HW Special Education Programs

The district provides a continuum of individualized special education programming for students ages three through twenty-one and identified as eligible for special education through a special education team process.

In addition to related services and academic support at all grade levels, the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District currently provides specialized programs for students requiring a higher level of support and intensity of instruction in specific areas including academic, social, emotional, behavioral, foundational skills, life skills and pre-vocational skills. These programs include:

Integrated Preschool

The Integrated Preschool, located at the Winthrop School, provides all children, those with disabilities and those who are typically developing, with a well-structured setting and a rich, prekindergarten curriculum. Integration offers an ideal opportunity for children to work and play together, explore social relationships and develop self-esteem. Early literacy and mathematics skills are enhanced with a multi-sensory and thematic curriculum. The Integrated Preschool Program incorporates related services and daily small group and/or individual instruction tailored to address the specific needs of the child as outlined in the Individual Education Program. The Integrated Preschool Program supports the development of readiness skills for a successful transition to Kindergarten.

Therapeutic Support
Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC)

Therapeutic programming is available to students at all schools and levels, grades Kindergarten through 12. The range of supports includes access to special education teachers and school counselors to address students’ individual needs. 

The Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC) promotes students’ social-emotional development and enables them to experience independence and success within the school community.  The TLC provides explicit teaching of compensatory strategies within a therapeutic model for students who are experiencing social, emotional and behavioral challenges that interfere with their ability to access the general education classroom on a consistent basis. Interventions and strategies are individualized to respond to each student’s needs related to emotional regulation, coping strategies, social skills and self-advocacy.

Language-Based Learning Disabilities Program (LBLD)

The Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLD) program is a district program available at all school levels, Grades 2 through 12. The LBLD Programs are located at the Cutler School, Miles River Middle School and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School.

The Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLD) Program ensures a high-quality continuum of programming and services that remediate challenges in reading and writing, teach compensatory strategies, foster self-awareness and promote learning skills that prepare students for success and independence. The program provides services individualized to students’ needs allowing access to grade-level standards aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The goal is for students to use strengths and compensatory strategies to transition to a less restrictive environment and access grade-level curriculum with independence. 

The LBLD Program provides intensive instruction for students who have been diagnosed with a significant language-based learning disability. The LBLD Program places strong emphasis on decoding and encoding skills through diagnostic, prescriptive, explicit instruction that is individualized to address each student’s specific challenges in the areas of sequential phonological processing, automaticity, fluency, and comprehension. Instruction also focuses on explicit teaching of language structures, including phonetics, sound/symbol relationships, syllabication, morphology, and the organization of written language. Executive functioning skills are emphasized and explicitly taught.

The LBLD Program incorporates small group and/or individual reading and writing instruction. Speech/language services and occupational therapy services are provided through direct service and consultation, as indicated within each student’s IEP.

Center for Academic and Social Learning (CASL)

The CASL program, located at the Winthrop School, ensures a high quality continuum of programming and services that remediate challenges across all content areas, teach compensatory strategies, foster self-awareness and social skills, and promote independent learning skills that prepare students for success. The CASL Program provides intensive instruction for students with disabilities that impact their ability to access grade level curriculum. Instruction is individualized to support development of reading, written language, and mathematics skills within daily small group and/or individual instruction. Instruction also focuses on explicit teaching of language structures, communication skills, social/pragmatic skills, and executive functioning skills.  

Students in the CASL Program are able to access the general education curriculum through modified content and targeting of entry points to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Intensive Learning Program (ILP)

The Intensive Learning Program (ILP) is a district program located at the Winthrop School for students currently in PreK through Grade 5.

The Intensive Learning Program (ILP) provides a comprehensive and intensive instructional program for students who have been identified with significant neurological or cognitive impairments, including autism spectrum disorder, that impact their ability to access curriculum across all content areas as well as independently navigate the school environment. The ILP incorporates related therapy supports, positive behavioral strategies, as well as daily small group and individual instruction to address communication, functional academics, social development and self-help skills.

Students in the ILP receive content instruction through access skills and entry points to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Discrete Trial Training are utilized for academic and behavior skill acquisition. Students participate in general education classroom activities to target generalization of social and behavioral skills.

Intensive Learning/Academic Skills Program (IL/AS)

The Intensive Learning/Academic Skills Program is a district program located at the Miles River Middle School and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. 

The Intensive Learning/Academic Support (IL/AS) Program provides intensive instruction for students who have been identified with disabilities that impact their ability to access curriculum and independently navigate across all content areas. The IL/AS Program incorporates related therapy supports, positive behavioral strategies, daily small group and/or individual instruction tailored to academic skill acquisition, social/pragmatic skill development, vocational and employability skills, and activities of daily living.

Students access the curriculum through modified content and participate in a flexible inclusion model based on their individual strengths and interests.  A variety of strategies and methodologies including principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis, systematic teaching and positive behavioral supports are utilized for skill acquisition.

Related Services

Related services are available to students at all levels, in accordance with each student’s Individual Education Program, and may include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, school counseling, the identification and implementation of assistive technology and augmentative communication support, transportation, orientation and mobility services, vision services, BCBA and ABA services.