Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and GuidelinesA. Policy In 1995, a Special Education Policy Framework for British Columbia was established, following extensive consultation with education partners. This Policy Framework guided the development of legislation and guidelines for special education programs and services in British Columbia, and served as the foundation for the resource Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines. A print copy of this historical Framework is available through Government Publications All students should have equitable access to learning, opportunities for achievement, and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of their educational programs. Rationale Legislation/ regulations Individual Education Plan Order M638/95: sets out the requirements for school boards to design and implement individual education plans for students with special needs. Student Progress Report Order M191/94: describes reporting requirements for students who have special needs. Support Services for Schools Order M282/89. section 11 School Act. Definitions "Individual education plan (IEP):" An individual education plan designed for a student that includes one or more of the following:
"Educational program guide:" A document specified as an educational program guide in Ministerial Order 333/99, the Educational Program Guide Order M333/99. “adaptations”: teaching and assessment strategies made to accommodate a student’s special needs, and may include alternate formats (e.g., Braille, books-on-tape), instructional strategies (e.g., use of interpreters, visual cues and aids) and assessment procedures (e.g., oral exams, additional time, assistive technologies). “modifications”: learning outcomes that are substantially different from the regular curriculum, and specifically selected to meet the student's special needs. POLICY Inclusion Placement A school board must provide a student who has special needs with an educational program in a classroom where the student is integrated with other students who do not have special needs, unless the educational needs of the student with special needs or other students indicate that the educational program for the student with special needs should be provided otherwise. The emphasis on educating students with special needs in neighbourhood school classrooms with their age and grade peers, however, does not preclude the appropriate use of resource rooms, self-contained classes, community-based programs, or specialized settings. Students with special needs may be placed in settings other than a neighbourhood school classroom with age and grade peers. This should only be done when the school board has made all reasonable efforts to integrate the student, and it is clear that a combination of education in such classes and supplementary support cannot meet their educational or social needs, or when there is clear evidence that partial or full placement in another setting is the only option after considering their educational needs or the educational needs of others. Planning
A school board must ensure that the IEP is reviewed at least once each school year, and where necessary, is revised or cancelled. A school board must offer the parent of the student, and where appropriate, the student the opportunity to be consulted about the preparation of the IEP. The School Act [section 7(2)] requires a parent of a student to consult with the student's teacher or a school principal about the student's educational program, when requested to do so. A school board must offer each student who has special needs learning activities in accordance with the IEP designed for that student. When services are so specialized that they cannot be replicated in every school, they should be available at the district level, or else school districts should arrange to obtain them from community or other sources. Evaluation and reporting Unless a student with special needs is able to demonstrate his or her learning in relation to expected learning outcomes set out in the curriculum for the course or subject and grade, the student's progress report(s) must contain written comments describing:
The written comments must contain a statement about the progress of the student in relation to the goals in his or her IEP. Where appropriate, written comments should describe ways to enable the student to demonstrate his or her learning in relation to expected learning outcomes set out in the curriculum for the course or subject and grade, and should describe the time period required to enable the student to demonstrate such learning. A letter grade or percentage (the typical manner for reporting student progress in grades 4 through 12) may only be assigned for a student with special needs where that student in able to demonstrate his or her learning in relation to expected learning outcomes set out in the curriculum for the course or subject and grade. Where a professional support person other than the classroom teacher is responsible for providing some portion of the student's educational program, that person should provide written reports on the student's progress for inclusion with the report of the classroom teacher. Accountability Appeals PROCEDURES An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a documented plan developed for a student with special needs that describes individualized goals, adaptations, modifications, the services to be provided, and includes measures for tracking achievement. An IEP must have one or more of the following:
|
|
 |
|
|
