Accommodations Found Here @ Glenforest School

  1. Small class size
  2. Staff to student ratio of 1:3 (includes all our staff members on campus, because everyone is mission-centered)
  3. Small size / less noise and movement in the hallways (this is a big one a school of 4,000 cannot do this no matter how many accommodations are put into place)
  4. Therapy dogs / animals for kids to connect with and decompress with
  5. Passes for students to leave class when they need down time. Students are allowed when overwhelmed or maxed out to go to the "blue chair" or pet a therapy dog. (Commonly known as red card technique)
  6. Relationships, relationships, relationships. "No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship" - James Comer. (Best practices concerning Education from On Common Ground)
  7. Visual Schedules
  8. Use of binders with a visual schedule / calendar in the front following the TEAACH model
  9. Helping kids to organize the binders using the TEAACH model / direct instruction of organizational techniques
  10. Catch - up club on a daily basis for struggling learners - you may want to note the 30 minute class period that you guys have this year which is aka "RTI time”
  11. Thursday meetings with the student body as a whole. This allows for social interactions, decision making, planning, and ownership of the school setting
  12. Friday fun clubs which uses a school wide token program or system of rewards and builds social skills as well as relationship
  13. Sports - the only qualifier to be on the team at GF, unlike public school, is the desire to participate and the willingness to work
  14. Zero tolerance for bullying
  15. Direct instruction of social skills (social skills class)
  16. No block scheduling - kids on the spectrum can typically not focus for a 90 minute block
  17. Built in break mid morning even for upper grades. That 20 minutes allows kids to have a snack and some down time (both critical when on medications or on the spectrum)
  18. Gym open before school for gross motor movement / release as needed with supervision
  19. Gym open for lunch / recess with supervision to allow for social interactions and gross motor movement
  20. Reduced homework load
  21. Fewer items presented on a page for testing
  22. Community service projects, hands on learning / various modalities of instruction based on individual learning styles
  23. Diploma's for kids who are LD - the district does not offer this
  24. Bi-monthly parent conferences with social skills check sheet
  25. Parents are working with the SC special ed. teacher of the year concerning IEP’s, 504’s, etc