District Wide Special Education Program Descriptions

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Communication Enhancement Program (CEP)

  • Preschool Program housed at Johnson Early Childhood Center 

  • Grades K-5 housed at Wessagusset Primary School; K strand also at Hamilton School

  • Chapman Grades 6-8 

  • Weymouth High School 9-12 

The CEP Program is designed to meet the learning needs of students who require significant behavioral, social, communication, and/or academic supports based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in order to access the curriculum.  This program primarily serves students with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Social-Communication Disorder, or related developmental disabilities who require individualized instruction based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to address their unique learning and behavioral needs.  Eligibility is not based solely on student diagnosis or cognitive abilities; rather, evaluation data is required to show evidence that the student requires structured teaching approaches based on an ABA methodology to acquire new skills, learn appropriate behavioral regulation strategies, and generalize skills across settings prior to the IEP Team’s recommendation for CEP Program placement as the least restrictive environment (LRE).  Inclusion opportunities are provided for all students on an individualized determination focusing on the child’s specific strengths, and may include participation in the general education classroom for academics (e.g. math, science), specials, lunch and recess. The goal of inclusion is to support students in generalizing their skills with same-age peers and to foster connections between students and the larger school community. Specific classes at the elementary level support students with a higher degree of inclusion on their IEP’s.

Language Based Learning Center (LBLC) Program 

  • K-5 housed at Hamilton Elementary School

  • Grades 6-8 at Chapman Middle School

  • Grades 9-12 Weymouth High School

The LBLC Program (formerly named LBLD) is designed for students who have been determined by the Team as presenting with a Language Based Learning Disability.  Students in the program qualify under a primary educational disability category of either Communication Impairment or Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) in Reading/Writing.  Students are referred to the LBLC Program through the IEP Team process if they have not demonstrated effective progress after being provided with substantial supports utilizing an evidence-based phonics program embedded within the general education classroom (e.g. inclusion supports, pull-out services). Students referred to the LBLC Program require intensive specialized instruction in decoding/encoding in addition to at least one of the following other areas of language: fluency, reading comprehension, written expression.      

Life Skills Program

  • Preschool Program housed at Johnson Early Childhood Center 

  • K housed at Talbot Elementary School

  • Grades 1-5 housed at Nash Elementary School

  • Grades 6-8 at Chapman Middle School

  • Grades 9-12 Weymouth High School

This program is designed for students who have been determined by the Team to exhibit the following: significantly deficient intellectual functioning (i.e. an IQ below 70) on an individually administered IQ test and significant impairments on a scale of adaptive functioning in at least two (2) of the following areas: communication; self-care; home living; social/interpersonal skills; use of community resources; self-direction; functional academic skills; work; leisure; health and safety. In addition, the student must require intensive, direct systematic and alternative instruction/programs in order to learn and acquire new skills. The focus of instruction is primarily on functional academics and access/entry level skills as delineated in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks utilizing a multisensory, language based instructional approach. A speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist consult to the program regularly and provide direct service as recommended by the Team. 

Student Achievement and Individualized Learning (SAIL)

  • Grades K-5 housed at Murphy Primary School

  • Chapman Grades 6-8 

  • Weymouth High School 9-12 

Weymouth Public Schools’ SAIL program  (formerly named IRC) is designed for students who require individualized, direct and explicit instruction with extensive curriculum modifications in order to make effective educational progress. The Program is designed for students who meet the eligibility criteria for an educational disability as a primary result of a global Developmental Delay, mild Intellectual Impairment, or Specific Learning Disabilities. Students generally have great difficulty accessing the curriculum in the general education setting even when provided with special education supports (e.g. inclusion supports and pull-out service delivery models) due to their cognitive delays, and require substantial modifications at the “entry points” level of the curriculum frameworks. Students also have weaknesses in adaptive functioning, including social skills and some daily living skills. Students may have a secondary disability in categories such as Health Impairment or Emotional Impairment; however, these disabilities are not the students’ primary area of disability nor primary need.

Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC):

  • K-5 housed at Pingree Elementary School

  • Grades 6-8 at Chapman Middle School

  • Grades 9-12 Weymouth High School

Weymouth Public Schools’ Therapeutic Learning Center (“TLC”) program is a therapeutic program continuum for students with a primary educational disability of Emotional Impairment.  Students in this program have difficulty with developing age-appropriate social relationships with adults and/or peers, self-regulation of behavioral responses to typical school demands, ability to appropriately make transitions from one activity to another, ability to handle frustration in an age-appropriate manner, and/or ability to fully access the curriculum and instruction due to emotional/social/behavioral challenges. While cognitive abilities are generally commensurate with their peers, students in the program may exhibit some reduced academic achievement primarily resulting from disruptions to learning due to behavioral or emotional challenges. The TLC Program is not designed to be only a substantially-separate program, and students may participate in the general education setting for any ratio of time as deemed appropriate by the IEP Team. The goal of the program is to provide a safe, supportive therapeutic setting to support students’ development of effective social, emotional and behavioral regulation skills, while also providing academic instruction and supports to help students access the general education environment to the maximum extent possible. The TLC Program is not designed to be a short-term stabilization program; thus, students referred to the TLC Program should have a documented need for substantial therapeutic supports that are expected to be required for at least one year.  Students in crisis due to a traumatic event, acute mental health need, or extreme behavioral escalation requiring stabilization may be referred for other in-district options.

Updated August 2022