2008 09 Calendar.indd - Algoma District School Board

Special Education - Programs and Services
The Algoma District School Board provides a wide range of programs and services for students with special needs. It
is the board’s pracce to focus on the needs of exceponal students and to create opportunies for these students to
develop their individual potenal, in partnership with parents and guardians in an atmosphere of trust, cooperaon
and respect. A full descripon of ADSB Special Educaon programs and services, and our Parents’ Guide to Special
Educaon can be found on our website at www.adsb.on.ca/content/special. Further informaon may also be acquired by
contacng the school’s Principal or Guidance Department.
The Idenficaon, Placement and Review Commiee (IPRC)
The Ministry of Educaon requires that all school boards establish commiees to idenfy exceponal pupils and to
establish and review placements for them. These IPRC commiees are present in each of our schools, and they:
• decide whether or not a student should be identified as exceptional;
• identify the areas of the student’s exceptionality, according to the categories and definitions of
exceptionalities provided by the Ministry of Education;
• decide an appropriate placement for the student;
• review the identification and placement at least once in each school year. *
*IPRC’s will be held when a parent requests them, but will no longer be convened annually if both
the school and the parent agrees that the student will remain placed in a regular classroom
The Individual Educaon Plan (IEP)
An IEP is a wrien plan describing the special educaon program and/or services required by a parcular student.
Accommodaons and/or modificaons, which will assist the student in achieving his or her learning expectaons, are
clearly idenfied in the IEP. The IEP also helps teachers monitor the student’s progress and provides a framework for
communicang informaon about the student’s progress to parents and to the student.
Accommodaons and Modificaons
Accommodaons do not alter the provincial curriculum expectaons for a course, but can include changes to a student’s
environment, instrucon, and/or assessment. With the aid of accommodaons alone, some students are able to
parcipate in the regular course curriculum and to demonstrate learning independently. The accommodaons required
to facilitate the student’s learning must be idenfied in his or her IEP.
Modificaons to course content and learning expectaons may be required in certain circumstances. For most students,
modified expectaons will be based on the regular course curriculum, with changes in the number and/or complexity of
the expectaons. The student’s IEP must document the extent to which expectaons have been modified. The Principal
will determine whether achievement of the modified expectaons constutes successful compleon of the course, and
will decide whether the student is eligible to receive a credit for the course.
Special Educaon Advisory Commiee (SEAC)
The Special Educaon Advisory Commiee is an advisory commiee required under Regulaon 464, under the Educaon
Act. This commiee advises the Board on issues related to Special Educaon and the Board’s Special Educaon programs
and services. Members include parents, community, and trustee representaves. Board staff act as a resource to the
Commiee.
14 ADSB 2008-2009 Course Calendar