Programs & Services

A teaching approach in which two educators (General and Special Education teachers) work collaboratively to plan, deliver, and assess instruction for a diverse group of learners in a shared classroom. This model emphasizes the benefits of pooling the expertise and skills of each teacher to support all students' learning and success. This program serves all students and is currently offered at all middle and high schools.

The PAUSD FUTURES program is a student-focused program and builds on student strengths and potential, with opportunities for meaningful transferable academic, life, vocational and social/leisure skills. Our goal is to support our students to create quality lives, becoming integral parts of the community of Palo Alto as they transition from middle school to adulthood to live, work, learn and play in their community.  This program is currently offered at all middle and high schools.

This program provides personalized learning for students from grades 9 through 12.  Students are expected to spend between 10-20 hours a week on academic work delivered through both individual or small group direct instruction.  On-line guided independent learning may also be available on a case by case basis.  Students receiving special and general education support will be served through this program and can receive instruction from both teachers.  This program is currently offered at Cubberley Center.

A school-based program designed to successfully address mental health, emotional, and behavioral issues that create a barrier to effective learning. An Education Specialist and Mental Health Therapist work together to provide therapeutic activities including individual and group therapy, behavior management, crisis intervention, and family therapy as needed.  Students in this program are grades 9th through 12th whose serious mental health, behavioral and emotional difficulties have resulted in significant functional impairments in major life activities and have become increasingly disabling over time requiring frequent, supportive and intensive interventions.  This program is currently offered at Cubberley Center.

There are two types of learning centers that serve students with disabilities in PAUSD’s elementary schools.  There is a mild moderate learning center, similar to a typical resource classroom, where an Education Specialist provides instruction to students to meet their IEP goals.  The second type is a moderate severe learning center.  This is a more restrictive program which uses a modified curriculum.  The focus of the program is to teach students basic academic, functional and life skills. The mild moderate learning centers are currently offered at all elementary schools.  The moderate severe learning centers are currently offered at Barron Park, El Carmelo, Fairmeadow, Juana Briones, Nixon and Walter Hays elementary schools.

The Palo Alto Unified Post-Secondary Program, serves  students with special needs ages 18-21 years old. The philosophy of the program is to promote independence in all areas of life similar to their typically developing peers. Students participate in educational, community, social, and employment activities within their local communities to maximize their exposure to real life experiences. A large part of the program is becoming independent through securing and maintaining a paid full or part time job in order to become a contributing and valued member of society. To learn more about the program and how to become involved, please contact Brian Northen.  This program is currently offered at Cubberley Center.

Located at Greendell campus, this program serves preschool age children with special needs in the following  ways:  Designated instruction and services only, Specialized Academic Instruction, Specialized Academic Instruction with designated instruction and services, speech services only.

The Project SEARCH vocational Internship Program is a unique, business-led, one-year, school-to-work program that takes place entirely at the workplace. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and relevant job-skills training through strategically designed internships. PAUSD Project Search is a collaborative partnership with business liaison Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, HOPE Rehabilitative Services, PAUSD and the Regional Center. This program serves students 20 to 22 years old.  To learn more about the program and how to become involved, please contact Tosh Lang.

A student may be eligible for a specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) class when the Individual Education Program (IEP) Team determines that his/her educational needs cannot be satisfactorily met in general education classes for the majority of the student's day even with the use of support services.  Students in Specialized Academic Instruction classes will participate in nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities with their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. Those students qualified for special education services will receive services under the direction of the instructional support team. The instructional support team will provide services in an Individual Education Program (IEP) developed by an Individual Education Program (IEP) Team. The responsibilities of the instructional support team include providing instruction, resource information, monitoring pupil progress on a periodic basis, reviewing/revising Individual Education Programs (IEP's), coordinating services, and consulting with parents and staff.  This program is currently offered at all elementary, middle and high schools.

PAUSD therapeutic programs offer enhanced mental health support for students with significant social/emotional needs.  Students receive school based counseling support, specialized academic instruction, and/or related services within a therapeutic classroom environment.  This program is currently offered at Duveneck elementary school, Fletcher and Greene middle schools, and Palo Alto high school.

Related Services means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes speech language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. Related services also include school health services and school nurse services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training.

If a student’s special education needs cannot be met through the local programs, an alternative setting outside the district may be appropriate.  Non-Public Schools are certified by the California Department of Education (CDE) and offer specialized support in a segregated setting as part of the public school continuum.  Residential Treatment Centers are live-in facilities that provide intensive mental health support and therapy for students with significant mental health or other behavioral problems.  The CDE operates two State Special Schools, California School for the Blind (CSB) and California School for the Deaf (CSD).