Special Education Plan
June 2010
Amendments to
Special Education Plan
2010
June, 2011
Bluewater District School Board
Administration Office: |
351 1st Avenue North P.O. Box 190 Chesley, Ontario N0G 1L0 Phone: (519) 363-2014 Fax: (519) 370-2909 Student Services: Fax: (519) 370-2913 |
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Satellite Office: |
799 16th Avenue Hanover, Ontario N4N 5A1 Phone: (519) 364-0605 Fax: (519) 370-2969 Transportation: 519-370-2960 |
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Website: |
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Introduction
Development of the Special Education Plan
Acknowledgements
The Board’s Consultation Process
Demographics
Annual Review Process
Philosophy of Program and Service Delivery
Equity
Collaboration and Partnerships
Student-Centred Processes
Independence of Students
Individual Differences
Transitions
Opportunities for Growth
Accountability and Communications
Early Interventions
Relationships of Special Education/Curriculum Assessment
School Cultures
The Ministry of Education
Bluewater District School Board
The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
Student Services – District Level
The Superintendent of Student Services
The Principal of Student Services
The Vice-Principal of Section 23/Student Services
The Student Services SAT Council
Psychologist/Psychological Associate/Psychometrist
The System Support Teacher
The Educational Assistant Supervisor
The Training and Development Supervisor for Educational Assistants
The Communicative Disorders Assistant
The Speech Language Pathologist/Specialized Equipment Focus
The Educational Audiologist
The Teacher of Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
The Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments.
The Specialized Educational Support Staff
The Secretarial Support Staff
Community Agencies
Student Services – Area Level
The Teacher of the Gifted/Talented
The Speech Language Pathologist
The Area Resource Teacher
The Attendance Counsellor
The Behaviour Lead Teacher
The Education Liaison Teacher
The SALEP Teacher
Student Services – At the School Level
The School Principal
The Teacher
The Educational Assistant
The Learning Resource Teacher
The Developmental Learning Resource Teacher
The Special Education Resource Teacher..
The School Behaviour Teacher
The Guidance Resource Teacher
The Teacher – Section 23 Program
The Parent/Guardian
The Student
Early Identification
Overview of Early Identification/Prevention
Criteria for Early Identification/Prevention
Principles for Early Identification/Prevention
Resources for Early Identification/Prevention
Procedures for Early Identification/Prevention – Preschool Programs
Early Development Instrument (E.D.I.)
Roles of Teachers, Principal and Parents
Role of the School Staff
Role of the Classroom Teacher
Role of the Learning Resource Teacher
Role of the Principal
Role of the Parent
Procedures for Notifying Parents
Parent Interview
Steps in Early Intervention Practices for all Students
Classroom Level
School Team
Notifying Parents of Children’s Learning Needs
Parent/Teacher/Student Meeting
Referral for Assessment Services
Parent Notification of Consideration for Special Education
Programs or Services
Types of Early Intervention Strategies Used Prior to Referral to IPRC
Parent Notification of Referral to an IPRC
Additional Support Programs for Students
Volunteers
Peer Tutoring
Peer Helpers
Cooperative Education Placements
Mentorship Programs
Community Programs
Tragedy Response/Crisis Response Guidelines
Rainbows Program
The IPRC Process
Background
Responsibilities of IPRC
Reasons to Consider Referral to IPRC
Parental Involvement and Informing Parents
Information Required by the Committee
Annual Review
Parental Consent for Placement
Parent Disagreement with the IPRC
Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) Statistics
Referrals, Review and Appeals as at March 2009
Bluewater District School Board Parent’s Guide to IPRC
Communication of Assessment Information
Coordination of Assessment Information
Guiding Principles for Special Education Assessment
Uses of Special Education Assessments
Levels of Assessment
Formal and Informal Assessments
Classroom Teachers
Learning Resource Teachers
Area Resource Teachers
T.R.A.I.L. Teachers (Teacher of the Gifted/Talented)
Speech and Language Staff
Psychologist/Psychological Associate/Psychometrist
Psychological Assessments
Accessing Psychological Assessment Services and Management of referrals
Informed Consent.
Protocols for Sharing Assessment Information and Protection of Privacy..
Specialized Health Support Services in School Settings
Summary of Services Provided
Special Education Placements Provided by the Board
Overview of Special Education Programs
Range of Placement Options
Criteria for Placement in Special Education Programs
Integration Strategies
Special Class Placements
Regular Class Placements
Programs and Services Available Programs
Communication
Blind/Low Vision
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Physical/Medical
Gifted Resource
Criteria for Change of Placement
Pilot Program for Students with Learning Disabilities
Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils (SALEP)
Objectives
Target Group
Accessibility
In-School Program Offers
Out-of-School Program
Environment
SALEP Referral Procedure
Locations and Contacts
SALEP Centre Educational Agreement
In-Class Time
Work Experience
Education Programs in Care, Treatment, Custody and Correctional Facilities (Section 23)
Children’s Treatment Centres & Provincial Demonstration Schools
Services
Exceptionality Criteria
Categories and Definitions of Exceptionalities
Behaviour
Communication
Autism
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
Language Impairment
Speech Impairment
Learning Disability
Intellectual
Giftedness
Mild Intellectual Disability
Developmental Disability
Classes for Developmental Learners – 2009-2010
Physical
Physical Disability
Blind and Low Vision
Multiple
Multiple Exceptionalities
Individual Education Plan
The Elements of Individual Education Plans
What Information do we include in an IEP?
Reasons for Developing an IEP
Processes for Dispute Resolution Where Parents and Board Staff
Disagree on Significant Aspects of the Individual Education Plan
Meeting Ministry Standards
The Five Phases of the IEP Process
Insert – Individual Education Plan for Elementary DL Sample
Provincial Schools and Provincial Demonstration Schools
W. Ross Macdonald School: School for the Blind and Deaf-Blind
Provincial Schools for the Deaf
Admittance to a Provincial School
Schools for the Deaf
Placement Application Procedure
Provincial School Contacts
Provincial Schools Branch, Ministry of Education
Schools for the Deaf
School for the Blind and Deaf-Blind
School for the Deaf, Blind and Deaf-Blind
Provincial Demonstration Schools
Bluewater District School Board Placement Statistics 2009-2010
Children’s Treatment Centres
Qualifications of Student Services Support Personnel
2009-2010 Elementary Panel
2009-2010 Secondary Panel
Criteria for Assigning Educational Assistants
Staff Input
SEAC Input on Staff Development
Support Networks
Professional Development Sessions
Growth Opportunities for Other Partners
School Teams
Inter-School Peer Assistance
Professional Development from Provincial Schools and Agencies
School Leadership
Supervisory and Support Personnel
Sharing of Best Practice
Professional Development Annual Plan
Funding for Professional Development
Communication About Professional Development Opportunities
Equipment
Accessibility Plan, Plant, Capital Retrofits
Ontarians with Disabilities Act – Bluewater District School Board Planning
Capital Retrofits Charts
Transportation
Students Requiring Alternate Transportation Arrangements
Safety Criteria for the Selection of Transportation Providers for Exceptional Students
Summer School
Procedure for Transportation to Provincial Demonstration Schools
Bluewater Students Transported to Provincial Schools 2009-2010
What is the Special Education Advisory Committee?
What does SEAC do?
Meeting Times, Places and Formats
Nomination Process
Members’ Contact Information
Means of Participation
Communication
Code of Ethics and Meeting Norms
Who are the SEAC Members?
Transition of Students
Let’s Learn Clinics – Early Identification/Kindergarten Registration
Let’s Learn Background History
Expected Outcomes of Let’s Learn Early Identification Process
Data Collection and Analysis
Future Enhancements
Transitions of Special Needs Students From Other Jurisdictions or Programs
Coordination of Assessment Information
Programs and Partnerships with Other Ministries or Agencies W.R.A.P., WRAParound Process or WRAPid
Guiding Principles
WRAP Services
Eligibility
Thinking Together For Children and Youth (TTCY)
Speech and Language Services Partnership
School Support Program - Autism Spectrum Disorder
Other Partnerships
Bluewater District School Board’s Strategic Plan
Foundations for Learning / Map / Schools by Area listing
Policies, Procedures and Forms
Resources
Let's Learn Parent Brochure
Common Understandings
A Guide to Addressing Student Needs for Administrators and Teachers
School Attendance Handbook – Table of Contents
WRAP for Children
Section 23 Facilities
Let’s Grow
Special Education Electronic Planner
Specialized Health Support Services in School Settings, Bluewater DSB
Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
Handbook for Members of Special Education Advisory Committees
Code of Ethics
Meeting Norms
Staff Development
Planning Guide for the Special Education Team
Educational Assistant Framework
Bluewater District School Board Staff Development
Staff Development & Professional Development Offered by Student Services Staff 2009-2010
GLOSSARY
The following information is provided to assist the reader with the terms used in this document.
Word Conventions
Board - Bluewater District School Board
Ministry - Ministry of Education for the Province of Ontario
Parent - parent/legal guardian
Parents - parents/legal guardians
The terms ‘parent’ and ‘parents’ are understood to mean one or both parents or legal guardians.
Groups of Letters and What They Represent
IEP - Individual Education Plan
IPRC - Identification, Placement and Review Committee
OAC - Ontario Academic Credit
OSR - Ontario School Record
SBT - School based team
SEA - Specialized Equipment Amount
SEAC - Special Education Advisory Committee
SEPPA - Special Education Per Pupil Amount
LRT - Learning Resource teacher
SES - Special Education services
BWDSB - Bluewater District School Board
Teachers
ART - Area Resource Teacher
BLT - Behaviour Lead Teacher
BRT - Behaviour Resource Teacher
BST - Behaviour Support Teacher
DLRT - Developmental Learning Resource Teacher
ELT - Education Liaison Teacher
GRT - Guidance Resource Teacher
LRT - Learning Resource Teacher
LCT - Literacy Contact Teacher
MCT - Math Contact Teacher
SCLT - System Curriculum Lead Teacher
SERT - Special Education Resource Teacher
SO - Supervisory Officer
Occupations
CDA - Communicative Disorders Assistant
CYW - Child and Youth Worker
EA - Educational Assistant
OT - Occupational Therapist
PT - Physiotherapist
SLP - Speech/Language Pathologist
SW - Social Worker
TA - Teaching Assistant (Saugeen First Nations)
Exceptionalities/Diagnostic Conditions
ABI - Acquired Brain Injury
ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder
CD - Conduct Disorder
CP - Cerebral Palsy
DL - Developmental Learner
HI - Hearing impaired
LD - Learning Disabled
ODD - Oppositional Defiant Disorder
PDD - Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Agencies/Groups
CAS - Children's Aid Society
CCAC - Community Care Access Centre
CPRI - Child Parent Resource Institute
DSEC - District Specialized Equipment Committee
EQAO - Education Quality and Accountability Office
IPSLS - Integrated Preschool Speech Language Service
Keystone - Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services
MCSS - Ministry of Community and Social Services
MOE - Ministry of Education
PAAC - Parent Association Advisory Council
RSA - Regional Support Associates
SEAC - Special Education Advisory Committee
SFN - Saugeen First Nations
Programs
SALEP - Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils
Section 23 - a treatment and care program for students in the care of a Children’s Aid Society / Ministry of Youth and Corrections
TRAIL - To Realize Advanced Independent Learning - program for Gifted students
WRAP - Working to Reinforce All Partners
WRAPid - Long Term Suspension and Expelled Pupil Program
Assessments/Tests
A&E - Assessment and Evaluation
ALL - Assessment of Literacy and Language
CAT - Canadian Achievement Test
CELF - Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals
CTCS - Canadian Test of Cognitive Skills
GFTA - Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation
MAVA - Montgomery Assessment of Vocabulary Acquisition - Receptive
MAVA - Montgomery Assessment of Vocabulary Acquisition - Expressive
PPVT - Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
SAGES - Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary Students
TAAS - Test of Auditory Analysis Skills
TABS - Temperament and Atypical Behaviour Scale
WISC - 3 - Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children - 3rd revision
WIAT - Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
WRAT - Wide Range Achievement Test
Other:
ABA - Applied Behavioural Analysis
AEP - Annual Education Plan
AF - Administrative Form
AP - Administrative Procedure
BEAM - Bluewater Education and Messaging
BP - Board Policy
BWDSB - Bluewater District School Board
IBI - Intensive Behavioural Intervention
ID - Identification
IEP - Individual Education Plan
IPRC - Identification, Placement and Review Committee
ODSP - Ontario Disability Support Pension
OSR - Ontario School Record
PPM - Policy/Program Memorandum
District Groups / Meetings:
ASM - Area of Schools' meeting
EDD - Early Dismissal Day
SAT - System Administrative Team (all the Supervising Officers and Director of the Board)
SAM - System Administrators' Meeting (all the principals)
SS - Student Services
Other Terms and How They Are Used
The explanations given for the following terms may be helpful to the reader.
Term Refers to
accommodations |
changes to the way in which a student is taught that meet student needs and allow the student to demonstrate grade level expectations, e.g., visual support for oral instruction, adjust time-lines, vary the test format, verbatim scribing of responses |
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annual review |
a meeting of the IPRC that must occur within a year of the identification of a student as exceptional, to review the identification and placement of the student assessment information that is gathered by various means about a student in relation to his/her performance at school, e.g., observation, testing |
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case conference |
a meeting, to discuss student progress and determine a course of action, that involves the parents, the student (as appropriate), the student’s teacher(s) and others as required |
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congregated class |
a group of special education students with similar needs in a classroom environment that provides specialized resources to assist the students |
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congregated setting |
a location, usually a school, where specialized resources are gathered to support students with special education needs who are frequently integrated into the general school population |
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determination(s) |
the decisions made by the IPRC regarding the identification and placement of a student |
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Documentation File |
a folder within the Ontario School Record where items, other than the student’s report cards, are filed |
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e.g., |
for example |
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exceptional student |
a student who has been identified as having special needs according the ministry’s categories and definitions of exceptionalities |
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exceptionality |
a description of special needs according to the ministry’s categories and definitions of exceptionalities e.g., the student’s exceptionality is communication/learning disability |
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family of schools |
a group of schools, usually made up of a secondary school and the elementary schools whose students go on to attend the secondary school |
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home school |
the school that a student would normally attend according to the student’s home location |
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identification |
in the context of the IPRC process, the determination that a student is exceptional according to the categories and definitions of exceptionalities provided by the ministry |
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i.e., |
that is |
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inclusion |
similar to integration, but with an emphasis on facilitating the interconnectedness of special education students and regular class/ program students |
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integrated setting |
a teaching-learning environment where special education students and regular class students work together |
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integration |
the participation of special education students in the regular class/program setting |
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intensive support amount |
funding (money received from the ministry) that is based on the (ISA) board’s proportion of students who need very costly special education services |
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itinerant teacher |
(staff) specially trained teachers (staff) who provide service to students in several locations, i.e., they go to where the student is |
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Learning Resource Teacher |
a teacher with training in special education who works part time or full-time in a school to assist students with special needs students and their teachers |
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modifications |
changes made to the curriculum that occur when the expectations identified for a student’s grade placement are not appropriate for the student; modifications result in curriculum expectations that are different from those of the student’s current grade placement |
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Ontario Academic Credit |
a secondary school credit course that is beyond the grade 12 level of difficulty |
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Ontario Student Record |
the record of a student’s progress through the school system |
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placement |
in the context of the IPRC process, the program and location in which an exceptional student will receive his/her instruction |
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program leader |
a special education consultant who has responsibility for the program(s) that serve the needs of students with specific exceptionalities |
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school based team |
a group of school staff that meets regularly to consider the needs of students and provided assistance to the teachers who are working with them |
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school case manager |
the specific staff member in a school who serves as the contact for a specific student and works on behalf of the student |
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Section 23 |
(formerly known as Section 20) program and services supporting care and treatment for exceptional students |
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trustee |
an elected member of the Bluewater District School Board |
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