Judson Achievement Center (JAC)

The Judson Achievement Center (JAC) is an alternative intervention program for students in all grade levels who have severe behavioral and/or emotional difficulties that require a highly structured therapeutic learning environment that cannot be provided on a regular campus. This program offers an option for students leaving residential or day hospital settings and transitioning into the public school system. JAC may also be appropriate for students who have difficulty functioning on a general campus, even in a self-contained setting.

Placement at JAC as an alternative education program (AEP) is an extension of the continuum of services available in Judson ISD. It is considered a more restrictive setting than instructional options available on a general education campus. AEP placement is not a disciplinary setting, but is designed for students who require additional resources, strategies and services than are available in previous campus placements.

The JAC is an extension of the general education campus, offering a smaller, highly structured environment to assist students with behavioral and emotional difficulties, to control their behavior and to complete their coursework. It provides a setting where students with behavioral and/or emotional difficulties may continue their academic work while learning behavior control and social skills. The goal for all students is to return to their general education campuses as quickly as possible and be successful in their educational programs.

Before placement at JAC may be considered for a student enrolled in a general education campus, the campus must ensure that the maximum use of all services available on campus have been tried and documented. These include:

• documented least restrictive environment/most restrictive environment (LRE/MRE) considerations;
• placement in a behavior adjustment class (BAC) setting for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks on a general education campus;
• a functional behavior assessment (FBA) that reflects revisions when there were significant changes in the student's behavior;
• a behavior intervention plan (BIP) in place for at least 6 weeks;
• daily Behavior Logs for at least 6 weeks, documenting interventions/strategies and their results;
• documentation of interventions to improve attendance, if appropriate;
• a classroom observation by the campus Supervisor/Coordinator;
• a review of the eligibility folder by the campus Supervisor/Coordinator to assure that it is complete, in compliance and in chronological order;
• multiple classroom observations from the District Behavior Specialist, including recommendations for behavior support and follow-up visits;
• an observation from the Nurse Practitioner, if appropriate;
• consideration of a referral for counseling as a related service.

When the referring campus staff and the special education Supervisor/Coordinator verify that all appropriate strategies have been implemented and that all documentation is current and compliant, a referral notebook will be assembled, containing all relevant documents. This notebook, along with the eligibility folder, will be provided to the Assistant Director of Special Education. An AEP Referral Committee will be formed to review the documentation and assure that all general education services have been exhausted or make additional recommendations for interventions before a more restrictive placement is considered

The AEP Referral Committee consists of:

• the Assistant Director of Special Education
• the Special Education Supervisor/Coordinator of the campus
• other specialists knowledgeable about the case, as specified by the Supervisor/Coordinator.

This committee will either determine that additional strategies/services/supports should be offered at the general education campus or determine that all supports have been exhausted and AEP placement may be considered through the ARD/IEP process.

The goal of AEP placement at JAC is for the student to learn to apply social and behavioral skills needed to be successful at a general education campus. When the student has acquired those skills, he/she may apply to transition back to the home campus. The JAC staff will work with the home campus staff to develop a schedule of classes at both campuses, with the goal of transitioning fully to the home campus after six or more weeks. All decisions about programs, schedules and instructional settings will be made through an ARD/IEP committee meeting.