Mansfield Township School District, New Jersey implements the avail® program for students with special needs
We are delighted to welcome Mansfield Township School District onboard as the first District in New Jersey to implement avail®.
The new school term brings uncertainty, challenges and the need to evaluate goals especially for students with special needs. Mansfield Township School District is preparing and equipping all stakeholders with the tools, expertise and programs to support all students and we are honored to work with the team on this.
The District will offer their students with disabilities and those with additional needs a digital, personalized resource to reinforce goals they are working on, which will be delivered on a smart device. Teachers will seamlessly be able to allocate content, monitor from a distance and assess progress.
The onboarding training was split into 2 sessions lasting about 3 hours each, the first session provided an overview of the methodology (Applied Behavior Analysis), the avail® system and interactive sessions where each teacher had the opportunity to use the system live.
During the training, the group spoke about how they will implement the avail® digital program in a number of ways including:
- Hygiene – practicing hygiene measure in line with best practice measures
- School activities- entering the classroom and unpacking your bag
- Behavior management strategies- keeping calm and breathing techniques
- Functional life skills- dressing and cooking
- OT related activities
- Education – reinforcing onsite and offsite educational goals
Between each training session the teachers, following the avail® content guidelines, collaborated to create most of the content listed above. This was in turn reviewed by the avail® support team, who provided feedback.
This interactive approach empowers educators with the resources and personalized IEP goals to effectively start delivering either onsite or remote programs to their students who require additional support.
This approach also supported the District in creating their own library of content which is a great starting point and valued as a shared resource. They will also benefit from the avail® global library which has been created by educators in the field and can be easily downloaded and personalized locally and/or individually.
The program unlike common laptop/video based online tools, is personalized to each student and delivered on a mobile or tablet device via the avail® app. This is more engaging for those students who struggle with online approaches.
Adoptions and programs like this are supported by funding under The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, accessible via The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to provide technology and software to assist students and staff, with a focus on those students who are most at-risk.
If you think your District or School would be interested in learning more or would like to understand how to offer a blended support feel free to reach out here or email us at info@availsupport.com.