction.

Mission

By identifying student skill strengths, interests, and areas for growth, Intensive Intervention Programs will empower students to develop emotional, behavioral, social, and academic self-regulation skills through specific direct instruction and culturally responsive and trauma informed practices. Collaboration happens with students, families, school personnel, community agencies, and other important people in a student’s life.

Beliefs and Values

We believe:

All students have the right to acquire academic, social, emotional, and behavioral skills for emotional management, relationship building, and decision-making.
Identifying and building on each student’s strengths will result in students developing the confidence and skills to grow as an unique individual and learner to achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams.
Our programs support students in developing and implementing self-advocacy skills, autonomy to create goals for themselves, and participate in self-discovery to build a strengthened identity across various environments.
Collaboration among all significant individuals in a student’s life is essential to each student’s success.
The environment we create provides fun, safe, supportive, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed programs.

Intensive Intervention Programing

Special education programs designed to explicitly teach social and emotional learning skills. Programs offer a wide array of specialized skill instruction in academic, social, coping, conflict resolution, self-advocacy while practicing frustration tolerance and anger management by using appropriate replacement behaviors and other strategies to increase the degree of control students have over their daily life decisions necessary for success in school and community. The goal is to build competency in these areas and facilitate the return of the student to their home school when the student has demonstrated readiness. The Individualized Education Plan team will meet regularly to access progress and determine any changes in placement.

Elementary School

Students are identified with a disability and are experiencing significant emotional and/or behavioral challenges that pose a safety concern for themselves or others.
Focuses on teaching skills for managing emotions and coping with stress, in addition to academic core instruction.
Increased level of adult support to better meet student needs.
Designed to serve students in 1st through 5th grade with small group and/or individual instruction for a full or partial day.

LEAP

Provides a smaller educational setting within a large school environment
Located at three sites - Marquette, Olson, and Randall Elementary Schools

Primary Steps

Provides a smaller educational setting at the Holtzman Learning Center, a MMSD building designed specifically to support the Intensive Intervention Programs

1:1 Instruction/Support Services

Provides individual supports at a student’s home school, the Holtzman Learning Center, or a community based site
Offers partial day programming of two to three hours

Middle School

Students are identified with a disability and are experiencing significant emotional and/or behavioral challenges that pose a safety concern for themselves or others
Focuses on teaching skills for managing emotions and coping with stress in addition to academic core instruction
Increased level of adult support to better meet student needs
Designed to serve students in 6th through 8th grade with small group and/or individual instruction

School Based Alternative Program

Half-day programming at the home school is a requirement in conjunction with half-days at School Based Alternative
Provides a smaller educational setting within a large school environment.
Located in Sherman Middle School

Next Steps and NEON

Provides a full or partial day programming at the Holtzman Learning Center, a MMSD building designed specifically to support the Intensive Intervention Programs
Students are provided a continuum of services that includes 1:1 and small group instructional learning opportunities

1:1 Instruction/Support Services

Provides individual supports at a student’s home school, the Holtzman Learning Center, or a community based site
Offers partial day programming of two to three hours

High School and 18-21+

Individualized and small group classroom instruction with 2-4 educators is provided.
Half-day programming at the home school is a requirement in conjunction with half days at High School Intensive Intervention Program.
Duration of time is not more than one semester. All transitions fully back to the home school will occur at the latest by the beginning of the semester following placement at High School Intensive Intervention Program. This applies whether full-time back to the home school will occur at the start of the first quarter/first semester or the start of the third quarter/the second semester.
Home school maintains case management; strong communication and shared academic and social and emotional programming occur between the home school staff and High School Intensive Intervention Program staff.
Consideration of High School Intensive Intervention Program is to provide targeted interventions and is not a response as a disciplinary placement.

Foundations Central

A collaboration between MMSD and the Workforce Development Department of the Urban League of Greater Madison
Serves students identified with special education needs who have dropped out or stopped attending school for a variety of reasons and are between the ages of 18-21.
Students complete their high school education via Individualized Education Plan portfolio or by earning 22 credits needed for graduation. Instructional support is provided by certified MMSD cross categorical teachers.

Other Programs and Supports

American Family Children’s Hospital school program (Hospital School)

Serves the educational needs of school aged students who are receiving treatment at American Family Children’s Hospital.
Three full-time teachers provide for a wide range of academic needs in a supportive and nurturing environment.
Regardless of ability, skill level, social/emotional status, or physical condition, the school is able to offer individualized programming tailored to meet the needs of the students.
Close contact is maintained with local schools/districts to exchange information, materials and provide feedback on progress.

Placement and Referral Process

The MMSD is committed to inclusive education for students with disabilities. Each school is responsible for providing a continuum of special education services and supports so that students with disabilities are able to attend the school they would attend if they did not have a disability. Special education alternative/intervention programs are an option when the Individual Education Program team determines that the special education continuum within the school is insufficient to meet the student’s Disability Related Needs.

School Actions Prior to Considering an Alternative/Intervention Program

Prior to recommending consideration of a highly restrictive program, best practice is to determine if a student’s least restrictive environment is within the school by 1) held meetings, including Individual Education Program meetings to determine disability related need and associated programmatic options within the school building, considered and implemented programming along the continuum of services within the school and 2) submitting a request for support to the Intensive Support Team; the Intensive Support Team will support the school team to complete the following necessary steps for consideration of a more restrictive environment:

Conduct or update the student’s functional behavior assessment.
Develop and implement a function-based behavior support plan for a minimum of 45 school days.
Develop and implement a safety plan for a minimum of 45 school days, if necessary.
Implement the student’s Individual Education Program along the school’s continuum of services (and related services, such as nursing, psychology, social work, O.T., and/or counseling as required), including a less inclusive setting than the general education classroom and curriculum.
Inform parent/guardian of the decision to have the student reviewed at the review committee and how consideration of change in placement is made (Individual Education Program team meeting).

Central Office Actions Prior to Consideration by Review Committee

Assistant Directors review the Intensive Support Team requests for support and review committee schedules at their assistant director meetings, weekly.
Assistant Directors contact the Intensive Support Team member and provide consultation should they believe the student should remain at their current placement. Note: This must be done PRIOR to the review committee scheduled date to discuss the case.
Intensive Support Team/BB provide to the intervention programs Student Support Team by 1 week prior to presentation:
1. Name
2. Intensive Support Team/BB working/relevant documents (such as CLEAR or Building Bridges Treatment Plan)

Consideration by Review Committee

Current status of programs (5 minutes)
Intensive Support Team and/or BB staff present the current status of each student and why they are being considered for an alternative/intervention program.
Committee asks questions, discusses the student’s needs and how these needs are being addressed and how they would be addressed in the requested program, and discussion regarding the match of the student’s needs with the program and other students within the program.
Outcomes of Review*
1. If the student meets minimum criteria for a program, and the program has capacity to serve the student, the student’s name will be communicated to the staff at the identified Alternative/Intervention program to coordinate and schedule next actions.
2. If the student meets minimum criteria for a program, but the program does not currently have capacity to serve the student, the student’s name will be placed in waiting status pending an opening in the program or service.
3. Review committee may request additional information from Intensive Support Team or BB prior to determining if the student’s needs are a match to the identified program.
4. If a student does not meet minimum criteria for a program, and/or the student’s needs are not a match with the program or other students within the program, the student will not be advanced to an intervention program or service.

*If there are questions or concerns regarding the discussion and/or decision, please connect with one of the administrators from the Review Committee.

Communication by Review Committee

The result of the review committee will be communicated to the home school administrators and others by an Intensive Support Team or alternative/interventions program administrator. Communication of decisions reached by the Intensive Support Team/Alt review team sent out prior to the end of meeting (meeting typically happens on Tuesdays).

Intensive Support Team Referral Form

Guide to Alternatives Individual Education Program and Allocation information (Staff Only)

Contact Us

Jennifer Reynolds
Assistant Director of Special Education & Section 504
Intensive Intervention Programming & Services
jareynolds@madison.k12.wi.us
Office: 608-204-5525

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