Making Education Accessible in Neighborhood Schools
MEANS Initiative

 Staff
H. Scott Hammond, Jr.
Coordinating Supervisor of Accessible Programs

 Elementary Staff
Carol A. Reed, Elementary Special Education Supervisor

Wendi Wallace, MEANS Special Education Instructional Specialist
(SEIS)

Aqila Waheed, MEANS SEIS

Deidra Burroughs-Thompson, Instructional Specialist

Tiffany Uhlig, MEANS Itinerant Special Education Resource Teacher

 Secondary Staff

Making Education Accessible in Neighborhood Schools (MEANS) Initiative

The Making Education Accessible in Neighborhood Schools (MEANS) Initiative was implemented in 42 second grade classrooms in comprehensive elementary schools during the 2007-2008 school year.  The initiative allowed students with disabilities to return to their neighborhood school from Comprehensive Special Education Programs (CSEP). Returning students have access to the general education curriculum in a general education classroom with their nondisabled peers.  All necessary supports, supplementary aids and services as outlined on students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) were implemented in the Least Restrictive Environment.
During the 2008-2009 school year the Making Education Accessible in Neighborhood Schools (MEANS) Initiative will be implemented in 64 second and third grade classrooms in 48 comprehensive elementary schools.  In addition the intiative will expand to  7th and 8th grade classrooms in 3 middle schools. 

Elementary MEANS Initiative
MEANS elementary classrooms (Making Education Accessible In Neighborhood Schools) are general education co-teaching environments with no more than 18 students.  The classrooms are staffed by a special education teacher, a general education teacher and a paraprofessional.  The classrooms are located in 48 select schools in grades two and three.   The classrooms include one or more students who have previously been in self-contained Special Education classrooms. Additional Reading and Mathematics Interventions are available for students.  These classrooms provide opportunities for increased instructional opportunities for students with disabilities, students who may need additional support in a Response to Intervention Model, and students who may benefit from differentiation and enrichment. 
Support for these classrooms is provided by the Special Education Department in a partnership with Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education.  High quality face-to-face professional development with on-site coaching and mentoring occur on a monthly basis.

Secondary MEANS Initiative
MEANS secondary programs (Making Education Accessible In Neighborhood Schools) are settings that provide increased access to general education classrooms for students with disabilities.  The classrooms are located in two targeted middle schools that house signature programs for students with Autism and Emotional Disturbance and one neighborhood middle school..   Additional Reading and Mathematics Interventions are available for students.  These classrooms provide supported opportunities for inclusion in a general education classroom, the facilitation of social and communication skills, and opportunities for increased participation in the general education environment.
Support for these classrooms is provided by the Special Education Department in a partnership with Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education.  High quality face-to-face professional development is provided with on-site coaching and mentoring that occurs on a monthly basis.

 MEANS Schools Gr. 2 and 3 

MEANS Schools Gr. 7and 8

Special Education Programs
Program Fact Sheets
Program Locations