Secondary Services (Grades 6-12)

For a directory of locations for each program, download MCPS Programs and Services Locations for Special Education Students 2022–2023.

Different students require different levels of support at school. The programs below are listed generally in order from least to most support. 

Learning and Academic Disabilities (LAD)

Locations: Available in all Middle and High Schools

Students: Students may be at or below grade level. Students have a variety of disability codes. Not all students are autistic.

Learning Environment: Students can enroll in co-taught, supported, or self-contained classes, depending on their level of need. Students may enroll in a resource period for additional support in academics or executive functioning. Students may enroll in a reading intervention class if needed for additional reading instruction. Related services (speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling) are available in all locations.

Staffing: 1 special education teacher and 1 paraeducator for 20 students.

Description from MCPS: (as of Jan. '23): LAD services are available in all secondary schools in MCPS. These services are provided in a continuum of settings that may include components of self-contained classes, co-taught general education classes, and other opportunities for participation with non-disabled peers.

Autism Connections 

(formerly Aspergers Services)

Middle School Locations: Ridgeview M.S., Tilden M.S.
High School Locations: Quince Orchard H.S., Walter Johnson H.S.

Students: Students have an autism diagnosis and are typically at or above grade level. Students are motivated to perform academically, but typically require support due to difficulties with task initiation, organization, and cognitive rigidity.

Learning Environment (Middle School): Students are mainstreamed in co-taught or supported classes. Program paraeducators accompany students to general education classes. Students with written expression challenges have the option of a self-contained English course. In some circumstances, self-contained math may be an option. Middle school students have two resource periods — one dedicated to social skills instruction and the other to executive functioning and academic support. Social skills instruction is generally taught at an abstract (rather than practical) level.

Learning Environment (High School): Students are typically mainstreamed in co-taught or supported classes. Options for self-contained classes vary from year to year. Ninth grade students usually enroll in two resource periods, both of which are to provide executive functioning and academic support. In 10th–12th grade students typically have one resource period. No social skills instruction is offered.

Special features: Students can enroll in Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Honors classes are sometimes co-taught or supported, but AP courses are seldom supported or co-taught.

Description from MCPS: (as of July '23): The Secondary Aspergers classes are based in comprehensive middle and high school buildings. Students served by this model have a diagnosis of Aspergers Disorder. The students function in the average to high average range of intellectual ability and receive instruction on the general education curriculum, with enrichment as appropriate. Students have documented social and behavior needs which have significantly interfered with their ability to participate in other educational environments, despite a variety of special and individualized supports. Students are included in all academic classes in the general education with supports for their social, behavioral, and organization needs. In addition to their academic classes, students participate in a pupil enrichment class daily that focuses on the direct teaching of social skills.

Click here to join the Facebook group for parents/guardians of students in Autism Connections.

Hear MCPS staff talk about Autism Connections in the xMinds YouTube video below (15:04–20:27). To watch in Spanish, click here.

Autism Resource Services (ARS)

Middle School Locations: Ridgeview M.S., Redlands M.S., North Bethesda M.S., Takoma Park M.S., Westland M.S.
High School Locations: Winston Churchill H.S., John F. Kennedy H.S., Watkins Mill H.S.

Students: Students have an autism diagnosis and are typically 2–3 years below grade level.

Learning Environment: Students are taught in self-contained classrooms for English and math, but attend history, science, and electives in the general education setting with paraeducator support. A reading intervention class is also offered for those students who need reading instruction. Middle school students have a resource period, which encompasses social skills. Social skills are typically taught in response to social issues that have arisen in their group. Ninth grade students usually enroll in two resource periods, one for social skills and the other for executive functioning and academic support. Tenth to 12th grade students typically enroll in one resource period, which is for executive functioning and academic support.

Staffing: 1 teacher and 2 paraeducators for roughly 8 students (at Middle School Level).

Description from MCPS: (as of Aug. '22): Secondary Autism Resource Services, located in three middle and three high schools, are designed for students with ASD who are working toward a high school diploma and have difficulty mastering grade-level curriculum. The students require an adjusted pace and individual accommodations representative of the needs and characteristics of students with ASD. Students receive instruction in the general education curriculum with the supports indicated on their IEPs. Access to the general education curriculum with enrichment is reinforced.

Bridge Services

Middle School Locations: Briggs Chaney M.S., Gaithersburg M.S., Herbert Hoover M.S.,
High School Locations: Gaithersburg H.S., Paint Branch H.S., Winston Churchill H.S.

Students: Students are on grade level, but have significant social, emotional, and/or behavioral challenges that make it difficult to succeed in a large school environment. Students have a variety of disability codes. Not all students are autistic.

Learning Environment: Typically, most students start in self-contained classes. Students may opt for lunch in the cafeteria with general education peers or in the Bridge Services suite. As students demonstrate competency, they have the opportunity to take classes in the general education setting, with paraeducator support. Students participate in group counseling sessions twice a month. Comprehensive behavior management approaches are used, such as proactive teaching, rehearsal of social skills, and structured reinforcement systems.

Staffing: Each Bridge Program has a dedicated social worker. High school students have the opportunity to enroll in Honors classes.

Description from MCPS: (as of Aug. '22): Bridge is a set of services that supports students who demonstrate significant social emotional learning, and/or behavioral challenges that make it difficult to succeed in a large school environment. Many students require social and emotional supports in order to access their academic program. Comprehensive behavior management is utilized that includes proactive teaching and rehearsal of social skills, as well as the use of structured and consistent reinforcement systems. Services are provided in a continuum of settings that may include separate classes and opportunities for participation in general education classes with nondisabled peers as appropriate.