The Sheppard Pratt School in Frederick provides educational services to students in kindergarten through fifth grade with autism spectrum disorders, emotional disabilities, other health impairments, and specific learning disabilities.
Our program is designed to meet your child’s special education needs while providing maximum opportunity to integrate them into Hillcrest Elementary School’s educational program as appropriate. Once enrolled, our experienced staff will review your child’s Individual Education Program (IEP) and modify our instructional areas to fit his or her educational needs.
Our students spend as much or as little time in the Sheppard Pratt program as necessary to meet their special education needs, spending the rest of their time in the public school program. Generally, students will be assigned to a self-contained classroom for core content courses. Our students participate with the rest of the students in general education classes at Hillcrest Elementary School for cultural arts (music, art, media, and physical education) as well as academic content classes when readiness is demonstrated. Students in our program also have access to all of the school’s facilities, including the media center, cafeteria, and computer lab.
Utilizing a student-centric, data-driven, team-based approach, we implement the Frederick County Public School Curriculum, so that our students are able to seamlessly transition into the public school community when they are ready.
We understand the importance of engaging parents in the education of their child and provide daily updates and meetings with the school clinicians to ensure the parent is abreast of their child’s progress. Parents and students also have the opportunity to participate in Hillcrest Elementary School’s activities and events.
Because we are part of Sheppard Pratt, our staff has access to the best training, treatment practices, and technology, which in turn allows us to provide your child with the best education to meet his or her needs. We actively collaborate with other Sheppard Pratt schools and professionals to ensure we are sharing resources and best practices across the various special education programs.
Our related services include:
- Individual and group counseling
- Social skills training
- Speech and language therapy
- Behavior support
- Occupational therapy, as determined by each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) and provided by FCPS
Admissions
We would love to tell you more about our school or have you visit. Contact us to learn more about our program.
Learn about the special education referral process here.
Our school, categorized as Type II, is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).