Description of School

Hungerford School serves a special needs population of approximately 250 students ages twelve to twenty-one that includes students classified as medically fragile and severely and profoundly retarded.

Demographics

Student Racial/Ethnic Composition:

59% White (not of Hispanic origin)

20% African American (not of Hispanic origin)

15% Hispanic

6% Asian or Pacific Islander

LEP Students: 14%

Qualify for Free/Reduced Price Lunch: 67%

Receive Special Education Services: 100%

Background and Goals

The teaching staff and administration at Hungerford wanted to move from a model based on limited expectations for special education students to one that actively supports students' transitions to the community and workforce.

Professional Development Design and Implementation

• Coordinated Efforts Among Teachers. Within Hungerford, different curriculum committees, functioning as professional development teams, set standards for student achievement and evaluate the faculty's progress based on student progress. Teachers have opportunities to learn specific skills through teams, study groups, and peer coaching. Hungerford and the district's improvement plans identify the same areas for improvement, and the district calendar supports the school's efforts for improvement in those areas.

• Professional Development Laboratory Site. Hungerford has been designated by the district as a Professional Development Laboratory (PDL). As a PDL site, the school hosts "visiting" teachers from elsewhere in the district, who spend extended weekly sessions in a "resident" teacher's classroom. The PDL model provides an opportunity for successful teachers to exchange ideas with colleagues from other schools during the school day.

Objective Evidence of Success

Due to the nature of their disabilities, 98% of the students at Hungerford are exempt from district and state standardized tests. Therefore, the staff uses other measures to assess the progress of their students. The number of students participating in general education inclusion has increased by 18%, and the number of students placed at community-based work sites has increased by 30%. Additionally, the staff continues to revise IEP goals toward higher expectations as student achievement increases.

Contact Information

P.S. 721R
Mary Longo/Linsey Miller
Teachers
155 Tompkins Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10304
(718) 273-8622
(718) 727-6994 (fax)

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