Bridges or SESES Programs

[MOM1970]

It depends on what you mean by "set her up for college" College will always be an option. Do you mean Montgomery College or UMD? And there is a whole spectrum in between.

Of course there is a whole spectrum. I've been through this rodeo with older kid so I appreciate the options out there for post secondary education. It means that my kid continues to have access to year 4 and 5 language, higher level math and science courses. AP courses. And she may never go to college (Montgomery or four year) but I don't want a lack of classes to prevent choices.

[Anonymous]

If they attend the Magruder ESESES program they can still take general ed courses. Some kids in the program only have a few classes with ESESES. Some have most. The IEP placement team will need to make the call though.

[Anonymous]

MOM1970 wrote:

It depends on what you mean by "set her up for college" College will always be an option. Do you mean Montgomery College or UMD? And there is a whole spectrum in between.

Of course there is a whole spectrum. I've been through this rodeo with older kid so I appreciate the options out there for post secondary education. It means that my kid continues to have access to year 4 and 5 language, higher level math and science courses. AP courses. And she may never go to college (Montgomery or four year) but I don't want a lack of classes to prevent choices.

These classes will not be part of the self contained program. She will have access to them since she will be in a comprehensive school. But there will be zero to limited support in the classroom.

My kid is in Bridge. The SC classes are limited to the 4 core subjects. I have asked about AP classes to administration and was told he will need to be able to manage in the classroom on his own. Others have reported that there is support for AP classes and their kids have taken them. I take that to mean that support is dependent on the specific school and staffing. In Bridge they also have to take a resource class which eats up an elective spot.

For SESES, the self contained classes are English and History. I'm not sure what the self contained classes are in ESESES. I know that on Fridays, ESESES has an out of school day. I don't know how that would work if your kid was in a 5 day/week AP class.

I am probably going to move my kid to dual enrollment at MC. I will be able to see how many kids are enrolled in a specific class so I can find the ones with smaller class sizes. MC has built in tutoring centers for writing and math. Classes will earn college credit without a lot of the pressure of AP classes.

[MOM1970]

Thanks so much for this explanation.

I think I'm missing something - What is the difference between SESES and ESESES?

And Bridge and SESES seem so similar. Why are there two programs?

Dual enrollment works for a lot of people. My older kids didn't do it but some of their friends did and it is interesting that it works for a wide variety of students for significantly different reasons.

[Anonymous]

MOM1970 wrote:Thanks so much for this explanation.

I think I'm missing something - What is the difference between SESES and ESESES?

And Bridge and SESES seem so similar. Why are there two programs?

Dual enrollment works for a lot of people. My older kids didn't do it but some of their friends did and it is interesting that it works for a wide variety of students for significantly different reasons.

Bridge has 4 self contained classes vs SESES which has 2. Both offer resource. Bridge occupies a wing in the building; SESES does not. Kids have to change classes with the general ed kids. Bridge has a social worker on staff; SESES does not.

Yes, there is a lot of overlap and similar profiles. It's often said that SESES is for kids with behavior issues and Bridge is for autistic kids without behaviors. My kids MS bridge doesn't seem to have a lot of behavior issues or if there are, they don't impact my son. I can't figure out how if an SESES kid has behavior issues, how they will function in the other 5 periods of the day when they have to be in gen ed classes.

[Anonymous]

For Churchill Bridge, my child was able to do all 7 periods self-contained for 9th grade: 4 core classes (no honors offered), resource, art, PE.

For 10th, I requested he had access to some mainstreamed classes. He is in pe, chemistry, and English mainstreamed, but the other 4 classes are SC.

We are in talks for next year. All this to say that everything is an IEP team decision. You can have access to the higher level classes, but with that you have to give up some of the support and the small classes- which are normally why you’re in the program.

SESES has fewer SC options and the kids generally have fewer social challenges as compared to Bridge kids. I don’t know much about ESESES except that those students have higher needs than both Bridge and SESES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For Churchill Bridge, my child was able to do all 7 periods self-contained for 9th grade: 4 core classes (no honors offered), resource, art, PE.

For 10th, I requested he had access to some mainstreamed classes. He is in pe, chemistry, and English mainstreamed, but the other 4 classes are SC.

We are in talks for next year. All this to say that everything is an IEP team decision. You can have access to the higher level classes, but with that you have to give up some of the support and the small classes- which are normally why you’re in the program.

SESES has fewer SC options and the kids generally have fewer social challenges as compared to Bridge kids. I don’t know much about ESESES except that those students have higher needs than both Bridge and SESES.

Bridge sounds like it’s for kids who are more on the introverted/internalizing end of the spectrum who may not attend to instruction in a mainstream class.

SESES sounds like its for kids who need a home base and more hands on help with EF but can handle most mainstream?

ESESES sound like its for kids who need serious behavioral interventions and melt down?

[Anonymous]

As a former SESES teacher- i would advise steering clear of both programs. My direct experience in SESES indicates that it can often be a dumping ground for students who really need way WAY more mental health supports. I frequently feared significant bodily harm and witnessed some very intense violence and injury.

Regarding bridge, many of my students were articulated into bridge programs. Going into it, I could have told you that there needs would not be met. And indeed, 90% of those students are now in private placements.

Unfortunately, MCP policy is to have students fail up into placements where there needs can be met. Instead of proactive placement.

I have no experience with the ESESES, but from what I have heard from teachers in those programs, it is a very holistic and functional unit. Maybe pursue that?

[MOM1970]

Anonymous wrote:As a former SESES teacher- i would advise steering clear of both programs. My direct experience in SESES indicates that it can often be a dumping ground for students who really need way WAY more mental health supports. I frequently feared significant bodily harm and witnessed some very intense violence and injury.

Regarding bridge, many of my students were articulated into bridge programs. Going into it, I could have told you that there needs would not be met. And indeed, 90% of those students are now in private placements.

Unfortunately, MCP policy is to have students fail up into placements where there needs can be met. Instead of proactive placement.

I have no experience with the ESESES, but from what I have heard from teachers in those programs, it is a very holistic and functional unit. Maybe pursue that?

******************************

Wow, thanks so much. Can you explain what the "E" in SESES means? When I look on MCPS website, I am not finding a distinction between SESES an ESESES

And I've reviewed the MANSEF schools directory and all of those schools for social emotional seem really fixed on behavior and my kid doesn't have behavior issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a former SESES teacher- i would advise steering clear of both programs. My direct experience in SESES indicates that it can often be a dumping ground for students who really need way WAY more mental health supports. I frequently feared significant bodily harm and witnessed some very intense violence and injury.

Regarding bridge, many of my students were articulated into bridge programs. Going into it, I could have told you that there needs would not be met. And indeed, 90% of those students are now in private placements.

Unfortunately, MCP policy is to have students fail up into placements where there needs can be met. Instead of proactive placement.

I have no experience with the ESESES, but from what I have heard from teachers in those programs, it is a very holistic and functional unit. Maybe pursue that?

Did you happen to work in an elementary SESES program? For my DS, that was the biggest disaster and we always called it a dumping ground. My son hated school and the program and had a lot of school refusal. The staff was always complaining about my child and his aggression.

We were very nervous to go to another MCPS program for middle school, however we had a completely different experience in the Bridge program. The classes were a lot calmer and instead of having three grade levels trapped in one small room, the kids rotated by period. The one kid that really annoyed my child was only in 1 period so he didn’t feel trapped. It has been a very pleasant surprise. I sometimes wish I could go back and show the elementary staff that it really was the environment that was setting my DS off.

OP- please don’t let this employee discourage you. We really have had a very positive experience in the Bridge program.

[Anonymous]

Our asd kid was pushed toward Bridge at one point. We pushed back and they attended a regional IB. The academic pressure might not be great for some, depends on how stressed your child is by academic pressure ... but the small cohort and small class size has done wonders.

I'm not an expert on the other programs, but if you're concerned about academic rigour that might be an option. They do take a general resource class as an elective, which has also helped a lot.

[Anonymous]

E-SESES means enhanced SESES. Of the three programs, this is the most restrictive. It is for children who have high anxiety and would prefer not to interact with the gen ed population (where as SESES want to, they just don’t always do it successfully). At least at Magruder, they have a separate entrance and are in a locked wing. For the right student, this feels safe and wonderful. For the wrong student, this feels like a prison. They have access to higher level classes, but often do not graduate in 4 years as there is a lot of school refusal and twice a month field trips.

It is a wonderful program for students with high anxiety and no externalizing behaviors. It provides a safe space for some of our students with higher needs.

[Anonymous]

The current ESESES program at Magruder is not a locked wing. It’s mainly dealing with high anxiety issues. It is a somewhat quiet part of the building. Source- I work in the building nearby the program.

The program has a very good reputation and the students seem to have positive relationships with staff.

I think previous poster is referring to the older alt program that used to be at Magruder around 15 years ago but is now replaced by the ESESES program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current ESESES program at Magruder is not a locked wing. It’s mainly dealing with high anxiety issues. It is a somewhat quiet part of the building. Source- I work in the building nearby the program.

The program has a very good reputation and the students seem to have positive relationships with staff.

I think previous poster is referring to the older alt program that used to be at Magruder around 15 years ago but is now replaced by the ESESES program.

I actually toured it under 2 years ago and that’s how it was. There was a secretary at the door and nobody was allowed into the program without going through her. But this wasn’t a negative- it was meant to keep the kids safe. It is possible that they’ve changed it, but I hope they have another way to make the students feel secure.

I have nothing negative to say about the program- but it was too restrictive for my own child who ended up in Bridge (which we like).