This department provides several services to school districts, including the Cooperative Bidding Program, Graphic Arts and Printing, Transportation, the School Business Affairs Institute, and the Nonpublic School Textbook Loan Program. This department is also responsible for all Nassau BOCES accounting, billing, budgeting, facilities, food services, payroll, and purchasing functions.
From teenagers earning certification as computer network technicians to immigrant adults learning English, the Department of Career and Technical Education equips people with all the skills needed for success in the workplace and higher education. The diverse offerings include a re-tooled “career ed” center for high school students, job training, specialized services for adults with disabilities, and basic education programs.
An emphasis on academic and technical rigor and advanced technologies make today’s career and technical education for high school students a far cry from what their parents may have experienced. Courses currently qualify teenagers in their CTE field for a “Technical Endorsement,” on their diploma proving they’ve gone above and beyond their regents requirements. The Joseph M. Barry Career and Technical Education Center (Barry Tech) re-creates high-tech job environments in its classrooms and laboratories. The combination of technical expertise, academic support and real-world experience is a powerful one. Graduates often continue their education with advanced standing of three to twelve credits at both local
and non-Long Island colleges and universities. Internships and cooperative learning experiences at partner businesses prepare students for careers and employment on Long Island.
The competencies of Barry Tech staff and certified teachers, and the top-notch facilities are also used to help teenagers with disabilities prepare for
employment. In the evening, adults can take courses in fields like video
production, construction trades, computers and the auto industry.
Career and Technical Education programs also support those who need help attaining a GED. A high school equivalency program is offered for 16- and 17-year-olds who do not have credits for a high school diploma, and—at a special Adult Learning Center—adults can prepare for the GED test. Immigrants learn English and citizenship in free, state-funded programs.
In all, some 1,200 teenagers and more than 6,000 adults benefit from Nassau BOCES Career and Technical Education programs every year.
Print, electronic, face-to-face... PowerPoints, newsletters, community summits, TV--communications today is a complex and evolving mix of media and messages. In this challenging environment, the Department of Communications and Agency Planning stands ready to assist educators in planning and carrying out strategic activities that encourage community support for public schools.
From helping leaders distill and communicate key message points to making sure that printed materials are high-quality, this department relies on a staff of specialists including facilitators, photographers, writers, and electronic communications experts.
Through the Public Relations Service, districts can access experts on branding, bond campaigns and public opinion research, or arrange for projects as focused as a district brochure or a limited-time media campaign. Whether offering crisis communications support or assistance in creating a network of opinion leaders, the service can step in instantly with reliable, professional solutions for districts’ challenges. The newest component: creating and updating district web sites, including visual identity, navigation and content management.
More than a third of the County’s school districts have been assisted by the department’s professionals, proving that communications is an ever-higher priority in today’s economic and political climate.
Computers have become commonplace in classrooms and offices, with the Internet offering new kinds of access to information. Videoconferences now link kids to faraway experts, and hand-held PDAs “beam” information from one student to another. There are many choices when it comes to technology; the key is choosing the one that best supports a district’s--or teacher’s--instructional goals. That’s where the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology (CIT) comes in.
Nassau BOCES works with districts to integrate technology into instruction and administration. CIT staff members
work closely with local educators from planning through installation and staff training. The department regularly wins competitive grants to help fund new initiatives on behalf of local districts.
While CIT staff members team up to assist districts, services are roughly
divided into four main groupings:
Curriculum and Instruction
Health and Safety
Information Management
Technology
Curriculum and Instruction brings together professional development offerings of all kinds--plus online learning opportunities, videoconferencing, curriculum writing and even access to elementary
science kits. Data Analysis and Curriculum Support enables districts to use data from several sources to improve decision-making and planning at the district, school or classroom level.
Health and Safety supports districts’ risk-management and provides health services to nonpublic schools.
Information Management services include financial management and student information systems, state aid planning and data warehousing.
The Technology group is comprised of telecommunications, an Internet service, and the maintenance and repair of computers, TV and AV equipment.
Every year services change; with the No Child Left Behind mandates and requirements, CIT assists educators as they make decisions and plan for instruction.
The nearly 3,000 employees of Nassau BOCES constitute the most important resource we have for providing a quality educational program for the students we serve in partnership with our 56 component districts. Recognizing this, it is the goal of the Human Resources (HR) Department to recruit and select the very best available candidates, to promote employee/employer relations, and to provide a climate in which optimum staff performance and satisfaction are produced.
The HR Department also serves school districts by providing access to specialized personnel when needed.
The mission of Nassau BOCES is to partner with local school districts, and the programs offered by Instructional Programs and Alternative Schools are clear examples of how this partnership works to benefit children. Expert staff work directly with youngsters in local schools or at Nassau BOCES sites to enrich
students’--and teachers’--experiences.
Through Instructional Programs, local schools can expand classrooms to include the whole world. Learning Japanese, discovering local habitats with a hands-on approach, or being inspired by the artistry of a
poet-in-residence--these are only a few of the ways these programs broaden
horizons, always with an emphasis on discovery and active learning.
The department also casts a safety net under youngsters at risk. Elementary and secondary students learn how to better understand each other and solve disputes peaceably through various Programs for Youth--now carried out in local schools with an accent on character education and violence prevention. Non-English-speaking students receive instruction in English as a Second Language. Families receive support in adult literacy and preschoolers participate in reading and language development activities in the home.
Alternative high school programs--P.A.C.E., PATHS, TAP--offer a second chance to teenagers whose needs can’t be met in a traditional setting. Each school is tailored to the needs of its particular population, and youngsters whose lives have been disrupted by pregnancy, family problems or other issues often thrive in these more individualized environments.
For gifted students who want an intensive, arts-centered education, the
Cultural Arts Center makes professional-level instruction available on a full-day basis for those who undertake a full Regents curriculum, and on a half-day basis for students who take academic courses in their home schools. Each year, the Center’s graduates go on to study at colleges and conservatories all over the United States; last June’s class was offered more than $3.5 million in scholarships.
Every year 52,000 children participate in outdoor education programs, more than 5,000 Arts in Education performances are given, and 25 to 30 teenage mothers earn diplomas. IPAS reaches deep into local schools, promoting a love of learning, the joy of exploration and the self-esteem that comes from overcoming obstacles.
The Department of Special Education enrolls more than 1,600 students, each with individual needs and abilities, and with moderate to severe disabilities. The instructional challenges are great, but the department has proven its ability to serve these youngsters and offer them the greatest possible opportunity to reach their potential and participate in community life.
Nassau BOCES offers a comprehensive array of special education programs for students who are moderately to severely disabled and are from three to 21 years old. Some Nassau BOCES programs are conducted at Nassau BOCES centers while some are offered at local district schools. Regardless of the location of the program, each student is prepared to reach his or her potential and to become as independent and productive as possible.
To the greatest extent possible, the Noncategorical Programs offered by the Department of Special Education reflect the course of study students would experience were they to attend their local district schools.
Most students who attend these Noncategorical Programs are identified as having learning, emotional, behavioral or developmental disabilities. They are grouped in classes based on age, intellectual capacity, achievement, and social and behavioral compatibility.
Students may follow a regular curriculum and earn either an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) diploma or a high school diploma.
The Categorical Programs are for students with physical, vision, hearing or developmental disabilities. Within these programs, students, depending on their abilities, earn either an IEP or a high school diploma. Some Nassau BOCES programs are located in school buildings owned or leased by the agency; in other cases, classes are held in local district schools where students have mainstreaming opportunities.
All BOCES program curriculum is adapted to meet the New York State Learning Standards and provides individualized instruction. Students’ education is enriched by a wide variety of interactive community-based experiences. Many Nassau BOCES graduates enter the workforce or go on to postsecondary education. The Department of Special Education also offers extensive support services for districts, including itinerant services, consultation services and staff development.
Nassau BOCES offers various programs designed to help school districts perform certain supporting or technical responsibilities more efficiently and economically. These services include some that give districts access to specialized personnel when needed, such as the new Interim Placement Service. Others offer ways to fill continuing needs in a cost-effective and convenient manner, such as cooperative purchasing and teacher certification.
Through the School Public Relations Service, districts can access experts on branding, bond campaigns and public opinion research, or arrange for projects as focused as a district brochure or a limited-time media campaign. The Graphic Arts and Printing Service continues to meet the needs of a growing number of districts each year, and is increasing its capacity with new digital tools.
This section also contains information about services offered by Western Suffolk BOCES, which are available through Nassau BOCES via “cross-contract” arrangements.
