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The Importance of Tailored Education for Special Needs Students

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Education is not one-size-fits-all, especially when it comes to students with special needs. Tailored educational approaches are essential for addressing the unique challenges and abilities of each student. This blog post explores how personalized education can significantly enhance learning outcomes for students with special needs.

Personalization in Special Education: Personalized education considers the individual learning styles, interests, and needs of students. For special needs students, this could mean adapting teaching methods, modifying the classroom environment, or incorporating technology that supports learning. By focusing on the individual, schools like Chapel Hill Academy ensure that all students have the best possible conditions for learning and growth.

Benefits of Tailored Education:

1. Enhanced Engagement: Students are more engaged when learning activities are tailored to their interests and abilities.

2. Improved Understanding: Customized strategies can help students grasp concepts more effectively and retain information longer.

3. Increased Confidence: Success in learning builds self-esteem and motivation, which are critical for students with special needs.

4. Better Behavioral Outcomes: When educational content and delivery are aligned with a student’s needs, behavioral issues often decrease.

Implementing Tailored Education: Implementing a tailored educational approach requires a commitment to understanding each student’s needs and the flexibility to adjust teaching methods. It involves continuous assessment and collaboration among teachers, parents, and specialists. Technologies like adaptive learning software and interactive learning aids can also play a crucial role. Tailored education is a cornerstone of effective teaching for special needs students, fostering an environment where all students can succeed.

At Chapel Hill Academy, we provide each student with the personalized support they need to thrive. Join us in embracing the benefits of tailored education to transform learning experiences and outcomes for students with special needs. To learn more about how personalized educational approaches can make a difference, contact Chapel Hill Academy today. Let’s work together to create a brighter future for every student.

Lisa Bell, BA, RN, NCSN, School Nurse at Chapel Hill Academy works one-on-one with a student at the school.

Chapel Hill Academy’s Lisa Bell, RN Honored by NAPSEC

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Jersey School Professional Earns National Accolades for Work During Pandemic

 

Lisa Bell, BA, RN, NCSN, School Nurse at Chapel Hill Academy works one-on-one with a student at the school. Download high resolution image.

Chapel Hill Academy’s Lisa Bell, RN Honored by NAPSEC

Lincoln Park, NJ – Lisa Bell, BA, RN, NCSN, has been recognized by the National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC) for her pioneering work in school nursing throughout the pandemic.

Bell, a certified school nurse with over 40 years of nursing experience, is the school nurse at Chapel Hill Academy in Lincoln Park, NJ, a state-approved private special education school. She was recognized by NAPSEC for her work organizing school nurses to develop policy and protocols to support students with complex disabilities as they returned to school during the pandemic.

In the winter of 2020, Bell organized a small group of school nurses working at state approved private special education schools to start planning how to get students with disabilities back into schools safely. There were special considerations based on the needs of the student population, from medically-fragile students, to those with autism and psychiatric disabilities.

“At that point, no one thought it would be months, let alone years, before we found a new ‘normal.’ We just knew our students needed to get back to school as soon as possible, not just for the academics, but for the social and therapeutic components as well,” said Bell.

Throughout the pandemic, school nurses became policy leaders and interpreters of ever changing local, state and federal guidance. Through frequent virtual meetings – sometimes three times a week – the school nurses group grew to more than 100 nurses. Together, they shared challenges, solved problems, helped create policies, processes, and re-entry plans, and coordinated efforts to secure PPE, which was often in short supply in the early days of the pandemic.

“We supported each other every step of the way,” concluded Bell.

Chapel Hill Academy and a small handful of other state-approved private special educations schools were approved by the State to open for educational services in July, making them the first schools in New Jersey to re-open.

NAPSEC honored Bell with its “Related Services Provider of the Year” Award for 2021. A resident of Lincoln Park, Bell studied nursing at Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing and Caldwell University. She is a Certified School Nurse in the State of NJ and a Nationally Certified School Nurse. She is a member of the National Association of School Nurses and the New Jersey State School Nurses Association.

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by NAPSEC for this national award,” said Bell. “I was just doing what needed to be done.”

Chapel Hill Academy, a member of ASAH, is a New Jersey approved private school for students with learning, social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Students are placed by the local school district and attend at no cost to parents. To learn more, go to https://chapelhillacademy.net/

CHA Students Present at Statewide Leadership Conference

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Each year in the spring, the New Jersey Department of Special Education sponsors several leadership conferences that are held at different colleges and universities in the state. The main purpose is to promote peers helping peers, as well as believing in yourself – “Dare to Dream”.

Students from Chapel Hill Academy have had the privilege and honor of participating in different capacities for the last seven years. This past spring our eleventh-grade students had the added honor of presenting a breakout session to other students from around the state.

The topic we presented at William Paterson University was “Self-discovery.” Self-discovery helps students develop confidence and lays the foundation for life. In our breakout session we focused on what makes each of us unique and how extra-curricular activities help us in this process. Our students utilized the Naviance Guidance Program® and Roadtrip Nation® to help facilitate activities and discussions.

“It was a wonderful experience for our students because their involvement helped them discover the confidence and abilities within themselves to create an activity where they got to help others and speak publicly in front of a large group,” said Karen Staats-Bald, MA, LRC, Transition Counselor.

CHA students with teacher in classroom

2019-20 First Marking Period Progress

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It has only been 60 days since our students celebrated the first day of school, and look how much they have already accomplished:

  • Learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin & then got to pick our own!
  • Conducted a cloud experiment using shaving cream and food coloring.
  • Learned how to add and subtract three digit numbers.
  • Read Judy Blume’s 1971 classic Freckle Juice about a 2nd grader who wants to have freckles.
  • Learned about the different communities we live in.
  • Became detectives and solved a literacy mystery.
  • Achieved behavioral goals and began working on new ones.

Lego City Helps Students Build Skills

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Chapel Hill student learning with Lego®Every kid knows that you can build just about anything with Legos®. At Chapel Hill Academy, students are building confidence, joint attention, focus, negotiation skills, and problem solving. Leveraging students’ love of these colorful building bricks, this cross-curricular project has elementary students working together to create “Lego City.”

green lego block illustrationThe concept for Lego City got its start through one student’s project during “Genius Mods,” an independent study module offered to students at CHA. This spring, ten students ages 7-9 took part in the multi-week project in Maureen Dahdah’s elementary school classroom.

The project is linked to many areas of the curriculum, including math (fractions) and social studies (how government and democratic decision-making works). Students named the city “FlamEngland” – a combination of flamingo and England – to reflect their studies of Colonial America.

“Building with Legos is a multi-sensory, open-ended experience, so I was able to tailor the activity to meet the students’ unique needs. The lesson plans addressed areas of the core curriculum in a way that was fun and engaging. And because it was such a team effort, students used a toolbox of skills to build cooperation and teamwork.”
— Maureen Dahdah, CHA Teacher