General Information about the School Program
Students are referred to the Community School of Maryland by their local education agencies. Once CSAAC has received the referral, the student and family may be invited to attend the CSAAC Admissions-Review-Dismissal Committee meeting, which will determine whether the student is eligible for services.
All students attend classroom and community-based instruction during the day. Instruction is provided individually and in small groups. A 1:1 or 1:2 student to staff ratio is maintained at all times. Instructional areas may include functional academics, communication, self-care skills, fine and gross motor skills, interpersonal skills, leisure skills, and vocational skills. Students also participate in scheduled social leisure activities during school and/or residential hours, such as swimming, adapted gymnastics, the 4-H garden project, movies, eat-outs, summer activities, horseback riding, field trips, and a variety of other activities provided through the Montgomery County Parks and Recreation and Washington metropolitan area groups. Each student follows an individualized schedule divided into time increments that includes behavioral and instructional programming, maintaining continuity in the school and/or residence.
Behavioral and instructional data is taken daily and tabulated to produce documentation of student performance. The Director of Education and the psychologists review the data, which then becomes part of the student's permanent record. Any related service may be provided to a student based on the IEP for direct or consultative services. Most common forms of related services would be speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychological services.
The instructional programs at the Community School of Maryland are distinguished by the psychological services provided to the students. Special education teachers and related staff meet with the psychologists at least weekly to discuss each student's behavior. Behavior specialists are employed to observe staff as they are implementing behavior programs. Staff is rated on their ability to implement the programs and is retrained on the spot for any areas where implementation is not correct. The Community School staff strives to help students be integrated members of their community. Special education teachers, along with the co-director for residential services, make home visits and ensure program implementation in all environments.
To learn more about CSAAC’s school program, contact Norma Villanueva, at (240) 912-3694.
