Student Referrals
Student Referrals at Pilgrim Area Collaborative
Thank you for your interest in Pilgrim Area Collaborative! Please visit our individual program pages to learn more about what we offer to students at PAC. Any student referral to PAC services must come from the sending school district of the student involved. Although PAC is pleased to provide general information regarding programs and services to parents/guardians, any serious consideration of enrolling a student must begin with the formal initiation of a referral from the sending school district’s Special Education Office.
Pilgrim AcademySLC at Silver LakeTransitions at Silver Lake
Transitions at Plymouth CenterGAPPACES
Student Referral Process for Districts
Thank you for considering Pilgrim Area Collaborative as an out-of-district placement to meet the needs of your student. If you are familiar with our programs and you are interested in one specifically, please click the appropriate link to read the Program’s referral process. If you are not familiar with our programs, please call or email Lauren Mathisen to help narrow down your needs and provide you information for the most appropriate program for your student referral.
Contact the below Directors for each program referral:
Referrals for Pilgrim Academy and SLC at Silver Lake should be directed to:
Lauren Mathisen, Assistant Executive Director
lmathisen@pilgrimac.org
508-747-6686
Referrals for PACES, Transitions at Silver Lake, Transitions at Plymouth Center, and GAP should be directed to:
Deb Booth, PACES Program Director
dbooth@pilgrimac.org
508-747-6686 x.2701
Student Referral Process for Parents/Guardians
Pilgrim Area Collaborative’s student enrollment is based on a referral process from your home school district. Students may be referred to one of PAC’s programs after your child’s IEP team has participated and agreed on a Placement Meeting and determined an out-of-district placement is the next appropriate step.
How the Process Works
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IEP Team Discussion: Students are referred to a PAC program after their IEP team determines that an out-of-district placement is the most appropriate next step.
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Parental Consent: Your home district will request your consent to send referral packets to potential placements.
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The Referral Packet: With your permission, the district will share relevant paperwork with PAC, which may include your child's current IEP, progress notes, and evaluations from the past three years.
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PAC Review: Once we receive the packet, our Program Directors review the information to determine whether a PAC program is an appropriate fit for the student. Typically a tour and/or shadow day may be scheduled before a placement is offered.
As stated above, PAC is a referral-based school program. The process starts with your home school district. If you are unsure where to start, there are several contacts you can try in your district:
The Team Chair or School Contact is listed at the bottom of the first page (Administrative Data Sheet) of your child’s IEP in the section, “Assigned School Information”.
The Special Education Department of your Home District. This information can be found on your school district website. The Special Education Director, the Out-of-District Liaison, the Department Chair/Team Chair of your child’s grade level can all offer information for your “next steps”. The Special Education department secretary should be able to aid you in finding the most appropriate staff member to contact.
The School District Contact is listed at the top of the first page (Administrative Data Sheet) of your child’s IEP. This is usually the Special Education Director of the District or the assigned Out-of-District Liaison.
The MISSION of the Pilgrim Area Collaborative is, in partnership with member districts, to be a resource by providing programs and services that reflect high‐quality, research‐based, best practices for the ever‐evolving needs of the students, families, educators and communities that we serve.