Welcome to our redesigned Web site!

Information about our programs and the latest special education news and happenings are now available at your fingertips with the launch of our new Web site. MORE

Spotlight on Special Education: Therapy dog makes reading doggone fun

Students in BOCES special education teacher Bonnie Zanker’s CDS classroom are learning that reading can be a lot more fun when it happens with a friend—particularly one of the four-legged variety. MORE

Special Ed summer program begins July 7

The Capital Region BOCES Summer Special Education program serves students in classrooms at Special Education program sites and in component school district buildings throughout the Capital Region.

The extended year program, which runs through August 15, is designed for students who need a continuum of instructional and related services. Students are recommended to the 12-month BOCES program by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) chairperson in their home districts.

For more information about the program or your child/teen's eligibility, please contact the CSE chairperson in your home school district.

Very Special Prom 2008

The Very Special Prom is an annual event that offers students in the BOCES Special Education program an opportunity to celebrate with classmates and to reconnect with friends and teachers.

Over twenty-seven years, the prom has grown from a homespun school-based dance to something more akin to other high school proms.

Although efforts are made to keep prom costs to a minimum (generous donations of time and services come from within and outside of the Capital Region BOCES divisions), the $25 ticket fee can provide a financial hardship for some students. For these students, a scholarship fund has long been in place to ensure that the prom is a reality for all.

For more information about the Very Special Prom or to contribute to the 2008 Prom Scholarship fund, please contact Susan Kusalonis at skusalon@gw.neric.org or (518) 464-6304.

New and improved: 2008-09 BOCES Services Guide

The Capital Region BOCES has made significant improvements to its Services Guide. The guide is an annual publication prepared to help component school districts plan for and select BOCES services they will use in the next year.

Highlights of the new and improved 2008-2009 Services Guide include:
• More comprehensive service descriptions including reference to each service's CoSer and activity code, service code, 2008-09 pricing information and BOCES contact information.
• 2008-2009 price for services listed in service code order with page reference to each service description in the guide. This year, the BOCES made a concerted effort to set its 2008-09 prices earlier in its budgeting process so that school districts would have more accurate pricing information earlier in their budget development process.
• Services grouped by category under each division. Service names conforming to how the names will appear on BOCES bills and commitment forms.
• 2008-2009 administrative and capital assessments for each component district.

If you would like to view or download the BOCES 2008-2009 Services Guide, please click on the link.

New York State Alternate Assessment blog

Teachers, staff and others responsible for administering the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) will find current information and answers to questions about state alternate assessment at The Capital Region BOCES NYSAA Trainers Blog: http://nysaa0708.blogspot.com.

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