• Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS)

    The Boonton High School I&RS Team consists of an interdisciplinary group of professional educators created to provide strategies for helping “at risk” students. Students are referred to the I & RS Team for various reasons including, but not limited to: academics, behavior, medical, and/or social issues. The I & RS Team meets regularly to monitor student progress and develop strategies to help students be more successful in school.

    Once a student is referred, the I and RS Team will review the referral and gather data (grades, discipline records, attendance information, etc.) from the appropriate people involved with the student. The Team will then develop strategies with the student and/or his/her parents that will assist the student in being more successful in school. The I & RS Team will continue to monitor the student’s progress throughout the school year and change strategies, as necessary.  After several strategies and attempts are deemed ineffective for a period of time, the I & RS Team may refer the student to the Child Study Team to determine if further evaluation is necessary.

    What is the purpose of I&RS?  

    • Identify learning, behavior and health difficulties of students  
    • Collect thorough information on the identified learning, behavior and health difficulties  
    • Develop and implement action plans which provide for appropriate school or community interventions or referrals to school and community resources, based on the collected data and desired outcomes for the identified learning, behavior and health difficulties  
    • Provide support, guidance, and professional development to school staff who identify learning, behavior and health difficulties  
    • Provide support, guidance, and professional development to school staff who participate in each building's system for planning and providing intervention and referral services  
    • Actively involve parents or guardians in the development and implementation of intervention and referral services action plan.

    How does an IEP differ from a 504 Plan?
    504 Plan is for students who have a disability, have a record of a disability, and/or are treated as having a disability but do not qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

    It is important to realize that eligibility under Section 504 is not automatic for students who do not qualify for special education services under IDEA. Before deciding whether a student is eligible for this type of plan, the child must be assessed. Medical documentation is required, and the school team must agree that the child has a substantial and pervasive impairment, and that it substantially limits his/her ability in a major life area, (ie. learning) in order to be eligible for reasonable accommodations under this federal law.

    The purpose of a 504 Plan is to level the playing field and allow a child to get the accommodations needed to access the curriculum at the same level as his or her peers.

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