Throughout the admissions process, our focus is always on you and your child. Our two main objectives are to share information about our school services with families and professionals, and to work to determine if a student will be an appropriate fit for our school.
We realize that each student has a different learning style and unique skill set, and our priority is to help meet the individual needs of each student accepted into our program.
Our school is fully certified by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
- See more at: http://randolphschool.mayinstitute.org/admissions/admissions-process.html#sthash.HEfHYe45.dpuf
May Institute's approach to training and consultation is based upon competency development, research-based practices, time-effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. Many of the school districts we have worked with have achieved substantial savings in the cost of specialized out-of-district placements.
We offer a wide variety of workshops to districts and organizations interested in hiring us to provide group trainings. We do not provide these trainings to individuals.
These trainings include:
Collecting and Analyzing Behavioral Data - For special education teachers, classroom aides, and student support personnel
Curriculum-based Measurement - For special and regular education teachers, and student support personnel
Early Intervention for Children with PDD - For special education teachers, classroom aides, and parents
Effective Disciplinary Practices - For special and regular education teachers, classroom aides, student support personnel, and administrators
Functional Behavior Assessment - For special education teachers and student support personnel
Inclusion Strategies for Children with PDD - For special and regular education teachers, classroom aides, student support personnel, administrators, and parents
Individual Social Skills Assessment - For special education teachers and student support personnel)
Overview of Mental Health Disorders - For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, administrators, and parents
Preventing Bullying - For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators
Preventing School Violence - For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators
Preventing Substance Abuse - For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators
School-wide Social Skills Screening - For student support personnel and administrators
Social Skills Training - For special and regular education teachers, classroom aides, student support personnel, and parents
Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives - For special education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators
Collecting and Analyzing Behavioral Data
Participants in this workshop will learn how to:
Identify the target behavior
Define the target behavior so it can be measured objectively
Choose the most appropriate parameter of measurement
Choose an appropriate collection strategy
Analyze trends across various time intervals
Use the data analysis to design and evaluate effective interventions.
Curriculum-based Measurement
This workshop provides an overview of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) strategies used to monitor the effective development of basic skills. CBM refers to a set of simple, short, standard measures of reading, spelling, written expression, and mathematical computation. CBM was developed to serve as a general outcome indicator of student achievement in the important areas of basic skills or literacy.
Early Intervention for Children with PDD
This workshop is designed to introduce pre-school and kindergarten staff to the characteristics of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and to the educational practices that are considered most effective with these students (e.g., discrete trial training, applied behavior analysis). Using a case study approach, as well as informal exercises, participants will gain a hands-on exposure to current best practices for pre-school children with PDD.
Effective Disciplinary Practices
In this workshop, participants will learn about:
The nature of student antisocial behavior in the school setting
The direct and indirect school-related factors that can increase or prevent student disciplinary problems
Research-based strategies in the establishment of effective school disciplinary practices that are both cost-effective and efficient
Functional Behavior Assessment
The reauthorization of IDEA requires schools to conduct Functional Behavior Assessments on students who have disciplinary problems. Participants in this workshop will learn how to conduct a functional behavioral assessment, using structured interviews and classroom observation tools. They will also learn how to use this information to develop an effective behavior support plan.
Inclusion Strategies for Children with PDD
Participants will learn best practices for:
Effective inclusion of children with PDD
Generalization and maintenance of skills in the natural environment
Increasing on-task behaviors and independent study skills
Collecting behavioral data
Individual Social Skills Assessment
Participants will learn how to:
Administer and interpret research-based assessment tools (e.g., the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment)
Use the results of such assessments to design individual interventions and to monitor their effectiveness
Incorporate social skills assessment data into the student's Individualized Education Plan
Overview of Mental Health Disorders
This workshop provides an overview of the most common mental health disorders and other syndromes that impact the learning environment. Participants will become familiar with symptoms and behaviors of students diagnosed with mental health disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, mental retardation, conduct disorder, and mood disorders. Participants will also learn about effective interventions for children with these various disorders.
Preventing Bullying
Participants will learn about:
The nature of bullying and its impact on the bully and the victim
The direct and indirect school-related factors that can increase or prevent the occurrence of bullying
Effective strategies in the assessment and prevention of bullying
Preventing School Violence
Participants will learn about:
The causes of youth violence
The direct and indirect school-related factors that can increase or prevent the occurrence of school violence
Research-based, effective strategies in the prevention of school violence
Preventing Substance Abuse
This workshop presents an overview of risk factors that predispose youngsters to the early use of alcohol and other recreational drugs, as well as the protective factors that serve to delay such involvement. Participants will learn about best practice, research-based approaches to substance abuse prevention, how to select and implement such a program, and how to evaluate its effectiveness.
School-wide Social Skills Screening
With an emphasis on the early identification of children who are at risk for behavioral problems due to social skills deficits, this workshop will teach participants how to:
Select an appropriate, empirically-validated screening
Design and implement a school-wide social screening program
Develop a protocol for further evaluation of at-risk children
Social Skills Training
This workshop will provide an overview of:
Normal social skills development from infancy through adolescence
Empirically based social skills assessment tools
Effective curriculum materials (e.g., Skillstreaming, ACCESS) and instructional practices for enhancing the development of social skills
Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives
This workshop will teach participants how to write objective and measurable IEP objectives that meet the standards of IDEA and the new Commonwealth of Massachusetts IEP regulations. Participants will be taught the components of a measurable IEP objective and how to evaluate their current student's IEP objectives. Based on the above information, participants will develop objectives that meet the standards of federal and state regulations.