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Each fall, Rider education students welcome local students with disabilities from Hopewell Valley’s Central High School to campus for six weeks during a collaborative learning experience in the course “SPE 303: Assessment and Instruction for Students with Disabilities.” This fall, the program was expanded to include students from Timberlane Middle School.

The goal of the class is to equip future teachers with the tools needed to support students with intellectual disabilities as they transition from a school environment to one of greater independence.  The course uses an instructional practice called Community-Based Instruction (CBI), which supports students with disabilities during the transition from school to adult life.

A core component of the CBI methodology involves engaging students in activities and learning opportunities beyond the classroom. The activities, while having academic objectives such as increased literacy or computational fluency, incorporate important life skills such as communicating a lunch order effectively, navigating campus grounds and successfully completing an online transaction. 

“This is a unique CBI experience in that students who may not be able to actually attend college are given the opportunity to participate in ‘the college experience’ in a way that’s meaningful to them,” says Dr. Diane Casale-Giannola, who teaches the high school section of the class. Dr. Katherine Vroman teaches the middle school section.

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The program, a favorite amongst Rider’s education students, was developed over 10 years ago by Giannola and Rider alumna Paulette Dinardo ’17, director of pupil personnel services for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, as a means of meeting two very pressing needs – the need for Rider students to accrue the hours necessary for certification and the need for additional CBI opportunities for Hopewell students. 

“We have some of the most stringent teacher certification requirements in the nation, and rightfully so,” says Giannola, “but it can be difficult for students to get all the necessary hours done. This program seeks to ease some of that difficulty by bringing the hours to the students, as opposed to the other way around.” 

Vroman says the partnership with Hopewell Valley Regional School District is a mutually beneficial one. “Yes, we’re covering the basics of lesson planning, but we’re also developing authentic relationships that will continue to impact the lives of all the students involved for years to come,” she says. 

With the assistance of student profiles provided by the Hopewell teachers, Rider students prepare developmentally appropriate lesson plans and activities to meet the varying needs of the visiting students. “Coming up with the lesson plans was challenging because we had so many different needs,” says Ashley Blanda, an elementary education student in Giannola’s class, “but the guidance provided by the Hopewell teachers and our teachers here at Rider made all the difference. They truly care about each student and their individual journeys.” 

Giulia Conigliaro, a junior in Vroman’s class, says getting to know the students in a small group setting allowed her to connect with them on a deeper level. “[The class] really opened my eyes to the variety of needs that exist in a way that no other class ever has and left me feeling better prepared for my future as a teacher.”