Carlos Lamoso, a teacher in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District’s post-secondary program, was honored May 15 by the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Special Education Local Plan Area III cohort for his work with special needs students.
In addition, Lamoso’s program, a 2023 Santa Clara County School Boards Association Glenn Hoffmann award winner, was awarded the Kristi Porter Outstanding Program Award on May 10.
Lamoso has been a teacher with the district’s post-secondary program since 2013. A community-based, post-secondary program for young adults, ages 18-22, this program serves students who are determined to still need Individualized Education Program services after they finish four years in high school.
This program provides collegiate and professional experiences for special needs students, in addition to life skills such as travel training, self-improvement and social skills in an inclusive and age-appropriate environment.
Housed at West Valley Community College (WVCC), all students in the program are now participating in a college course offering from Adapted PE to English or History. In addition, the number of employment partners who provide internships to program students has doubled in the last nine years, as students are placed in paid internships and direct-hire jobs. With the leadership and guidance of Lamoso and his resource aides, these students go on to hold leadership positions at WVCC student government.
In addition, program students have provided trainings in national conferences and to employers, such as Google, training engineers on the needs of people who have Cerebral Palsy and Cortical Visual Impairment.
Awarded the Glenn Hoffmann Award in the category of Student Support Services, the post-secondary program, Stepping up for Successful Post-Secondary Transitions, tied with Palo Alto Unified School District to receive the Kristi Porter Outstanding Program Award, an additional honor awarded to one program receiving the highest marks out of all the submissions.
“We are so grateful to West Valley Community College and their partnership with us as we work to provide post-secondary transitions for these unique and very capable students,” Superintendent Bill W. Sanderson said. “Carlos and the resource aides that work in his classroom make such a positive impact in the lives of our students and their families and I am so proud of the work they do for our community.”
