Minnesota River School Classroom

Minnesota Valley Education District’s Minnesota River School offers three out-of-district Level 3 programs (grades k–4, grades 5–8, and grades 9–12) for special education students who have ongoing social problems that include difficulty communicating and interacting with others, repetitive behaviors as well as limited interests or activities, and behavior that hurt the individual’s ability to function socially. The purpose of Minnesota River School is to provide students with individualized learning opportunities where they can practice the social interaction, communication skills, and self-regulation skills that are necessary to successfully manage the sensory and environmental stimuli that may impede their ability to attend and participate in instruction. Minnesota River School emphasizes academic understanding as it applies to functional life skills and the application of those skills.

Social Interaction and Communication Skills
Students improve social understanding as they learn through visual strategies including stories and comic strip conversations. Our program utilizes a functional approach to problem behavior by teaching students new skills to replace undesirable behaviors. 

Sensory
Students learn strategies for self-regulation and self-advocacy to manage sensory issues that may impede their ability to attend and participate in instruction.

Environment
Students work towards individual goals as they successfully achieve their objectives in a visually structured and positive environment. Students learn generalization skills in the context of naturally occurring activities and daily routines. We also offer opportunities for instruction in general education settings.