Page 9 - Shared Solutions: A Guide to Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Regarding Programs and Services for Students with Special Education Needs 2007

Students with special education needs may require accommodations and/or modifications to the Ontario curriculum, and/or programs or courses with alter- native expectations, or a combination of the three. The following chart defines these three main strategies in the delivery of special education programs.
Overview of Special Education
Accommodations Accommodations are the teaching strategies, supports, and/or services that provide students with access to
the curriculum and enable them to demonstrate learning.
Modifications Modifications are changes made to the grade-level curriculum expectations for a subject or course to
meet the needs of the student.
Programs and Courses With Alternative Expectations
Alternative expectations outline learning related to skill development in areas not represented in the Ontario curriculum policy documents.
The elements involved in the delivery of a special education program are out- lined below. Not all parts of this process are applicable to every student with special education needs.
An entry-to-school plan is the first occasion for parents and educators, and possibly community partners, to collaborate in the development of procedures to promote a smooth entry to school for children with special education needs.3
The Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) process deter- mines if a student should be identified as an “exceptional pupil” and states the exceptionality and the appropriate placement that will best meet the stu- dent’s strengths and needs. School boards have the discretion to provide spe- cial education programs and services for students who are not formally identified as exceptional. For example, an IPRC is not required when both the school and the parents agree that the student with special education needs should be placed in a regular classroom.4
The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a written plan outlining the appro- priate special education programs and services to be received by a student with special education needs. For most students with special education needs, the IEP and the Provincial Report Card are interrelated documents, in that achievement of the learning expectations set out in the IEP should typi- cally be clearly recorded on the Provincial Report Card. An IEP must be
3. For more information, refer to Ontario Ministry of Education, Planning Entry to School: A Resource Guide, 2005.
4. See Ontario Ministry of Education, Memoranda from the Deputy Minister of Education, “Special Education Transformation Initiatives”, October 12, 2006, and “Instructions for Submission of School Boards’/School Authorities’ 2007 Special Education Plans”, November 30, 2006.
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