Special Services

The Child Study Team provides the following:

1. Pre-referral interventions for teachers at Intervention and Referral Service(I&RS) meetings
2. Evaluations to determine if students are eligible for special education and related services or eligible for speech and language services
3. Development of Individual Education Plans (IEP’s)
4. Counseling/social skills for classified students
5. Speech/Language therapy sessions
6. Support for all special needs students

A Brief Introduction to the Members of the Montvale Child Study Team Follows:

Jackie McLoughlin, School Social Worker, is responsible for completing social assessments. The purpose of these assessments is to provide information about adaptive, social, functional, and emotional development, which influence learning and behavior in an educational setting.

Educational evaluations are completed by our Learning DisabilitiesTeacher/Consultant, Cindy Gardner. The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate your child's academic achievement levels and learning styles. Evaluation instruments will include formal tests and informal assessment measures as well as observation and teacher interviews.

Michele Liquori, Patricia Pizzuta and Danielle Guertin, Speech and Language Therapists, are responsible for conducting evaluations and providing speech and language therapy to students of the Montvale School District. Evaluations and therapies can range from the identification and remediation of speech articulation issues to the assessment and treatment of more complex expressive, receptive and language processing difficulties.

Psychological evaluations are completed to determine cognitive functioning levels as well as to assess social and emotional development. Our School Psychologist, Chelsea Guy, performs this evaluation. Evaluation instruments include formal tests and informal assessment measures as well as observations and teacher interviews.

What types of programs and services are provided by the Montvale Office of Special Services?

The Special Education Department offers a full continuum of services for students who are eligible for Special Education and Related Services. These services may be provided in-district or out-of-district, depending on the student’s individual needs. Students who receive Special Education Services are included in general education classes, whenever possible, with appropriate modifications, accommodations, and supplementary aids and services provided to ensure their success.

• Program options in preschool include a self-contained program and an integrated preschool program.
• Kindergarten-8th grade program options include: pull-out replacement and in-class support classes.
• In addition, the district provides related services including occupational and physical therapies.

Tips for Participating in Your Child's IEP Meeting

• Write your questions down to bring to the meeting. Remember you will have the people at this meeting who can answer your questions or can find out the answers and get back to you.
• Gather all the information that you have about your child that supports and documents your concerns. Organize your thoughts so you can present your concerns clearly and succinctly.
• Speak with your child’s teacher(s) prior to the meeting about assessments used to determine your child’s progress in meeting the goals of the IEP.
• If there are specific issues a parent would like to discuss at the meeting, it is helpful to supply that information to the Case Manager in advance so that the Case Manager can better prepare for the meeting with additional data and materials.
• You have 15 days to contact the Case Manager and ask to change the IEP and you may request another meeting. At that point, the IEP will go into effect as written.

“CHILD FIND”: How to Access Special Education in Montvale

We would like to ensure that all students with disabilities who reside in Montvale, regardless of the severity of the disability, are located, identified, and evaluated. These efforts are extended to all youth, including migrant, homeless, and students moving from grade to grade with a delay or disability from ages 3 through 14.

Programs for children ages 3 through 14 are conducted in Montvale. These programs are for children who have an identified disabling condition and/or a measurable developmental delay in physical, social, communication and/or emotional areas, and who may require and would benefit from special education and related services.

Eligibility for services is determined by a Child Study Team evaluation of the child. Any resident who has a child, ages 3 through 14, should contact the Office of Special Services of the Montvale Public Schools at 201-391-2900, Ext. 600.