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Educational Services
Community School of Maryland
CSAAC
is the non-profit entity that operates and manages the Community School
of Maryland, a licensed, private educational facility that operates
classrooms in both public and private schools buildings. School
students range between 7 and 21 years old and are served in two (2)
programs that provide training in compliance with their Individualized
Education Programs, preparing them for inclusion in their communities.
The 12-month program is non-graded and provides full day and residential
Special Education and related services for students with autism.
Classrooms are licensed by the Montgomery County Department of Health;
the educational programs are approved by the Maryland State Department
of Education; and the residential facilities are approved and licensed
by the Developmental Disabilities Administration. The Community School
of Maryland is also a member of Maryland Association of Non-Public
Special Education Facilities (MANSEF).
The two
(2) sites operated through CSAACs school program are: The Community
School of Maryland Brookeville Campus, located in Brookeville, Maryland,
which serves as the main school campus and provides educational services
in a beautiful, modern instructional facility. The second school site,
Community School of Maryland at Northwood High School, functions within
Northwood High School in Silver Spring. This location features
potential inclusion techniques that enable our students to have unique
school experiences with their same aged peers in a public high school
located in Montgomery County, Maryland. Speech-language, occupational
therapy and other related services are provided at both school
locations, as well as vocational training that includes school-based and
community-based job opportunities.
 The
Community School of Maryland Brookeville Campus site provides services
for children ages 7-21. It is a non-graded, year round residential
school and day school program. There are five classrooms at the
Brookeville campus each with a capacity of seven students. Related
services are provided on site and often in the community, and the
facility has substantial grounds for exploration and play. We consider
this program our state-of-the-art model for future growth as an
educational institution. The campus is in a beautiful, rural atmosphere,
surrounded by farms, yet students are still only minutes away from
community opportunities to access public transportation, seek community
involvement, and apply functional skills developed in the classroom.
The
Community School of Maryland at Northwood High School is also a 365-day
per year non-graded residential program and a non-graded 12-month day
program for male and female adolescents, ages 14-21. The school provides
full day and residential Special Education and related services to
students with autism. One of the goals of this program is to provide
inclusion opportunities for students to interact with their high school
aged peers.
School
facilities are located in Montgomery County, Maryland at 21515 Zion Road
(Brookeville), and 919 West University Blvd. Room C-203, Silver Spring
(Northwood High School).
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 visit and tour prospective campuses and
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 and coached in any areas where implementation needs
improvement. The Community School staff strives to help students be
integrated members of their community. Special education teachers, along
with the school directors and the director for residential services,
make home visits and ensure program implementation in all environments.
To
learn more about CSAACs school program, contact
Josh Sarracino, Assistant
Director for School Operations, at (240) 912-3602 or
jsarracino@csaac.org
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