Basic Info
Paint Branch Elementary is located at 5101 Pierce Avenue, College Park, MD 20740. The principal is Cynthia Rodgers.
Paint Branch Elementary
7.5
Paint Branch Elementary
Reviews of Special Education Programs in Prince George's County, Maryland
Inclusiveness
9
Staffing and resources
7.2
Cooperation
8.1
Communication
8
Academic expectations
4
Many of the people we worked with are no longer at this school, but I wanted to share some aspects of our experience.
Pros. The school staff and administration were very cooperative and supportive, and the inclusion classroom instructors were sincere in their desire to make the inclusion experience work for our son.
The instruction that he received in the autism classroom and outside of the classroom from his autism classroom instructors was helpful (e.g. prompts to greet others as they passed through the halls, introduce themselves to classroom visitors) and something he wouldn’t have received at a typical neighborhood school.
The teachers and administration worked very hard to keep our son in the inclusion classroom as much as possible, despite repeated behavioral problems.
The autism classroom was well-run, with reliable routines in place and visual prompts to help keep kids on track.
Cons. The mandarin immersion program did not work well for our son. It did not seem like a lot of thought had been given to the expected success rates of autistic children in a language immersion program.
The academic instruction was not at a high level.
I went to only one PTA meeting, but it was depressing. A handful of parents and the principal showed up. No teachers. 🙁
We were actively discouraged from seeking a one-on-one aide to work with our son, even though his autism instructor was frequently pulled out of her classroom (and away from her other students) to deal with his behavioral problems and/or serve as his aide in the inclusion classroom.
Inclusiveness
7.9
Staffing and resources
4.3
Cooperation
8.6
Communication
8.2
Academic expectations
10
In 2017-2018, the principal of this school had no idea how to implement effective behavior management strategies and in some cases made situations actively worse. The teachers are wonderful, as is the support staff, but the principal had no idea how to work with students with autism.