Page 57 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Cooperative Education

• 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 are attuned to this diversity and use an integrated process of assessment and instruction that responds to the unique strengths and needs of each student. An approach that combines principles of universal design and differentiated instruction enables educators to provide personalized, precise teaching and learning experiences for all students.
In planning cooperative education courses for students with special education needs, teachers should begin by examining the curriculum expectations in the course appropriate for the individual student, the student’s particular strengths and learning needs, and the potential community placement to determine which of the following options is appropriate for the student:
• no accommodations21 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 their 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,22 can be found in Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide, 2017 (Draft) (referred to hereafter as Special Education in 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 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 their 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. In cooperative education, accommodations identified in a student’s IEP must be provided in both the classroom and community components of the course.
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.
21. “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).
22. Alternative programs are identified on the IEP by the term “alternative (ALT)”.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
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