At the beginning of the next school year, Billy entered a NECC Partner Classroom that was new in his district. Although at first, it was difficult for him to come to a new school, with new teachers and classmates, he settled in quickly. The change has been dramatic. Billy now spends two hours of the morning included in the kindergarten class, where he participates in morning meeting and specials activities like art, music, and gym with the help of his 1:1 tutor. The other children in his class make sure that he follows along with the teacher, and take extra time to make sure they say hello to him and to share special toys with him at recess or during free-play times. Billy spends the rest of the morning working with his tutor in his cubby on communication skills and academic activities such as letters, colors, and numbers. In the afternoon, he enjoys small group activities, going to the library, and an afternoon story time.

Billy has made tremendous progress as a student in the Partner Classroom. He has made great gains in his ability to communicate with others and often verbalizes requests without any prompting from his teachers, something that never happened before the beginning of the school year. He is making incredible academic gains, and is now able to participate in activities effectively with his friends in the kindergarten class. He has minimal behavior problems, and people who see him now who worked with him the previous year are amazed that they are speaking with the same little boy. Billy has grown into a great student, and shown everyone the potential he had inside!