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• Roots of Ontario Legislation and Policy
• Bill 82 (1980), An Amendment to the Education
  Act
• Universal access right of all children,
  condition notwithstanding, to be enrolled in
  school
• Early and ongoing assessment
• Provision of special education programs and
  services
• IPRCs, including parental involvement
• School Board Special Education Advisory
  Committees and Special Education Education
  Plans.
• Full implementation September 1, 1985
• Regulations developed to ensure phased-in
  implementation
• Policy and Legislation were process driven,
  similar to U.S.

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• Ministry of Education Strategic Directions
• Goals
• High levels of student achievement
• literacy and numeracy initiatives 75 target by
  2008
• student success/learning to age 18 strategy 85
  graduation rate by 2010
• Reduced gaps in student achievement
• Increased public confidence and support for
  public education
• Activities
• Identifying and supporting effective teaching,
  learning and assessment practices
• Identifying and supporting effective gap-reducing
  practices
• Engaging students, families and communities in
  building a supportive learning environment
• Increasing system effectiveness, efficiency,
  transparency and responsiveness

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• Early Intervention
• The majority of children begin their education
  career in a regular classroom in their
  neighbourhood school.
• When concerns about a students educational
  progress are noted by the teacher and/or parent,
  a referral is usually made to an in-school team.
• The in-school team will suggest different
  teaching methods, intervention strategies, and
  monitor the effectiveness of the interventions.
• If these early interventions are not successful,
  the principal may refer the student to a school
  boards Identification, Placement and Review
  Committee (IPRC).

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• Identification, Placement and Review Committee
  (IPRC)
• A student is referred to an IPRC to determine if
  specific and ongoing special education programs
  and services are required.
• Parents may also request that an IPRC be convened
  to determine if their child should be identified
  as needing special education.
• Students receiving special education are those
  whose educational needs cannot be met through
  regular instructional and assessment practices
  because of their behavioural, communication,
  intellectual, physical or multiple
  exceptionalities.

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• IPRC Contd
• In making its decision, the IPRC considers an
  educational assessment of the student and may
  consider health and/or psychological assessments
  as well.
• An IPRC decides whether a student will be
  identified as an exceptional pupil and, if so
  identified, determines the classroom placement
  for the student.
• An IPRC must conduct an annual review of these
  decisions, unless the parent waives this
  requirement of the school board.
• Parents/guardians and students 16 years of age or
  older have a role in the IPRC process.

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• Categories and Definitions of Exceptionality
• Where the IPRC has identified a student as
  exceptional, the decision will include the
  categories and definitions of any
  exceptionalities using the categories and
  definitions established by the Ministry of
  Education.

5 Categories and 12 Definitions of
Exceptionalities BEHAVIOUR
INTELLECTUAL MULTIPLE EXCEPTIONALITIES
Behaviour Giftedness
Multiple Exceptionalities Mild
Intellectual Disability COMMUNICATION
Developmental Disability Autism Deaf
and Hard-of-Hearing PHYSICAL Language
Impairment Physical Disability Speech
Impairment Blind and Low Vision
Learning Disability
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• Students Formally Identified by IPRC
• In the 2004/05 school year, 190,272 students were
  identified as exceptional by school board IPRCs

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• Additional Students
• In 2004/05, school boards reported that an
  additional 99,733 students not formally
  identified as exceptional were receiving special
  education programs and services. 61,275 of these
  students were reported to have an IEP.
• Total Students Served
• In total, 290,005 students were reported by
  school boards to be receiving special education
  programs and services in 2004/05.

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• Classroom Placement
• Regulation 181/98 requires that an IPRC shall,
  before considering the option of placement in a
  special education class, consider whether
  placement in a regular class, with appropriate
  special education services
• would meet the students needs and
• is consistent with parental preference.
• Parents who disagree with an IPRC identification
  and/or placement decision may appeal to a School
  Board Appeal Board and, thereafter, to the
  Ontario Special Education Tribunal.

Options for Placement Regular Classroom with
Indirect Support Regular Classroom with Resource
Assistance Regular Classroom with Withdrawal
Assistance Special Education Class with Partial
Integration Special Education Class Full Time
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• Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Since exceptional students have learning needs
  that differ from the general student population,
  school boards are required to develop an
  Individual Education Plan (IEP) for each
  identified student.
• School boards also have the discretion to develop
  an IEP for students who have not been formally
  identified as exceptional.
• An IEP outlines the special education programs
  and services to be provided to the student.

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• Special Education Programs and Services
• Special education programs primarily consist of
  instruction and assessments that are different
  from those provided to the general student
  population. These may take the form of
  accommodations (e.g. specific teaching
  strategies, preferential seating, and assistive
  technology) and/or an educational program that is
  modified from the Ontario curriculum.
• Special education services typically refer to the
  provision of services such as assistance with
  personal care and may involve additional
  personnel supports such as teachers assistants.

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• Policy for Individual Education Plans
• Mandated in IEP Standards policy document
  (September 2000)
• Provided consistent standards for boards when
  developing, implementing and monitoring IEPs
• Boards asked to submit IEPs representing both
  panels, all exceptionalities, and variety of
  placements in May 2001, January 2002, and January
  2003
• All 72 district school boards participated in one
  of the three IEP Reviews

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• IEP Review Findings
• Continued work is required in the following
• Direct connection to the Ontario curriculum and
  to the report card
• Direct connection between assessment information,
  strengths and needs, and the program and/or
  services to be provided
• Parent/student consultation
• Reviewing and updating each reporting period
• Development by classroom teachers responsible for
  direct instruction

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• IEP Review Findings Contd
• Continued work is required in the following
• Specificity with regard to the knowledge and
  skills to be assessed each term
• Clear application of terms modified,
  alternative and accommodated only to describe
  subjects, courses or skill areas
• Language that is easily understood by parents and
  students
• Templates with the capacity to record all of the
  information required

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• AN INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN
• Is a working document
• Is about curriculum planning, given the students
  areas of need
• Is a written plan for assessment with a clear
  connection to the report card
• Involves parent and student consultation

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• Reason for an IEP
• Every student identified as exceptional by an
  IPRC must have an IEP
• Not mandatory for non-identified students, but
  recommended for
• Students who are to be assessed using modified
  expectations for reporting on the provincial
  report card and/or alternative expectations on an
  alternative report form
• Students who regularly require accommodations for
  instructional, environmental, or assessment
  situations

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• Accommodations
• Refer to the teaching strategies, supports and/or
  services that are required in order for the
  student to access the curriculum and demonstrate
  learning
• Accommodations do not alter the provincial
  learning expectations for the grade level
• Subjects that are accommodated only do not
  require annual program goals or learning
  expectations

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• Types of Accommodations
• Instructional Accommodations refer to changes in
  teaching strategies that allow the student to
  access the curriculum
• Environmental Accommodations refer to changes
  that are required to the classroom and/or school
  environment
• Assessment Accommodations refer to changes that
  are required in order for the student to
  demonstrate learning
• IEPs should reflect teaching strategies and
  accommodations that are different from those used
  with other students in the class

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• Evaluation and Reporting to Parents
• Subjects/Courses with Accommodations Only
• Provincial curriculum learning expectations are
  not altered
• Student progress must be recorded on the
  Provincial Report Card
• Do not check the IEP box and the statement
  referring to learning expectations in the IEP
  should not be used

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• Modifications
• Refer to the changes made to the grade level
  expectations for a subject or course to meet the
  needs of the student
• They include
• Expectations from a different grade level
• Significant changes (increase or decrease) to the
  number and/or complexity of the learning
  expectations

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• Evaluation and Reporting to Parents
• Subjects/Courses with Modifications
• Student progress is based on the independent
  demonstration of learning, given the provision of
  appropriate assessment accommodations
• Student progress must be recorded on the
  Provincial Report Card
• IEP box must be checked and include the
  appropriate statement The grade/mark is based on
  achievement of the expectations in the IEP, which
  vary from the Grade __ expectations.

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• Alternative Learning Expectations
• Refer to learning related to skill development in
  areas not represented in the Ontario curriculum
  policy documents
• Expectations should represent a specific program
  designed and delivered to the student
• Possible skill areas include
• Orientation and mobility
• Personal care
• Anger management
• Social skills

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• Evaluation and Reporting to Parents
• Subjects/Courses with Alternative Expectations
• Student progress is based on the independent
  demonstration of learning, given the provision of
  appropriate assessment accommodations
• Student progress should be reported through
  anecdotal comments on an alternative report
• For alternative courses, no mark should be
  provided unless it is beneficial to the student
• Alternative report to accompany the Provincial
  Report Card

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• Useful Links
• Ontario Ministry of Education, Special Education
• http//www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/spec
  ed/
• speced.html
• Special Education Advisory Committee Information
  Program
• http//seac-learning.ca
• Special Education Companion to the Ontario
  Curriculum Unit Planner
• http//www.ocup.org