Parent`s Guide to Special Education

Philosophy
The Durham Catholic District School Board supports the belief that
each student is unique, with individual strengths and needs that can
be best provided for in the neighbourhood school. Our Catholic
school communities respect and accept the challenges of diversity.
Recognizing the dignity and worth of each person, the Durham
Catholic District School Board brings together all members of the
Catholic school, parish and community, in an effort to realize the full
potential of each student.
All teachers share in the responsibility of providing appropriate
education for every student in their care. The concept of inclusion is
based on the belief that all teachers are special educators who differ
only in the extent of their training and expertise. The classroom/
subject teacher may access resource staff within the school or draw
upon the wider resources of the system as the need arises.
Fundamental to this process is the collaboration among educators
and support staff to deliver a variety of services, programs and
strategies to achieve measurable, successful outcomes.
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Parents as Partners
The collaborative process extends beyond the school and into the
home. Parents are full partners in the education of their child,
therefore parental participation and interest are important to student
success and motivation. Parents are invited to be an integral part of
the team planning and implementation process. Ongoing
communication helps to ensure that their child's diversified needs
are met in an inclusive setting. Parents are encouraged to be closely
involved in the education of their child through visits to the school
and classroom, contact with the teacher, as well as participation in
the School Team process.
“And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
(Colossians 3:17)
Parents collaborate with school personnel to develop, implement
and monitor the Individual Education Plan (IEP). The plan describes
the strengths and needs of an individual student, the special
education program and services established to meet the student’s
needs and how the program and services will be delivered. The IEP
is a flexible, working document that can be adjusted as necessary.
Parents are kept informed of their child's progress on a regular basis.
Both formal and informal interviews are held throughout the year.
If requested, an Identification, Placement and Review Committee
(IPRC) can meet to discuss the formal identification and placement
of a student.
Special Education Services
It is the goal of the Durham Catholic District School Board to have
the educational needs of all students met through appropriate
programming in a regular classroom in their home school. To ensure
that the strengths and needs of each student are met, the following
process is followed:
Elementary
Phase l: Recognition and Program Adjustment
When a student is experiencing difficulty, the classroom teacher:
• determines strengths/areas needing development;
• conferences with the parents regarding concerns;
• reviews the Ontario Student Record (OSR);
• consults with the Program Support teacher for resources and/or
strategies, as needed;
• makes program adjustments, if needed and updates the parents.
The classroom teacher, Program Support teacher and parents may
decide that a School Team Meeting is necessary to discuss the
student’s program. The classroom teacher and Program Support
teacher will schedule a meeting time convenient to all participants.
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Phase ll: Referral to School Team Meeting
During a School Team Meeting, school personnel and parents
share observations and offer information about the student.
Members of a School Team Meeting include:
• Principal/Vice-Principal (Chair);
• Classroom Teacher and/or Program Support Teacher;
• Parent;
• Student (when appropriate).
Additional members of the School Team Meeting may include:
• Educational Assistants;
• Student Services resource personnel;
• Community resources may also be invited with the approval of
the principal and the parent. This may include an advocate.
Minutes of the School Team Meeting are recorded and retained for
future reference. An essential component of the School Team
Meeting is the development of a plan of action that may include:
• The development of an Individual Education Plan with further
accommodations and/or modifications;
• Involvement of Program Support;
• An in-school assessment;
• A request for additional input and/or services from Board
resource personnel, which may include:
o Family of Schools Coordinator
o Resource Teachers
o Psychological Services
o Child and Youth Counselor Services
o Social Work Services
o Child and Youth Counselor Services
o Social Work Services
o Speech and Language Services
o Program Consultants
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•
A date for a future meeting to evaluate the progress of
the plan of action.
Secondary
Phase l: Recognition and Program Adjustment
When a secondary student is experiencing difficulty, a concern is
brought to the attention of the Program Support teacher by a
subject teacher, Curriculum Chair, parents or principal.
The student’s teacher(s) and Program Support teacher:
• determines strengths/areas needing development;
• conferences with the parents regarding concerns;
• reviews the Ontario Student Record (OSR);
• consults with the Program Support teacher for resources
and/or strategies, as needed;
• makes program adjustments, if needed and updates the
parents.
The Program Support teacher and parents may decide that a School
Team Meeting is necessary to discuss the student’s program. The
Program Support teacher will schedule a meeting time convenient
to all participants.
Phase ll: Referral to School Team Meeting
During a School Team Meeting, school personnel and parents
share observations and offer information about the student.
Members of a School Team Meeting include:
• Principal/Vice-Principal (Chair);
• Program Support Chair/Teacher;
• Guidance Department Representation;
• Subject Teacher Representation;
• Parents;
• Student (when appropriate).
Additional members of the School Team Meeting may be include:
• Educational Assistants
• Student Services resource personnel
• Community resources may also be invited with the approval
of the principal and the parent. This may include an advocate.
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Minutes of the School Team Meeting are recorded and retained
for future reference. An essential component of the School Team
Meeting is the development of a plan of action that may include:
• The development of an Individual Education Plan with further
subject accommodations and/or modifications;
• Reduced course load, timetable adjustment and/or change in
course level;
• Support from a guidance counsellor;
• An in-school assessment;
• A request for additional input and/or services from Board
resource personnel, which may include:
o Family of Schools Coordinator
o Resource Teachers
o Psychological Services
o Child and Youth Counselor Services
o Social Work Services
o Speech and Language Services
o Program Consultants
• A date for a future meeting to evaluate the progress of the
plan of action.
Elementary and Secondary
Phase III: Referral to an Identification, Placement and Review
Committee (IPRC)
An IPRC is a meeting of a committee to decide whether or not a
child should be formally identified as “a pupil whose behavioural,
communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities
are such that he or she is considered to need placement in a
special education program...”. Students are identified according
to the categories and definitions of exceptionalities provided by
the Ministry of Education. In the Durham Catholic District School
Board, there are no additional services or programs associated
with formal identification through an IPRC.
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Either the parent or the school can request an IPRC. Once an
IPRC has been requested, the principal has 10 school days to
provide the parent with a copy of this guide and a written
statement of when the IPRC will convene. The time of the meeting should be convenient for both the parents and the school.
In the Durham Catholic District School
Board, members of the Identification,
Placement and Review Committee include:
• Principal/Vice-Principal (Chair);
• Family of Schools Superintendent;
• Family of Schools Coordinator.
Parents and students 16 years of age or older
are entitled to be present at and participate in
all committee discussions and to be present when
the committee’s identification and placement decision
is made. Parents are allowed to bring their own representative
to the meeting, however they must inform
the principal in advance.
Either the parent or the principal may request the attendance
of others at the IPRC meeting such as:
• the student’s classroom or subject teacher;
• the Program Support teacher;
• Board support staff, or other professionals who may provide
further information or clarification;
• Parents may request the services of an interpreter through
the principal.
Before the IPRC meeting, the parent will receive a written copy
of any information about the child that the chair of the IPRC has
received. This may include the results of assessments or a
summary of information about the student’s progress to date.
During the IPRC, the members of the committee will consider
any information that they feel is required to make an appropriate
identification or placement decision including:
• any educational assessments;
• a health or psychological assessment conducted by a qualified
practitioner subject to the provisions of the Health Care
Consent Act, 1996;
• an interview with the child, with the consent of the parent if
the child is less than 16 years of age; and
• any information submitted by the parent or the child if he/she
is 16 years of age or older.
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The committee may discuss any proposal that has been made
about a special education program or special education services
for the child including any proposal made at the request of the
parent, or the child, if the child is 16 years of age or older. Parents
are encouraged to participate fully in the discussion. Once all
information has been presented and considered, the committee
will make its decision.
Since the Durham Catholic District School Board supports the
practices of full inclusion, the placement decision in an IPRC
meeting is generally determined to be the regular classroom
with varying degrees of indirect, resource, or withdrawal support.
The IPRC’s written statement of decision will include:
• whether or not the student is exceptional and the appropriate
exceptionality, according to Ministry definitions;
• a record of the student’s strengths and needs as indicated on
the IEP;
• the most appropriate placement of the exceptional student
with special education supports to meet the needs as outlined
in the IEP;
• recommendations regarding a special education program
and special education services.
A special education program is an educational program that is
based on and modified by the results of continuous assessment
and evaluation. It includes an Individual Education Plan
containing:
• specific educational expectations;
• an outline of the special education program and services that
will be received;
• a statement about the methods by which the child’s progress
will be reviewed; and
• a plan for transition that addresses the physical,
social/emotional and learning needs of the student as they
move through their academic career.
An IEP must be completed after a child has been placed in a
special education program. The principal must ensure that the
parent is consulted in its development and receives a copy of it
within 30 days of being placed in a special education program.
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IPRC Review
Once a child has been formally identified through the IPRC
process and placed in a special education program, an IPRC
review meeting will be held each school year, unless the principal
of the school where the special education program is being
provided receives written notice from the parent, dispensing of
the annual review.
A parent may request an IPRC review meeting any time after the
child has been in a special education program for three months.
Parents will be advised of the date of the annual review committee
meeting.
In the Durham Catholic District School Board, members of the
IPRC review meeting include:
• Principal (Chair);
• Family of Schools Coordinator (when requested to attend by
the school);
• Family of Schools Superintendent (when requested to attend
by the school).
Either the parent or the principal may request the attendance
of others at the IPRC review meeting such as:
• the student’s teacher;
• the Program Support teacher;
• Board support staff or other professionals
who may provide further information
or clarification;
• Parents may request the services of an
interpreter through
the principal.
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The committee will consider the progress the child has made in
relation to the IEP. It will consider the same type of information
that was originally considered by the IPRC, as well as any new
information. All decisions made by the Review Committee are
forwarded to the school board. The IPRC will review the
placement and identification decisions and decide whether they
should continue or whether a different decision should be made.
Disagreement with IPRC Decisions
If the parents do not agree with either the identification or
placement decision made by the IPRC, they may:
• within 15 days of receipt of the decision, request a second
IPRC meeting to discuss concerns; or
• within 30 days of receipt of the decision, file a notice of
appeal to the:
Director of Education
Durham Catholic District School Board
650 Rossland Road West
Oshawa, Ontario
L1J 7C4
If the parents do not agree with the decision after the second
IPRC meeting, they may file a notice of appeal within 15 days
of their receipt of the decision.
The notice of appeal must:
• indicate the decision with which
the parents disagree; and
• include a statement that sets out
the reasons for disagreement.
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Appeal Process
The appeal process involves the following participants and steps:
a) one member selected by the Board in which the pupil resides;
b) one member selected by a parent of the pupil; and
c) a Chair, selected jointly by the members selected under clauses
(a) and (b) or, where those members cannot agree, by the
appropriate District Manager of the Ministry of Education.
• The Chair of the Appeal Board will arrange a meeting to take
place at a convenient time and place, but no later than 30 days
after he or she has been selected (unless parents and Board
both provide written consent to a later date).
• The Appeal Board will receive the material reviewed by the
IPRC and may interview any persons who may be able to
contribute information about the matter under appeal.
• The parents, and the child, if 16 years old or older, are entitled
to be present at, and to participate in all discussions.
• The Appeal Board must make its recommendation within three
days of the meeting.
The Appeal Board may:
• agree with the IPRC and recommend that the decision be
implemented; or
• disagree with the IPRC and make a recommendation to the
Board about the child’s identification, placement, or both.
The Appeal Board will report its recommendations in writing, to
the parents and to the school board, providing the reasons for its
recommendations. Within 30 days of receiving the Appeal Board’s
written statement, the school board will decide what action it will
take with respect to the recommendations. The parents may
accept the decision of the school board, or they may appeal to a
Special Education Tribunal. They may request a hearing by writing
to the Secretary of the Special Education Tribunal. Information
about making an application to the Tribunal will be included with
the Appeal Board’s decision.
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What organizations are available to assist parents?
Many parent organizations are available to provide information
and support to parents of children with exceptionalities.
• Accessibility Directorate of Ontario 416.326.0207
• Community Living Ajax Pickering Whitby 905.427.3300
www.cl-apw.org/
• Community Living Durham North 905.985.8511
www.communitylivingnorth.ca
• Community Living Oshawa Clarington 905.723.0036
www.communitylivingoc.ca
• Association for Bright Children (ABC) 416.925.6136
www.abcontario.ca
• Assistive Devices Program 1.800.268.6021
www.health.gov.on.ca
• Autism Ontario – Durham www.autismontario.com/Durham
• Catholic Family Services of Durham 905.725.3513
www.cfsdurham.com
• Cystic Fibrosis of Canada, Durham Chapter 905.720.4739
www.cysticfibrosis.ca
• Developmental Services Ontario 855.277.2121
www.dsontario.ca
• Durham Association for Family Respite Services 905.436.2500
www.dafrs.com
• Durham Behaviour Management 905.721.8521
www.durham.ca/dbms
• Durham Down Syndrome Association 905.619.0073
www.ddsa.ca
• Frontenac Youth Services 905.427.8504
www.frontenacyouthservices.org
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Grandview Children’s Centre 905.728.1673
www.grandviewkids.ca
Integration Action Group of Ontario 519.624.5195
John Howard Society, Oshawa 905.579.8482
www.jhsdurham.on.ca/
John Howard Society, Ajax/Pickering 905.427.8165
Kerry’s Place Autism Services www.kerrysplace.org/
Kinark Child and Family Services 1.866.929.0061
www.kinark.on.ca/
Lakeridge Community Support Services 905.436.0061
www.lrcss.com
Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario – Durham Region
416.929.4311 www.ldadr.on.ca
Ontario Disability Support Program 905.665.1030
Ontario Association for Families of Children with
Communication Disorders 519.842.9506 www.oafccd.com
Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy 416.244.9686
www.ofcp.ca
Resources for Exceptional Children and Youth 905.427.8862
www.rfecydurham.com/
Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario
416.214.1056 www.sbhao.on.ca
The Easter Seal Society 416.421.8585 www.easterseals.org/
The Tourette Syndrome Association 416.861.8398
www.tourettesyndromeontario.ca/
Variety Village 416.699.7167
Views for the Visually Impaired www.viewson.ca 905.839.8454
Voice for Hearing Impaired Children 1.866.779.5144
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Ministry of Education Provincial and Demonstration Schools
The Ministry of Education operates provincial and demonstration
schools throughout Ontario for students who are deaf, blind,
deaf-blind, and/or severely learning disabled, as well as students
with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Residential
programs are offered at the schools Monday to Friday.
Additional information may be obtained from:
Superintendent of Education, Student Services
Durham Catholic District School Board
650 Rossland Road West
Oshawa, ON
L1J 7C4
Phone: 905.576.6150 Ext. 2279
Fax: 905.432.6886
or,
Contact the principal or Program Support teacher
at your son/daughter’s school or visit dcdsb.ca
Note:
1. If you wish to receive this guide in Braille, large print or
audio-cassette format, please contact the Board at the address
or telephone listed above.
2. When used in this guide, the word “parent” includes guardian.
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“Each new year brings the expectation of a better world.
In light of this, I ask God, the Father of humanity,
to grant us concord and peace,
so that the aspirations of all for a happy
and prosperous life may be achieved.”
– Pope Benedict XVI, for the celebration
of the World Day of Peace
“Whoever does not love does not know God,
for God is love.”
(John 4:8)