The Pathways program at Tantasqua Regional Junior High School is dedicated to students with special needs.  School administration, teachers, parents, service providers, consultants, and support staff work toward creating a sense of independence and empowerment in our special needs students.  The program is academically based with a focus on functional skills necessary to be successful in everyday life.

The Pathways program is designed for students with moderate to severe intellectual impairments and/or Autism in the junior high.  Students with these disabilities possess a varying range of challenges in communication, academic, behavior and life skills.  The junior high program focuses on individual student goals while providing an academic environment that offers the best possible means of accessing the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks.  Classroom curriculum is designed to mesh both curriculum frameworks with practical/functional academics and life skills, including social skill development.  Although the majority of teaching occurs in self-contained classrooms, access to general education classrooms occurs as often as the individual student experience would be meaningful and successful. 

Throughout the course of the students’ junior high experience, the Pathways program constantly works towards establishing a balance between necessary adult support and providing an environment in which students can work and make choices as independently as possible.

The Massachusetts Department of Education mandates that all students in 7th and 8th grade participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing.  Typically, the Pathways students participate in the MCAS Alternate Assessment program – a portfolio-based assessment of student work.