ESC Region 12 ~ Lake Waco Montessori

Title:	LAKE WACO MONTESSORI SCHOOL: Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities
Location / Contact:	Waco ISD Teresa Chavez E-mail: (tchavez@wacoisd.org) Phone: (254) 752-5951
Short Synopsis:	Providing effective teaching strategies to students ranging from age three through grade 3 who have varying disabilities such as cerebral palsy, learning disability, autism, PDD.
Description:	The Lake Waco Montessori Magnet School’s pre-k through third grade program was validated in the category of effective teaching strategies for students with disabilities. The practice focuses on strategies that support the students with disabilities to be successful in integrated placements. The district’s magnet school uses the curriculum and materials developed by Maria Montessori. The curriculum emphasizes a multi-sensory approach in a multi-age environment. The general education teachers are certified Montessori teachers. Students with a variety of disabilities, including pervasive developmental disorders, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy have been successfully integrated with their peers. The inclusion teacher works collaboratively as a team with the Montessori teachers, instructional assistants, therapists and parents in planning the strategies to support the students’ goals. Effective technology is used to support students with disabilities to successfully master their IEP goals and to access aspects of the Montessori curriculum. The inclusion teacher works directly with the students in the classroom during the independent work time, which is a daily component of the Montessori curriculum. The mixed-age programming and the variety of instructional materials in the Montessori classroom are particularly effective to support the diverse needs of learners.
Evidence of success:	Positive Outcomes include: All children working together and being treated as equals Progress on IEPs with a high rate of promotion and exemplary test scores Children with disabilities going to school with peers Families being trained in assistive technology and adaptive devices Excellent retention rate of all staff
Recognition:	The Lake Waco Montessori School Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities was awarded the 2002 Promising Practices Award from the Texas Education Agency.