Page 44 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies
Ontario, 2017). For a detailed discussion of the ministry’s requirements for IEPs, see Part E of Special Education in Ontario. (The document is available at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/ eng/document/policy/os/onschools_2017e.pdf)
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 the student’s IEP (Special Education in Ontario, 2017, p. E38). A student’s IEP is likely to reflect the same accommodations for many,
or all, subjects or courses.
Providing accommodations to students with special education needs should be the first option considered in program planning. Instruction based on principles of universal design and differentiated instruction focuses on the provision of accommodations to meet the diverse needs of learners.
There are three types of accommodations:
• Instructional accommodations are changes in teaching strategies, including styles of presentation, methods of organization, or use of technology and multimedia. Some examples include the use of graphic organizers, photocopied notes, or assistive software.
• Environmental accommodations are changes that the student may require in the classroom and/or school environment, such as preferential seating or special lighting.
• Assessment accommodations are changes in assessment procedures that enable the student to demonstrate their learning, such as allowing additional time to complete tests or assignments or permitting oral responses to test questions.
(See page E39 of Special Education in Ontario, 2017, for more examples.)
If a student requires “accommodations only” in Canadian and world studies courses, assessment and evaluation of their achievement will be based on the regular course curriculum expectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document. The IEP box on the student’s provincial report card will not be checked, and no information on the provision of accommodations will be included.
Students Requiring Modified Expectations
In Canadian and world studies courses, modified expectations for most students with special education needs will be based on the regular course expectations, with an increase or decrease in the number and/or complexity of the expectations. Modified expectations must represent specific, realistic, observable, and measurable goals, and must describe specific knowledge and/or skills that the student can demonstrate independently, given the appropriate assessment accommodations.
It is important to monitor, and to reflect clearly in the student’s IEP, the extent to which expectations have been modified. The principal will determine whether achievement of the modified expectations constitutes successful completion of the course, and will decide
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