Page 48 - Learning for All – A Guide to Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2013

46 • Learning for All
The Ontario Student Record (OSR)
The OSR is the official record of a student’s educational progress through schools in Ontario. It consists of the following components:
• an OSR folder
• provincial report cards
• an Ontario Student Transcript (OST)
• a documentation file, where applicable (contains educational and professional
assessments, IEP, transition plan, etc.)
• an Office Index Card
• additional information identified as conducive to the improvement of the
instruction of the student
For more information on the OSR, see The Ontario Student Record (OSR) Guideline, 2000.
• Consultations with parents, students, current and previous teachers, school team(s), the special education teacher, community partners. Consultations with parents, students, educators, and community partners who have been involved with the student’s education will provide critical insights that cannot be obtained from other sources.
• Classroom observation and other classroom assessments. Ongoing classroom observation, along with the use of various assessment tools that are closely linked to the learning goals and objectives of each lesson and that are designed in a way that enables the student to best demonstrate his or her learning, is critical for determining the student’s current achievement level and readiness to learn. Classroom observation and assessments also provide information about a student’s general learning behaviour and help the teacher track and analyse changes in the student’s learning behaviour. Such information enables the teacher to personalize and provide more precise instructional strategies.
2. Providing Accommodations to Help Meet Student Needs
The information gathered for the student profile will provide educators with more in-depth information about individual students’ learning strengths, styles, preferences, interests, and readiness to learn. This information will inform considerations of the types of accommoda- tions9 that might enhance classroom dynamics and help individual students in the class learn and demonstrate their learning. Providing appropriate accommodations is a significant step in applying the principles of UDL – that is, ensuring that planning is flexible, supportive, adjustable, and focused on increasing access to the curriculum by all students. Accommoda- tions can include adjustment of timelines on assignments and projects, seating arrangements and grouping strategies, access to information and communications technologies (ICT), and access to various types of organizational tools (e.g., advance organizers, visual schedules).
9. Although the term accommodations is typically used in connection with students who have special education needs, as well as English language learners, in this document it is being used more broadly, in reference to ways of meeting the learning needs of all students.