RISE

Program Managers:

Wendy Denning

Jacqueline Lindloff

Kyra Wouters

Reaching Independence through Structured Education (RISE) Classrooms are a placement option on a continuum of services designed to meet the needs of students with significant developmental disabilities who require specialized, extensive supports to access the grade-level curriculum and environment.  

The focus of their education is on academics, communication, social, behavioral, and functional life skills they will need to become as independent as possible.

The students served in the RISE program are diverse.  They may have varying interests and abilities.  They have some common characteristics that may include:

• Deficits in age appropriate functional life skills

• Deficits in communication

• Deficits in social/behavioral skills

• Intellectual disabilities

• Autism

• A tendency to think in concrete terms

• Difficulty with change

• Under/over sensory sensitivity

The RISE programs provide an environment, which allows for learning that is individualized and appropriate to each student’s learning style. The focus of their education is to become as independent as possible in the areas above so that they are prepared for life when they leave Fort Worth ISD.  

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