For more than seven years, Seneca has partnered with Caliber Beta Academy, working side‑by‑side to build a campus environment where every student—no matter their background, challenges, or needs—has the opportunity to thrive in the least restrictive environment possible.

Over the years, our team has been implementing The Collaborative Model, or simply, “Collab.” At its core, Collab is a coordinated, team‑driven approach designed to support students who may otherwise require a higher level of care. Instead of removing students from their general education setting, Collab focuses on prevention, skill‑building for students and adults, and collaborative planning so students can stay connected to their peers and participate in their general education classrooms.  This model works because of the committed team behind it.  Collab brings together a diverse team of general education teachers, special education teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals, student support assistants, administrators, and families.  Each member contributes a unique lens. That multidisciplinary perspective that allows us to truly understand the student—not just their behaviors or academic data—but their story, needs, and strengths.

A key component of Collab is ensuring that everyone is on the same page on the individual plan for students, and that updates are made regularly to all team members.  This involved biweekly meetings with the entire support team, as well as in-the-moment updates. Student plans are designed to look beyond surface behaviors to understand the student’s internal working model and how they experience the world. The team considers family context and insight, behavioral data collection and analysis, and academic data integration. Most importantly, we bring in the student’s voice and center their strengths and experiences. 

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This year, we’ve also been able to leverage our partnership by providing three professional development sessions to Caliber Beta Academy’s SPED and support staff as part of our H.E.A.L. (Heal, Engage, Align and Lead) series. These sessions covered Healing Centered Education, Understanding Challenging Behaviors, and Responding Challenging Behaviors.  As more adults on campus are able to expand their understanding and utilize shared language, the students who need the most support directly benefit from that increased capacity.

Our partnership with Caliber Beta Academy has always been rooted in a shared belief: When adults collaborate, students flourish. It is the strong partnership between Seneca, Caliber, and families that have made this model successful.

In a teacher’s own words: “Never let our Seneca staff go! They are needed, appreciated and are exceptional at their job, the way they interact with the students and staff. They bring that extra “umph” that you need sometimes. They just don’t help me with my student, they help me to be a better person and support person for my student and his family.”