School board mulls switch to new special needs program

by Sheldon Ocker

April 14 board of education work session

The Revere Board of Education heard a presentation about a new program for the district’s special needs students that focuses on postgraduate education.

Revere’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction Marcia Roach and intervention specialist Melody McDonald are recommending that the district adopt a curriculum called TeachTown to replace Unique Learning System, Revere’s current program.

McDonald summed up the advantages of TeachTown, saying the curriculum is far more comprehensive and inclusive than Unique, which she said was more of a “supplemental” aid rather than all encompassing, including non-academic goals.

“They [students] want to feel like all of their peers and are learning what they are learning,” she said. “I feel like we are not giving our students everything they deserve.”

TeachTown goes so far as to offer the same novels written in three levels of complexity, depending on a student’s reading skills. The cover of each book looks the same, so those with lesser reading skills can’t be readily identified by other students. 

McDonald said TeachTown offers more than academic learning for special needs students, who are entitled to remain at Revere for postgraduate instruction until they are 22.

TeachTown offers training in five distinct areas, said McDonald: personal life skills, vocational skills, community skills, home skills and leisure skills.

“It’s not like ‘OK, they graduated, good luck,’” McDonald said. “We want them to be able to live independently, which means taking care of themselves at home. We want them to cook and clean and do those things. We want them to be competitively employed and working in the community, working with peers and going to a restaurant and ordering.” 

Video demonstrations focusing on problem solving are also a part of the TeachTown curriculum. McDonald gave an example: “What if someone is cleaning a table and runs out of soap?” she said.

The Unique Learning System is lacking in these areas, according to McDonald. “Honestly, I have not used Unique for math and science all year because it’s not hard enough for my kids,” she said. “My kids can do more.”

Roach said TeachTown is more expensive ($30 per student per year) than Unique, but after the initial cost of buying books and material for teacher development, the difference in cost is more modest.

If the board approves the curriculum change, TeachTown will be instituted during the 2026-27 school year. 

Decision delayed

Board President Kasha Brackett announced the board received a request from the Revere Education Association (teachers union) to support a lawsuit filed in Ohio to stop using vouchers to fund private schools.Brackett said the issue needs more study and a decision should be delayed, probably until July.