Page 15 - The Individual Education Plan (IEP) - A Resource Guide, 2004

Other information that could be helpful for planning and implementing the student’s education program might include:
• the language spoken by the student at home
• the student’s enrolment history, last school attended, attendance patterns, school behaviour, and social skills
IEP team members will consult a number of written sources to obtain infor- mation needed for the IEP, including the following:
• the IPRC’s statement of decision, which specifies the student’s placement, identifies the student’s exceptionality, and describes the student’s strengths and needs and may include recommendations for the student’s special education program and services
• the student’s Ontario Student Record (OSR), including report cards and previous IEPs
• relevant assessment reports
• results of provincial assessments
• the student’s current work
• the student’s annual education plan (for students in Grades 7–12)
Note: When obtaining, releasing, or sharing personal information about a student, the principal must ensure that the requirements of the Education Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as the requirements regarding access to student information out- lined in The Ontario Student Record (OSR): Guideline, 2000, have been met.
In addition to using written sources, IEP team members will rely on consul- tations, direct observation of the student, and further assessments, if needed, as described in the following sections, to obtain the information they need.
Consult With Parents, the Student, School Staff, and Other Professionals
Consultation with the student’s parents and the student, school staff, support personnel, and representatives of outside agencies or services is a valuable source of information, and should be a continuous process throughout the development and implementation of a student’s IEP.
Consultation with parents
Parents can provide an invaluable perspective on their child’s personality, development, and learning. Open communication and cooperation between home and school will also ensure that the two have similar expectations with respect to the student’s special education program and services. Princi- pals are legally required to ensure that parents are consulted in the develop- ment of the IEP.
The Education Act and the Municipal Freedom of Informa- tion and Protection of Privacy Act in the case of school boards (the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in the case of Provincial Schools) con- tain requirements related to the collection, use, and release of personal information.
Principals and teachers should consult with their board’s freedom-of-information coordi- nators about the steps required to obtain access to personal information about the student that is not contained in the student’s OSR (for example, from other professionals who work with the student), and about providing information contained in the student’s OSR to other professionals.
Regulation 181/98, clause 6(6)(a), requires the principal,
in developing the individual edu- cation plan, to consult with the parent and, where the pupil is age 16 or older, the pupil.
Phase 1: Gather Information 13