Special Education

The RB Academy is an inclusive school, which recognizes that all children have special talents as well as special needs. The school has a number of programmes to help children maximize their potential, from individualized support sessions to challenge programmes.

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Counseling :

The counseling programme works at three levels - preventive, therapeutic and promotive. Children, teachers and parents can freely approach the counselors for guidance. Training inputs are given to teachers and parent groups to help them understand and communicate better with the younger generation. Regular follow-up of problems helps to promote the positive mental health of all concerned. The counselors also network with other organizations that offer special support and services for children in need of help.

Iora, a resource room for children with special needs:

In the Iora classroom, children who require specialized inputs are given one to one instruction by a special educator. The programmes are tailor-made for each individual taking into account the child's problem areas and ability levels. Evaluation tests are also specially designed to suit the needs of the particular child. In the resource room children get highly focused inputs all within school hours. However they do not spend their time exclusively in this class. Every attempt is made to integrate them in mainstream classes.

Speech therapy

Children with hearing impairment and speech problems get special support and inputs. A qualified speech therapist supplements and reinforces the instructional programme through one to one sessions. She works parallel to the mainstream class so that these children can work effectively at their required class levels.

Resource Room

All children have special needs. Since RBA is an integrated school, we have made it a point to arrange for resource teachers who are trained specially to work with students with an auditory challenge and with learning difficulties. In the resource rooms these children get highly focused inputs all within school hours.

Small Group Interaction

Small Group Interactions (SGIs) are designed to ensure that every child from classes 1 to 8 has a chance to work intensively in a particular area over a sustained period of time. Every SGI has a mentor teacher who defines its objectives and goals.

Some of the broad areas addressed by the SGIs are:

• Maximizing potential
• Addressing learning gaps or deficits
• Developing study skills
• Promoting the reading habit
• Providing academic and intellectual challenges
• Stimulating a particular interest
• Building upon special talents

All teachers are involved in this programme, ensuring that each one gets time to interact closely with children in a different SGI every term. In this way relationships are nurtured and teaching and learning become individualized.

Sadhana Groups

This is a very sustained effort to use traditional wisdom in mainstream education. Several children benefit from regular use of Pranayam, meditation techniques and guided introspection to improve their concentration, focus and social behaviour. Different groups focus on temper management, attention span or self-esteem, depending on the needs of the children in the group.

Career Guidance

RB Academy works in collaboration with a leading career guidance center in Pune to offer career advice to the students of Class 10 and the NIOS who are on the threshold of a new life as they prepare to leave school. An aptitude test is administered and students are given detailed feedback. Guidance counselors discuss career options and indicate appropriate courses to children and their parents in a specially scheduled family meeting.

National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)

This is an alternative course of study for children who are unable to appear for the Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE). The NIOS which is an autonomous board set up by the Government of India allows children the flexibility to earn their school leaving certificate by appearing for five subjects only. Children register for the examination through a recognized institution in Pune and pursue the course of study at RB Academy. The NIOS certificate is recognized by most universities in India.

Evaluations

Students are evaluated using a variety of methods including observation by the teacher, one to one interview, group discussions, project presentations, practical work, self evaluation, group evaluation, seminar work, tests and examinations. Evaluation is continuous and cumulative. An effort is made to make it low stress.

Younger children do not do any formal tests. Teachers maintain continuous records marking a 15 page checklist which includes physical, emotional, social and cognitive development scales. Short, informal tests begin at Std. 2 level. Longer and more detailed tests are included step by step: Maths in Std. 3, English in Std. 4, Science in Std. 5 and so on. All longer tests are spread out over the year.

Formal unit tests are conducted only in Stds 8, 9 and 10.

Children with special needs - intellectual or emotional, are sometimes given tailor-made tests to suit their special skills and needs.

The decision to promote the child is based on evaluation of the whole year’s work and on the teachers’ collective perception of the child’s readiness for the next year’s work.

Since our effort is to minimize failures and increase the possibility of success, students who have not achieved the desired grade in individual subjects, are re-tested on a selected portion just before the new academic year.

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