Parents please make sure you read and are familiar with the student handbook.  Student Handbook-1.pdf

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Highland Park is proud of its array of services to meet every student’s needs. From Gifted and Talented support programs to special education services, we strive to help each child reach his or her potential in both social and educational areas. We emphasize social skills, academic success with rigor, and independent work and study skills. By providing positive support in a variety of settings we truly try to help each student achieve the Scottie pledge statement of becoming the “best person he or she can be.”

Language Arts Support

Tier II Reading Tutors (K-5) teach the structure of the English language in a multisensory manner to support struggling readers and spellers.  

Kindergarten Reading Intervention –   Ms. Sederholm provides Kindergarten Reading Intervention in a small group tutoring setting for kindergarteners identified as needing assistance with letter naming, phonological and phonemic awareness skills. The intervention teacher works with small groups of students typically for 30 minutes twice a week using the Reading Readiness curriculum and multisensory activities to strengthen skills needed for reading success.   

1st to 5^th Grade General Education Reading Intervention--In 1^st-5^th grades,          Ms. Sederholm and Mrs. Read continue to build the learning continuum step-by-step: teaching the six syllable types, morphology (prefixes & suffixes), vocabulary, reading fluency, reading comprehension and spelling rules and procedures.

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Highland Park's Reading Fluency Centers are parent-led, volunteer-run reading/tutoring sessions designed to increase the Oral Reading Fluency of identified, struggling readers in grades 2 through 5.  The Fluency Centers were begun in Fall 2008 as a Tier One Reading Intervention for students.
 
At the beginning of each school year, all Highland Park students are assessed by the school's Reading Specialists using the DIBELS assessment tool (Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills).  Students whose DIBELS scores fall below their grade level's reading benchmark are then evaluated for placement in the Fluency Centers (FC).  If it's determined that a student would benefit from additional reading practice, the FC Coordinators create a customized folder based on the student's current reading proficiency.  Depending on the student's needs, the materials in their folder could include phonics literacy, site word recognition, accuracy, reading comprehension, reading inflection and pacing (fluency).
 
The Fluency Centers  are staffed by volunteers, including parents and grandparents.  Prior to starting and throughout the school year, these volunteers receive training and guidance from the FC coordinators in how to use/teach the Reading Fluency materials.  The volunteers spend approximately 1.5 hours each week with students from a grade of their choice, reading with 7 to 9 children during their visit (reading time is approximately 7-10 miuntes per child).  Each child reads with a volunteer at least three times a week, receiving one-on-one, specialized reading instruction and encouragement.   
 
All HP Students are assessed mid-year and again at year-end to check their reading ability.  FC students are considered for dismissal from the program if their DIBELS scores are on grade level, and at the discretion of the Reading Specialists, teachers, FC Coordinators, or parents.  Also, if any 2nd-5th grade students score below their grade level's reading benchmark mid-year, they will be evaluated for inclusion in the Fluency Centers for the Spring semester.
 
The Fluency Centers are unique to Highland Park and one of the few school-wide opportunities that allow parents and grandparents to work one-on-one with HP Students.

Parent volunteer reading with student.  Parent volunteers.

Resource Services

The Resource Program at Highland Park serves students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade.  This service includes small group pull-out predominately in the areas of Language Arts and Math as well as inclusion support in the general education classroom. Inclusion support consists of one general education teacher and one special education teacher or special education assistant working together in the regular classroom to promote students' success. The resource teachers are Mrs. Gonzalez, Mrs. Bachman, and Mrs. Read. Our wonderful teaching assistants are Mrs. Camarillo and Mrs. Bucknall.                                                 

The SCORES Program

SCORES (Social COmmunication REsources and Services) is a campus-based program that serves students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and those with other disabilities who demonstrate differences in social, communicative, and behavioral functioning. The purpose of the program is to create transdisciplinary teams to support students in the least restrictive educational environment, providing an integrated educational experience individualized to each student’s own academic and communicative levels-of-functioning.

SCORES services support age-appropriate instruction based on TEKS. The continuum of SCORES services includes consulting with team members, supporting students in general instruction, providing resources and learning labs, and teaching life, social, communication, and behavior skills. The SCORES lead teacher is Brian Brannan and Rachael Bona is a part-time teacher. SCORES teaching assistants are Joe Alati and Lori Locken. These teachers can be reached by calling 841-1820.                                                                                                

Social Behavior Skills Program (SBS Class)

The Social Behavior Skills (SBS) program at Highland Park Elementary serves students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.  These students have been diagnosed with a disability.  The Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee has determined that the SBS class can best meet the student’s needs.  This program serves Highland Park students as well as students who attend other schools in AISD.  The students in this program need highly specialized social and behavioral supports to access the general curriculum. 

These students have an individualized schedule that addresses their behavioral needs.  These needs can be met in a variety of settings.  The SBS classroom is considered a “self-contained” classroom.  This setting has a smaller teacher to student ratio.  The program is designed to implement every part of the school’s curriculum (for kinder, 1st, and 2^nd graders).  Based on individual needs, students are placed in the SBS (self-contained) classroom for all or part of the day.  Some of their educational day may be spent in another special education classroom and/or in the general education classroom.  The focus of the educators in the SBS class is to help students be successful academically as well as behaviorally by learning to gain control of their own behavior. Mr. Purkiss  is the SBS teacher. Mr. King and Bobbi Cordell are the teaching assistants.

These teachers can be reached by calling 841-1821.

Future Problem Solvers

Cathy McHorse  512-414-2090

All grades Future Problem Solvers    In FPS, 2nd through 5th grade students identified as gifted and talented in any academic area work on creative problem solving skills using the FPS curriculum. Students apply problem-solving skills to literature, daily situations, and global issues. Teams of 4th and 5th  grade students compete against other Texas students in Global Issues Problem Solving. Each FPS group meets for approximate 45 minutes once per week.