Page 49 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

• Classroom teachers are the key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development.
• Classroom teachers need the support of the larger community to create a learning environment that supports students with special education needs.
• Fairness is not sameness.
In any given classroom, students may demonstrate a wide range of strengths and needs. Teachers plan programs that recognize this diversity and give students performance tasks that respect their particular abilities so that all students can derive the greatest possible benefit from the teaching and learning process. The use of flexible groupings for instruction and the provision of ongoing assessment are important elements of programs that accom- modate a diversity of learning needs.
In planning Canadian and world studies courses for students with special education needs, teachers should begin by examining both the curriculum expectations in the course appropriate for the individual student and the student’s particular strengths and learning needs to determine which of the following options is appropriate for the student:
• no accommodations10 or modified expectations; or
• accommodations only; or
• modified expectations, with the possibility of accommodations; or
• alternative expectations, which are not derived from the curriculum expectations for a course and which constitute alternative programs and/or courses.
If the student requires either accommodations or modified expectations, or both, the relevant information, as described in the following paragraphs, must be recorded in his or her Individual Education Plan (IEP). More detailed information about planning programs for students with special education needs, including students who require alternative programs and/or courses,11 can be found in The Individual Education Plan (IEP): A Resource Guide, 2004 (referred to hereafter as the IEP Resource Guide, 2004). For a detailed discussion of the ministry’s requirements for IEPs, see Individual Education Plans: Standards for Development, Program Planning, and Implementation, 2000 (referred to hereafter as IEP Standards, 2000). (Both documents are available at www.ontario.ca/edu.)
Students Requiring Accommodations Only
Some students with special education needs are able, with certain accommodations, to participate in the regular course curriculum and to demonstrate learning independently. Accommodations allow the student with special education needs to access the curriculum without any changes to the course expectations. The accommodations required to facilitate the student’s learning must be identified in his or her IEP (IEP Standards, 2000, p. 11).
A student’s IEP is likely to reflect the same accommodations for many, or all, subjects
or courses.
10. “Accommodations” refers to individualized teaching and assessment strategies, human supports, and/or individualized equipment (see Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12, 2010, p. 72).
11. Alternative programs are identified on the IEP by the term “alternative (ALT)”.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES
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