The BRITE
Program
Behavior Re-education In a Therapeutic Environment
BRITE Program Lead Kye Hong
Primary Classroom
Special Education Teacher Kris
Reinbold
Classroom-based therapist
Cheryl DiNovi
Behavior Technician Leslie
Tuomisto
Intermediate Classroom
Special Education Teacher
Carrie Swackhamer
Classroom-based therapist
Rachel Barrett
Behavior Technician Jessica
Pickert
What is the BRITE
Program?
The BRITE program provides intensive therapeutic and behavioral
interventions for Shoreline School District’s special
education students whose behaviors have been identified as the most
significant factor interfering with their educational
progress. These students have needs that cannot be met by
less restrictive options at their home school within the Shoreline
School District.
The BRITE program has one primary and
one intermediate ages classroom. Each classroom is staffed
with a special education teacher, a classroom-based therapist, and
a behavior technician. All staff have specialized training
which enables them to work with children with serious emotional and
behavioral needs.
What types of services are
provided in the BRITE Program?
The BRITE program follows a day treatment model that uses intensive
behavior management strategies and systems such as point and level
systems, social skills instruction, group and individual therapy,
work with families, case management, as well as academic and
remedial instruction to provide a comprehensive service delivery
system. The BRITE program also provides referral and
transition services for those students in need of more intensive
interventions and/or other support services. When students or
families receive services from outside agencies, the BRITE program
collaborates with the other agencies to provide a program that is
consistent with those goals and treatment plans. The program
is a strengths-based model designed to build on students’
success. As students experience success in school and meet
certain behavioral expectations, they experience an increase in
general education opportunities. The ultimate goal of the program is a
successful transition of students to a less restrictive school
setting as the students are ready.
How do
students enter the BRITE Program?
Students placed in the
BRITE program must be eligible for special education services and
the home school (the referring school) needs to provide evidence of
severe behaviors that significantly impact the student’s
ability to benefit from educational instruction in the current
setting. The home school also documents interventions/
behavior support plans that have been tried and the success of
these interventions. Students placed in the BRITE program
demonstrate a large variety of behaviors, eligibility categories
and medical diagnoses; therefore, the BRITE team uses the criteria
of educational impact and resistance to intervention as the primary
determinants on placement.
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