Page 154 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Draft Part E: The Individual Education Plan (IEP) The IEP Process
Planning an educational program for a student with special education needs is best accomplished through the combined efforts of, and with close communication among, the student, the student’s parents, school staff, members of the community, and other professionals involved with the student. A collaborative IEP process that includes the development of a transition plan provides an opportunity for all who are involved with the student to work together to provide a program that will foster achievement and success. The team process should include the student and the student’s parents, as outlined in sections 9 and 10 of this part of the guide. Appendix E-4 provides a detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of educators and other professionals.
Once a student has been placed in a special education program, successful practice suggests that the principal should assign to one teacher the respon- sibility for coordinating the development, implementation, and monitoring of the student’s IEP. In special circumstances, the principal or another teacher may be assigned the responsibility for coordinating the transitions.
Regardless who is coordinating the IEP process, decisions related to program planning (represented in the sample IEP template in Appendix E-2 by the sections covering Current (Baseline) Level of Achievement, Annual Program Goals, Learning Expectations, Teaching Strategies, and Assessment Methods) should be made by the individual who teaches the student and prepares the report card – usually the classroom teacher. This teacher is responsible for instructing the student and for assessing the student’s learning in relation to the learning expectations identified in the student’s IEP.
A team approach should underlie the IEP process, and the process should focus on how the student is expected to progress through the Ontario curriculum – with or without accommodations, modified expectations, and/or alternative programs (those not described in the Ontario curriculum) – as well as on how the student will make key educational transitions, including the transition to a postsecondary destination.
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