OBJECTIVES

What is our boards current model for special

education services?
What improvements do we need to make?
By the end of this workshop you will have answers to the following questions:
What are we doing at the school
level?
In partnership with families, the parish and the
community, our Catholic education system is directed at
developing the full spiritual, physical, academic,
cognitive, social and emotional well-being of each
student. Through their learning experiences, students
develop a sense of self-worth and dignity as people of
God and are able to make a useful contribution in a
complex and changing society. Inherent in these beliefs
is the recognition that all students, regardless
of exceptionality, are entitled to education in the
most enabling environment. The exceptional
student is a unique child of God and has a
right to be part of the mainstream of
education, to the extent to which it is
practical and beneficial.
(TCDSB Special Education Plan 740)

OUR BOARDS PHILOSOPHY ON SPECIAL EDUCATION
IPRC PROCESS
The Identification, Placement and Review Committee
(IPRC) has three essential functions:
1. to determine the strengths and needs of students
2. to identify the students exceptionality according to the
categories and definitions provided by the Ministry of
Education and Training
3. to recommend program placement, to be followed by the
development/modification of the Individual Education
Plan.


IDENTIFICATION
In order to provide an education in the most enabling
environment, TCDSB advocates the principle of inclusion as
part of a continuum of services/programs which includes
modification of the regular class program, withdrawal, and
intensive support programs. 740
Students are typically identified early through:
an intake process
case conferences
consultations
School-Based Support Learning Team meetings (SBSLT)
Kindergarten Intervention Needs Development (KIND)
psychological and other assessments may also be used
specialists may be consulted
PLACEMENTS: THE INCLUSION MODEL
There are five placement options that are used
for all exceptional students:
1. indirect support
2. regular class with resource support
3. regular class with withdrawal support
4. special education placement with partial
integration-intensive support program
(ISP)
5. full-time special education placement
RANGE OF PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: A round table
discussion.
ETHICAL ISSUES
1. If we follow the integration model, what are the benefits
of
placing students in a full-time or an intensive support
special
education placement?

2. Do we have enough support personnel/services to meet
the
needs of our exceptional learners?


ISP/FULL TIME SPEC. ED. PLACEMENTS
Benefits for students with Autism:
Better environment (small group setting) and
programming for students who have Autism but also
another exceptionality and/or other learning needs
Curriculum is tailored to the individual cognitive and
learning profile

Benefits for students identified as being Behavioural:
Better environment (small group setting) when
behaviour is interfering with their learning
A Child and Youth Worker provides social skills
programming as well as assistance with behaviour
management
Benefits for students identified as Blind/Low Vision:
Helps students who require
modification/accommodation to a degree that a setting
with a lower student-teacher ratio is required
Students receive orientation and mobility training

Benefits for students identified as Deaf/Hard of Hearing:
Beneficial for students with significant hearing loss who
require a specialized setting with a specialized teacher
and an alternative curriculum

Benefits for students with Language Impairments:
Students with moderately-to-profoundly delayed
oral/written language require intensive support in a
specialized setting


Benefits for students with Multiple Exceptionalities:
Specific areas of need are addressed through a
modified program with more individualized support

Benefits for students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities:
Instruction delivered in a small group setting with a
modified or alternative curriculum

Central program responsibility include:
the superintendent of special services
chief of ASD
chief psychologist
chief social worker
chief speech-language pathologist
a consultant psychiatrist
an attendance counselor
a SEA teacher
For students with ASD, additional board
workers include:
autism support teachers
ASD education assistants
psychology staff
social workers
speech-language pathologists

For Deaf/Hard of Hearing/Visually
Impaired/Blind/Deaf Blind students, the board
employs:
a program coordinator
a psychologist
a social worker
a speech-language pathologist
an audiologist
itinerant teachers.
Additional staff are in place for the DD programs
including:
a career access itinerant teacher
a program/special services coordinator
Assessment/programming teachers
social workers
psychology staff
speech-language pathologists
an itinerant autism support teacher,
A SAL advisor
Additional workers for the TCDSB include:
A.P.P.L.E. social workers
behaviour team social workers
safe schools social workers
student advisors for the SALEP (Supervised
Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils)
program
urban priority project social workers
TIPPS social worker

SUPPORT SERVICES AVAILABLE
COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Board School
THE IMPACT ON EXCEPTIONAL PUPILS
There are many supports at
the board level that can be
utilized to provide special
needs programming.
The board receives money.
The board allocates this
funding to the schools.
Many qualified people are
assigned to the process of
identification, placement,
monitoring, and documenting
for special education students.
Though students can utilize the board
supports, at times funding for special education
is not distributed equally amongst schools
resulting in a have and have not system.
Students are organized within the five
placement options.
Staff/students/parents rely on support from
community organizations.
Schools receive SEA and other monies.
In addition to regular school staff, only qualified
special education teachers work solely with
exceptional students.
Students receive accommodations/
modifications in accordance with IPRC and IEP
stipulations.
Lack of parental involvement hinders progress.
Staff, administration, and parents need to work
collaboratively to ensure that the needs of
students are being met.
TEACHERS ROLE AS AN ADVOCATE FOR EXCEPTIONAL
PUPILS
Identify the needs of students early and refer to appropriate
department/tests
Participate in IPRC meetings and annual review meetings
Work collaboratively with classroom teacher in identifying strengths
weaknesses and assessment measures
Participate in the demission/change of placement as determined by
IPRC
Provide direct support in a classroom or in a withdrawn setting
Monitor the students on an ongoing basis
Communicate with parents
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of best practices
Collaborate on the development of an IEP and monitor to see if it
meets the current needs of the students


TYPES OF SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSES

Special Education Class Full Time
Special Education Class with Partial
Integration
Regular Class with Indirect Support
Regular Class with Withdrawal Assistance
Regular Class with Resource Assistance
STARS PROGRAM
In addition to the five placement options,
our school also has a pilot program called STARS.
Students Training to Acquire Real life Skills


The stars program is a non-credited program.
Students learn life and social skills with a focus on
how they meander about in their environment. This
program is best suited for students who may not be
able to be integrated into four different classes a day.
Students work with community agencies like Toronto
Parks & Rec and Food Share to acquire transferable
life skills.

ROLE OF SCHOOL TEAM/RESOURCE TEAM
The role of the SBST is to ensure that students needs are
met in accordance with IEP and IPRC documents.
The SBST is composed of resource teachers, a department
head, guidance counsellors, subject teachers and
administration. Parents do not participate in these
meetings.
Joint Team meetings include a parent or student advocate in
combination with a psychologist/social worker and a board
liaison.
Ideally, these meetings take place once a month (or more
often if needed).
Informal conversations occur amongst staff members as
needed.
NUMBER OF SUPPORT WORKERS
ROLE OF SUPPORT WORKERS
Job Coaches
Job coaches take students with MID and monitor their
work with community organizations/businesses.
They are responsible for working with students in a
workplace on an individual basis.
These coaches track student progress and work with
community agents to find work placements.
Child and Youth Workers
CYWs are responsible for addressing student
behaviour.
They organize school workshops, work in mainstream
classes to support students with behaviour issues, and
they also withdraw students to work on behaviour
issues.
Educational Assistants
EAs work in two streams.
Some EAs work solely with DD/ME students in an ISP
setting.
Our school also receives SIP (Special Incident
Portions) grants. These grant are for really high needs
students who have needs due to behaviour (i.e. self
injurious, escape, consume non-edibles, task
avoidance, meal concerns, unable to regulate food
intake or chewing, flopping, or medical support). This
grant provides EAs for two-on-one support.
EAs also work as mainstream classroom academic
support for integrated students. These EAs are
assigned in priority sequence taking into consideration
the number and needs of exceptional students in
classes.
ROLE/NUMBER OF SPEC. ED. RESOURCE
TEACHERS
We have 11 Special Education Teachers on
staff.

The role of the Special Education Teachers at
our school is to monitor students, meet with
parents, follow and update IEP and IPRCs
(including ensuring students receive
accommodations/modifications), and
collaborate/connect with subject teachers
regarding student progress.
NUMBER OF IDENTIFIED EXCEPTIONAL
STUDENTS
Out of 730 students
202 students receive
resource support
TYPES OF IDENTIFICATIONS BY CATEGORY
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Autism connection workshops with leaders in Autism research (i.e. Geneva Centre
and Surrey Place hold monthly training seminars).

The board also offers many programs to help teachers better understand
exceptional students. These programs include conferences around different
exceptionalities as well as updates on how to complete IEPs.

Staff also receive first aid/CPR training.

Support staff are also trained in CPI training (Crisis Prevention Intervention). Staff
are retrained every two years.

Internally, staff have continuous meetings with the Autism support team which can
include a social worker, an Autism teacher, a speech-language pathologist, and an
occupational therapy specialist if needed.
INITIATIVES FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR
There is a gap in the current model of connecting with resource students. The
goal is to provide opportunities for teachers to reach their case loads better. The
idea is to have 1-2 resource teachers work in the mainstream classroom to
provide extra support.
Another idea is to open up two classrooms to be staffed by resource teachers on
their monitoring periods. One classroom would be a language based room and
the other classroom would be a science/math support room. These classrooms
would be open all day for students to be withdrawn from their integrated classes
to work there.
We currently do not have any gifted programming in the school. So it is important
to establish gifted programming for these students.
Another idea is to implement a reverse integration model where peer mentoring
and leadership students act as a buddy and work with exceptional students in the
resource area.
Another initiative is to create a Coop program for the DD/ME students that would
help with their transition plans. These students would benefit from working
actively with community groups. We have access to two facilities that are
sheltered workshops (Booth Industry Support Services and Corbrook).

FINAL THOUGHTS
SURVEY MONKEY
Please take time to complete the
survey sent to you via email.
Click here for survey
Thank you in advance for your time
and cooperation.
REFERENCE
TCDSB. TCDSB: Ministry Special Education
Plan. Nov. 2012. Web. 14. Jan. 2013.