The DeCristofaro Learning Center

We are excited to announce after careful consideration and research, the core curriculum for the DeCristofaro Learning Center will be Unique Learning System (ULS). The instructional practices within ULS are evidence and research based and developed specifically for students with disabilities across all grade spans. ULS is aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in ELA, Math, Social Studies and Science and the lessons are easily differentiated for different learning levels in the classrooms. The real-world emergent literacy experience provides multiple text formats of various types of literature and writing opportunities students can relate to and get excited about. Teachers are able to track progress on foundational math skills through more advanced concepts like geometry and algebra. In addition to high interest content, ULS has visuals built right into the lessons and activities. This incorporation of symbol support assists students with reading comprehension and communication. We are thrilled to be incorporating this program into the DeCristofaro Learning Center and will be providing training and support to our staff this Spring for implementation in the fall!

Welle Behavioral Safety Management System is a tiered approach that trains all staff to identify behaviors off baseline enabling staff to proactively manage and respond to student needs. The program provides a holistic method and treats the whole person or situation by addressing why the student may be dysregulated and what environmental or social factors may be contributing. It fosters a culture of empathy that helps build relationships with the goal of decreasing both the frequency and intensity of behavioral incidents. All staff, including paraprofessionals, teachers, custodial staff, secretaries, lunch attendants, nurses and teachers will be trained in Welle to provide a consistent language and approach to working with our students.