Overview
North Shelby is a special purpose public school located in Shelby, North Carolina. North Shelby provides services to students in Cleveland County Schools between the ages of five and twenty-one who have significant intellectual disabilities and who have been placed at North Shelby by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team at their home school.
Full-time and part-time staff at North Shelby includes certified special education teachers, a physical therapist, a licensed physical therapy assistant, an occupational therapist, a licensed occupational therapy assistant, a registered nurse, speech therapists, a music therapist, a guidance counselor, a compliance manager, a psychologist, HI and VI instructional staff, ESL instructional staff, and experienced paraprofessionals. Class sizes are small in order to provide time for individualized and small group instruction.
The North Carolina Extended Content Standards which are linked to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study serves as the curriculum and guides instruction in the areas of reading, writing, math and science. In addition, students are provided with instruction in the areas of daily living skills, social skills, and vocational skills. Student achievement is measured using the North Carolina EXTEND1. Students graduating from North Shelby have the opportunity to earn a Graduation Certificate if they successfully complete IEP goals/objectives based on the Extended Content Standards.
The normalization principle-- "the use of means which are culturally normative as possible"-- is the basis for all student-related activities at North Shelby. Students participate in a wide-range of age-appropriate activities that provide opportunities for social and developmental growth. Some of these activities include therapeutic horseback riding, swimming, dances, yearbook staff, special music groups, sports, and community base experiences. Students also have multiple opportunities for interaction with age-appropriate, normal-needs peers both on and off campus. North Shelby is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools both at the elementary and secondary levels.