Elder High School provides special services through the State of Ohio’s auxiliary services program for students with some types of disabilities.  The students served must have been identified as having a disability through their local public school district and have an IEP or ISP in order to receive support services.  Elder does not offer support services for students whose only disability category is a speech and language handicap.

 

The following types of disability categories can be served at Elder:
• Specific learning disabilities
• Other health impairments (i.e. ADHD, chronic heart disease, epilepsy)
• Mild forms of autism
• Minor vision or hearing impairments
• Minor traumatic brain injuries

 

At Elder, individuals with disabilities are fully included and participate in the regular educational curriculum.   The school’s comprehensive program offers a wide range of courses taught at varying academic levels. Students are recommended for courses that are appropriate for their skills and abilities. Individuals eligible for special services are expected to master the curriculum selected, with the allowable supportive services.*

 

 

Academic Programs
Elder High School offers five academic levels.   Students are assigned to an educational program level that offers a curriculum and pace of instruction that is appropriate for their skill and ability level.  An individual may participate in different levels for different subject areas with allowable accommodations. Modifications to any curriculum are not made within a level (i.e. altered/reduced curriculum, extended due dates). Skills are taught with a focus towards achieving success independently. All students are required to adhere to both school-wide and individual classroom discipline policies. 

 

Intervention
Elder has two full-time intervention specialists. The intervention specialists teach skills and strategies to the students needs, provide small group instruction for the regular education curriculum, and allowable accommodations.  Students who require services on a daily basis may be enrolled in a literacy skills course to meet with the intervention specialist. Students needing less support will meet with the intervention specialist on an as needed basis as schedules allow.

 

Remedial Math Course
Students whose math skills are significantly below grade level will be enrolled in the integrated math class.  This course is taken for credit and is taught by the school’s math specialist in a small group setting.  This class is not limited to students with disabilities and can be taken for one to four years as needed.

 

*Accommodations
Students on an IEP/ISP identified to be served will also have an Elder Accommodation Plan. Final decisions about the appropriateness of any accommodation are made by the classroom teacher and may include:
• Extended time on tests (test will not be permitted to be taken over multiple days),
• Test questions and directions read to the student,
• Test directions and questions clarified. 
• Preferential seating
• A copy of teacher or peer notes

 

Elder has hired their own support staff as well as contracted staff through Cincinnati Public Schools to provide a number of services to our students to support them within the regular education setting.  This staff includes full-time intervention, reading, and math specialists, a full-time student advisor, a full-time school nurse, and a hal- time school psychologist.

 

Intervention Specialists – Mary Ann Schuerman and Sherry Jones are Elder’s full-time intervention specialists.  Mrs. Schuerman is a certified reading specialist and has a master’s in special education.  Mrs. Sherry Jones has a BA in special education and a master’s in general education. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. The intervention specialists provide small group instruction and assist with testing accommodations for students with disabilities who have an ISP.  The support is provided outside of the classroom during the student’s study hall when possible.

 

Math Specialist – Elder's math specialist, Rick Ceddia, teaches the basic level math class in a small group setting utilizing an individualized curriculum. The class is designed for students who are not yet prepared to begin the general level algebra course when entering Elder and it includes, but is not limited to, students with disabilities. Rick is a licensed math teacher who worked 20 years in business as both an engineer and manager. His education includes an engineering degree as well as an MBA before returning to school for his high school math licensure. Rick joined the Elder staff in 2009.

 

Student Advisor - Sharon Montgomery is Elder’s full-time student advisor.  She joined the staff in 2004 and spent fifteen years before that working with "at-risk" students in Over-the-Rhine; coordinating the Team Excel Program which helped students in that neighborhood receive tutoring and homework help.  Mrs. Montgomery provides Elder students with homework support, tutoring and grade monitoring throughout the year.  She also helps link them to other services to help them adjust and be successful at Elder.  The program is available to “non-traditional” students or other students who “at risk” for school problems.

 

School Nurse – Linda M. Giessler R.N. is the full-time school nurse at Elder High School. She has been a nurse for over thirty years. Her background includes medical surgical nursing as well as work in the field of adolescent and adult chemical dependency and high risk youth.  Part of her role as school nurse is to help identify and implement accommodations for students with special needs due to a medical or emotional conditional.

 

School Psychologist – Scott Ridder is Elder’s school psychologist.  He was been at Elder since 2000 and has been a school psychologist since 1994.  Mr. Ridder provides case management for special education students, collaborates with public school districts and other outside agencies, consults with teachers, counselors, and parents, provides brief counseling services, and conducts assessments as part of multi-factored evaluations and at other times as needed.