Woodbury Public Schools Special Services

Dr. Jeffrey Adams Psy.D.- Director
Phone Number: 856-853-0127 ext. 447
E-mail - jadams@woodburysch.com

Susan Pratt
Special Services Secretary
Phone Number: 856-853-0127 ext. 440
E-mail - spratt@woodburysch.com

Special Education Programs
Programs for all special education students are determined through collaborative efforts by a team of individuals known as the Individualized Education Program Team. Members include parents, teachers, Child Study Team members, and the student if age 14 or older. All placement decisions are determined individually and are chosen to address the unique needs of the student.

Our district offers a full array of program options at all grade levels. Beginning with the least restrictive option our programs include:

1. General education with supports and services.
2. General education with Resource Center support.
3. A special education class in one of our district schools with or without mainstreaming.
4. Placement in a special education class in another school district.
5. Placement in a private school.
6. Home instruction.

More than 90% of our special education students receive services in
our own schools. The remaining students participate in highly specialized programs designed to meet their very unique needs.

Currently the district offers special class programs for students classified with a specific learning disability. At both the elementary and secondary levels the district operates self-contained programs for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. These classes can serve up to 15 students with the addition of a classroom aide.

The district offers several innovative programs specifically designed to address the needs of classified students. Within the last year teachers have participated in many trainings to enable them to provide better assistance to our students. As a result, our district is currently implementing the following programs.

Wilson Reading System - Jr./Sr. High School
The Wilson Reading System (WRS) is a research-based program designed for individuals who have difficulty with written language in the areas of decoding and spelling. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Wilson Reading System is that it was developed for students beyond grade 3. It is used widely with middle school students, adolescents and adults. Originally written for older individuals with dyslexia, the program has expanded to also target the needs of students who have been unsuccessful with other reading programs or those who still have gaps in their decoding and/or spelling abilities. The program also works with students who are able to speak and understand, but not read or write English.

The Wilson Reading System is a 12-Step reading and writing program. WRS directly teaches the structure of words in the English language with an organized, sequential system. It provides a complete curriculum for teaching decoding and spelling, beginning with phoneme segmentation. Unlike other programs that overwhelm the students with rules, the language system of English is presented in a very systematic and cumulative manner so that it is manageable. It also has extensive controlled text so that students can master the coding system for reading and spelling. From the beginning steps of the program, it includes sight word instruction, vocabulary, oral expressive language development, and comprehension. Visualization techniques are used for comprehension.

Direct Instruction – Grades K-6
SRA’s Direct Instruction programs are created with the belief that all children can learn, but sometimes need extra support. Direct Instruction programs help teachers give their students the special guidance they need. Pioneered by Siegfried Engelman in the 1960’s, Direct Instruction (DI) is a teacher-directed model which maximizes learning through explicit curriculum. Lessons are sequenced and scripted. The DI method breaks skills into teachable subskills, and then shows students how to bring these together in a larger strategy. As students master increasingly complex approaches, they build confidence along with ability. SRA programs currently in use include:

Corrective Reading - Grades 4-6
Corrective Reading is designed for students who haven’t learned in other programs and don’t learn on their own – students who misidentify, reverse, or omit words; who have little recall and limited attention span; who fail to remember and follow instruction; and who read without understanding.

This flexible program allows students to work in a decoding program, a comprehension program, or both. Each program has four levels, and placement tests are provided so students may enter at the appropriate instructional level.

Reading Mastery - Grades K-6
Reading Mastery gives every student the opportunity for reading success. During its 30 years in the classroom, Reading Mastery has helped thousands of students develop into fluent, independent readers. Reading Mastery approaches reading instruction in six levels, plus a Fast Cycle. This program helps children develop strong reading strategies that make the difference between lifelong reading success and failure.

Connecting Math - Grades 1-6
Rather than teaching topics in isolation and overwhelming students with too many concepts, this basal program introduces ideas gradually, teaching students the connections between concepts as they go. The lessons in this program emphasize thinking and understanding before memorization.

Accelerated Math – Elementary and Middle School
Accelerated Math is a 5-Step individualized program designed to help students meet standards.

Step 1 – Individualized Daily Assignments – Computer-generated practice sheets, always at each student’s current achievement level, let the student show his or her work.

Step 2 – Automatic Assignment Scoring – Student transfers practice sheet answers to “bubble cards” and scans them, instantly scoring all work.

Step 3 – Individual Diagnosis and Instructional Guide – TOPS (The Opportunity to Praise a Student) report is printed, showing the student’s score, problems missed, and specific objectives on which the student needs practice.

Step 4 – Personal Guided Conference – Using the TOPS report and work shown on student’s practice sheet, you quickly zero in on specific problem areas and solve them.

Step 5 – Automatic Printing of Next Assignment – The program prints a student’s next practice sheet adjusted to previous results – with additional practice on objectives that need work, and new objectives to replace those mastered!

School-To-Work
Several Senior High School students are participating in our School-To-Work program. This program addresses students to earn credit for work experiences during the school day. Students participating in this program are supervised by professional staff from the Abilities Center of Southern New Jersey. For information about this program please contact Gloria Goode at 853-0123 ext. 259.

Special Education Teaching Staff

Walnut Street School: 856-853-0126
Ms. Jennifer Koengetter: Pull Out resource Center and ICS

Evergreen Avenue School: 856-853-0125
Ms. Tiffany Corsey: Self Contained 1-3
Ms. Jill Platt: Self Contained 4-5
Mrs. Fran Wieczerzynski: Resource Center 1-5, Pre-K Inclusion
Ms. Susan Kudless: 3 year Old Self Contained Pre-School

West End School: 856-853-0124
Ms. Tracy Weist: Self Contained Grades 4-5
Mrs. Betty McKenna: Self Contained - Grade 1-3
Ms. Sherryl Sprock: Resource Center and ICS
Ms. Caroline Polsenberg: Resource Center
Ms. Maria Gassner - PEP class Self Contained K-1

Woodbury Jr/Sr High School: 856-853-0123
Mr. Marc Cannuli: Department Chairperson, High School Resource Center History
Ms. Tiffany Deborah Bell: High School Resource Center English
Mrs. Jane Burrough: 9th and 10th grade In-class Support Program
Ms. Colleen DiRienzo: High School Resource Center Science
Mr. Mickey Kiser: High School Replacement Math
Mrs. Terri Stebich: 7th & 8th grade Resource Center Math and Literacy
Mrs. Kristen Corley: 7th Resource Center English
Ms. Thilana Chandler: 9th – 12th Mulitpe Disability Self Contained
Ms. Jackie Rosario – 8th grade Self Contained
Ms. Georgia Stanfill - 7th grade Self Contained
Mr. Dan O’Leary: 6th grade Self Contained
Mrs. Anne Evans: 6th grade Resource Center

Director: Jeffrey W. Adams, Psy.D.
Phone Number: 856-853-0127 ext. 447

Special Services Secretary: Susan Pratt
Phone Number: 856-853-0127 ext. 440

Child Study Team Personnel:
Learning Consultants:
* Stacey Henry
Ms. Henry is the Case Manager for the Evergreen Avenue and Walnut Street School. She can be reached at 856-853-0127 ext. 423
*Phil Spino
Mr. Spino is the case manager for West End Elementary School. He can be reached at 856-853-0127, ext. 442.

Psychologists:
* Tonya Ripley
Ms Ripley is the Case Manager for the High school - grades 9-11. He can be reached at 856-853-0123 ext. 330

* Rachel Taylor
Ms. Taylor is the Case manager for grades 7 and 8 in the Junior High School. She can be reached at 856-853-0123 ext. 233.
Social Workers:
* Gloria Goode
Ms. Goode is the Case Manager for students in grade 12. She can be reached at 856-853-0123, ext. 259.
*Sharon Cardwell -
Ms. Cardwell is the Case Manager for all our Out of District Students, Alternative Students and 6th grade students. She can be reached at 856-853-0127 ext.223 or at 856-853-0127 ext. 441.

Speech Therapists:
* Shelia Lenoff
Ms. Lenoff is the Case Manager for students at Evergreen Avenue School and the Walnut Street School. She can be reached at 856-853-0125 ext. 153.
* Karen Capozzi
Ms. Capozzi is the Case Manager for students at West End and the Junior/Senior High School. She can be reached at 856-853-0124 ext.562.
Occupational Therapist:
* Michele Hernandez
Ms. Hernandez provides Occupational Therapy services for elementary and preschool students. She can be reached at 856-853-0127 ext.445.

Homeless Liaison:
* Gloria Goode
Ms. Goode is our District Homeless Liaison. She can be reached at 856-853-0123, ext. 259.

Up Dated 1/5/2008
James Krauss - Webmaster
Alysa Cummings - Web Site Photographer