Page 26 - Math 9-10 (2009)

SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN MATHEMATICS 25
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 his or her learning, such as allowing additional time to complete tests or assign- ments or permitting oral responses to test questions (see page14 of IEP Standards, 2000, for more examples).
If a student requires “accommodations only” in mathematics courses, assessment and evalua- tion of his or her achievement will be based on the appropriate course curriculum expecta- tions and the achievement levels outlined in this document.
Students Requiring Modified Expectations. Some exceptional students will require modified expectations, which differ from the regular course expectations. For most of these students, modified expectations will be based on the regular course curriculum, with changes in the number and/or complexity of the expectations. It is important to monitor, and to reflect clearly in the student’s IEP, the extent to which expectations have been modified. As noted in Section 7.12 of the ministry’s policy document Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9 to 12: Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999, the principal will determine whether achievement of the modified expectations constitutes successful completion of the course, and will decide whether the student is eligible to receive a credit for the course. This decision must be com- municated to the parents and the student.
When a student is expected to achieve most of the curriculum expectations for the course, the modified expectations should identify how they differ from the course expectations. When modifications are so extensive that achievement of the learning expectations is not likely to result in a credit, the expectations should specify the precise requirements or tasks on which the student’s performance will be evaluated and which will be used to generate the course mark recorded on the Provincial Report Card. Modified expectations indicate the knowledge and/or skills the student is expected to demonstrate and have assessed in each reporting period (IEP Standards, 2000, pages 10 and 11). Modified expectations represent specific, realistic, observable, and measurable achievements and describe specific knowledge and/or skills that the student can demonstrate independently, given the appropriate assessment accommodations. The student’s learning expectations must be reviewed in relation to the student’s progress at least once every reporting period, and must be updated as necessary (IEP Standards, 2000, page 11).
If a student requires modified expectations in mathematics courses, assessment and evaluation of his or her achievement will be based on the learning expectations identified in the IEP and on the achievement levels outlined in this document. If some of the student’s learning expec- tations for a course are modified but the student is working towards a credit for the course, it is sufficient simply to check the IEP box. If, however, the student’s learning expectations are modified to such an extent that the principal deems that a credit will not be granted for the course, the IEP box must be checked and the appropriate statement from Guide to the Provincial Report Card, Grades 9–12, 1999 (page 8) must be inserted. The teacher’s comments should include relevant information on the student’s demonstrated learning of the modified expectations, as well as next steps for the student’s learning in the course.
English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD)
Young people whose first language is not English enter Ontario secondary schools with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Some may have experience of highly sophisticated educational systems while others may have had limited formal schooling. All of these students