MÓDULO FORMATIVO 4

A process will be established to ensure that students with special educational needs are identified and appropriate interventions are implemented and reviewed.

Roles and Responsibilities

A. The Department of Education, through the School Act, has the responsibility to establish outcomes and standards of performance and assess the extent to which outcomes are achieved and standards are met. The School Act enables the department to prescribe policies respecting the assessment and

evaluation of students. Specifically, the department shall: • establish guidelines for a pre-referral process; • establish guidelines for the referral process;

• set standards and guidelines for assessment of students with special educational

needs;

• provide consultative and direct services for low-incidence populations.

B. A school board, in carrying out its responsibilities under the School Act, and subject to department regulations, directives and guidelines, may develop policies respecting the educational assessment of students. Specifically, the school board shall:

• implement the pre-referral process according to the guidelines established by the Department of Education;

• implement the referral process according to the guidelines established by the Department of Education;

• implement the standards to ensure consistency in reporting and documenting assessments according to standards and guidelines established by the Department of Education;

• promote an effective consultation model and provide opportunities for collaboration; and

• review and respond to requests for student support services and/or resources by school personnel.

C. Under the supervision and leadership of the principal and subject to department and board policies, the school shall:

• establish and implement procedures to support collaborative consultation and

planning;

• consult with parents regarding assessment of their child's needs, programs and

supports;

• complete the pre-referral process based on observations, discussions, and informal assessments by the classroom teacher;

• initiate the referral process when required;

• establish and maintain a written record of assessments and

interventions carried out by the school and, within the provisions of the School Act, share this information with parents/guardians, the student (where appropriate), staff and, when necessary,

Board/department personnel.

Part 3: Accountability

An accountability framework is required to evaluate the effectiveness of special education programming and services, to determine if special education is receiving sufficient and appropriate funding, to ensure efficient use of special education resources within public schools, and to guide decision making.

Role and Responsibilities

A. The Minister, through the Department of Education, has the responsibility to establish an accountability framework for the school system. The

Department of Education shall:

• establish a funding protocol, within the overall funding framework, that builds the capacity to deliver, within public schools, a continuum of supports based on inclusionary, evidence-based practices;

• review and monitor special education and student services programs and services provided in public schools to students with special educational needs;

• review and monitor school board resource allocation (material and personnel) to ensure that the resources are used appropriately,

effectively and efficiently within public schools in order to support the philosophy of inclusionary practice;

• establish and maintain procedures for evaluation and revision of special education programming and services delivered within public schools;

• consult with education partners to identify staff development needs, establish priorities for professional development and coordinate and provide professional development and in-service activities that enhance the delivery of special education;

• establish desired qualification standards for student services personnel; and

• establish guidelines, within the provisions of the School Act, for a dispute resolution procedure.

B. According to the School Act, the school board is responsible for delivering the provincial curriculum through effective programs, instruction and

services within its schools, the management of the schools in its unit and for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of schools. The school board shall:

• ensure the departmental policies and guidelines are implemented in the planning, documentation and delivery of student support services in its schools;

• report to the department on the utilization of staffing allocations for special

education;

• ensure that personnel assigned to special education have met department standards of qualification, relevant experience and appropriate training;

• ensure that special education staffing needs are addressed in the recruitment and deployment of staff;

• monitor and evaluate the delivery of special education programs and services within schools;

• identify and assist in the provision of professional development and in-service activities, consistent with provincial priorities and

guidelines, to enhance the delivery of programs and services to students within its schools.

C. Pursuant to department and board policies and under the direction and leadership of the principal, the school shall:

• adhere to departmental and board guidelines in the assignment of special education personnel;

• provide information to the school board on the utilization of special education staffing allocations and student information required by the School Board or

department;

• support and encourage professional development of staff;

• maintain liaison with students who are temporarily placed in alternate schools maintained by the school board or department;

• consult with parents regarding students' progress.

DATED at Charlottetown, October 26, 2001.

Jeffrey E. Lantz Minister of Education

Appendix 2

Standards and Guidelines for Individualized Educational Planning (IEP)

• Individualized educational planning is a process by which educators, support personnel and parents collaborate to ensure that students’ needs are

addressed in a systematic manner.

• The individualized educational planning process provides a mechanism to ensure that an IEP is developed and implemented through a structured format that clearly outlines the steps to be followed.

• The individualized educational planning process provides a framework for decision-making that is informed by a clear understanding of the student’s present level of performance.

• Individualized educational planning is initiated for students whose programs vary significantly from the prescribed curriculum and/or who have special educational, medical, behavioural, and/or physical needs. (M.D. b. (i) (ii) (iii)) • The individualized educational planning process relies on information

collected from a range of informal and formal assessments.

• The individualized educational planning process is strengthened by the authentic and continued involvement of parent(s) at all stages of planning, development and implementation.

• The individualized planning process mandates the formation of a

collaborative individual education planning team when the result of the formal referral process indicates the need for individualized programming. • The individual education planning team core members include a school

administrator, resource/special education teacher, classroom/subject teacher(s), parent(s), and student as appropriate.

• Individual education planning team members should be chosen based on their ability to provide essential information and/or necessary support for the student’s individualized program.

designating an educator to serve as coordinator for the development and implementation of the individualized education plan.

• The individual educational planning team has the responsibility to identify and prioritize goals and objectives based on the student’s assessed strengths, needs, and interests.

• Individual education plan goals and objectives developed during the

individualized educational planning process must be clearly stated, student- specific, observable and measurable.

• The individual education plan must include a clear statement on how a wide variety of methods will be used to assess and evaluate the student’s progress on the goals and objectives.

• The individual education planning process must allow for updating as required to meet the student’s changing needs and must include, as a minimum, an annual formal review date.

• The individualized education plan needs to reflect decisions regarding transition planning across all levels of schooling.

• The individualized education plan, for students who are in their grade nine year, must include long term goals and objectives, based on current

assessments, that reflect knowledge and skills that students will need at the end of their three years of senior high school, to transition from school to the community.

Appendix 3

Strategies for Inclusion in Implementation of the IEP

Use of Regular Curriculum

The Salamanca World Conference on Special Needs Education (1994) has stated that:

“...regular schools with [an] inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combatting discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all: moreover, they provide an effective education to the majority of children and improve the efficiency and ultimately the cost-effectiveness of the entire system.”

The decision to change a student’s program so that the curriculum goals are vastly different from regular provincial curriculum goals is a grave responsibility for parents and educators. When the decision has been made to alter a program by adaptation, modification or individual planning, educators have a responsibility to ensure that they are using strategies and techniques which provide for the best possible education of all their students.

The provincial curriculum is a universal one, and as such, is designed to meet the needs of most learners most of the time. A great challenge for teachers in the twenty-first century, however, is the task of weaving the individual plans of students into the regular curriculum and everyday classroom activities. All students, particularly those who have adaptations, modifications, or are on full IEPs, need to be supported in achieving to the best of their abilities and reaching their potential.

Weaving the individual plans of students into the regular curriculum is a great challenge for teachers in the twenty-first century.

The Introduction to Changing Teaching Practices – Using Curriculum

Differentiation to Respond to Students’ Diversity (UNESCO 2004), pp.7-8 states: “Flexibility in attitudes and practice can help teachers in addressing the changing needs of children, their families and society as a whole. ... Teaching and learning are effectively about collaboration, working together. ... Schools that create an environment where

Working within the context of [provincial] curriculum guidelines, the main impact that teachers have is through what is happening in the classroom. By increasing awareness of different learning

preferences, backgrounds, experiences and learning needs, teaching becomes a more reflective practice. By reflective practice we mean that the teacher observes his or her own teaching, what is happening in the learning process and makes a critical assessment as to what is working and what is not. Teachers must provide meaningful learning experiences for all students in their classes, and emphasize the

importance of getting to know one’s students.

Curriculum differentiation is about good teaching and common sense.

The following are excerpts from the Atlantic Provinces English Language Arts Curriculum Guide, Grades 4-6, section entitled Students with Special Needs, pp. 6-7. They demonstrate the inclusive nature of the provincial curriculum and provide guidance for teachers who have students with special educational needs in their classrooms.

The curriculum outcomes statements in this guide are considered important for all learners and provide a framework for a range of learning experiences for all students, including students who require individual program plans [individual education plans].

Teachers should adapt learning contexts to provide support and challenge for all students, using the continuum of curriculum outcomes statements in a flexible way to plan learning experiences appropriate to students’ learning needs. When specific outcomes are not attainable or appropriate for individual students, teachers can use statements of general curriculum outcomes, key-stage curriculum outcomes, and specific curriculum outcomes for previous and subsequent grade levels as reference points in setting learning goals for those students.

Diverse learning experiences, teaching and learning strategies, motivation, resources, and environments provide expanded opportunities for all learners to experience success as they work toward the achievement of outcomes.

Many of the suggestions for teaching and learning in this guide provide access for a wide range of learners, simultaneously emphasizing both group support and individual activity. Similarly, the suggestions for using a variety of assessment practises provide diverse and multiple ways for students to demonstrate their achievements. Teachers may also find it helpful to refer to guides for other grade levels for additional teaching, learning, and assessment suggestions to serve and support students with special needs.

The curriculum’s flexibility with regards to the choice of texts offers opportunity for supporting students who have language difficulties. Students at the lower end of the achievement continuum in a class need appropriate opportunities to show what they can do. For example, in working toward a particular outcome, students who cannot operate very successfully with particular texts should be given opportunities to

demonstrate whether they can operate successfully with alternative activities or alternative texts - ones that are linguistically less complex or with which they might be more familiar in terms of context and content.

Students with special needs benefit from a a variety of grouping

arrangements that allow optimum opportunities for meaningful teacher- student and student-student interaction. Diverse groupings include • large-group or whole-class instruction

• teacher-directed small-group instruction • small-group learning

• co-operative learning groups

• one-to-one teacher-student instruction • independent work

• partner learning, peer or cross-age tutors

Differentiated Instruction

One of the ways educators can meet the challenge is the utilization of differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction acknowledges that all students can learn, but they do so at different rates and in different ways. All teachers must be

continuously searching out and developing a personal repertoire of strategies, techniques, and materials which will enable them to reach all of the students in their care most of the time. Differentiated instruction is not a special education

strategy, but a balanced teaching strategy that not only recognizes the differences in students, but also capitalizes on those differences.

Differentiated instruction is not a special education strategy, but a balanced teaching strategy.

“Differentiated curriculum is a way of thinking ...about...students...how we teach and how they learn ...what they really need to learn in school ...providing

instruction that meets the needs, abilities and interests of our

students....how...students...successfully learn the skills and concepts we want them to learn.” (Changing Teaching Practices - Using Curriculum Differentiation to Respond to Students’ Diversity. UNESCO 2004)

The list of resource material which accompanies this handbook contains many references to teaching practices which will meet the needs of a wide range of student abilities and interests. The three following are some examples of best practice.

ADAPT

A strategy which has been developed by Nancy Hutchinson and colleagues is the ADAPT strategy. It is similar to other strategies that serve the purpose of including learners with special educational needs, but it considers also the consequences of the changes on all of the learners. The strategy has five steps:

1.

A

ccounts of students’ strengths and needs 2.

D

emands of the classroom

3.

A

daptations

4.

P

erspectives and consequences 5.

T

each and assess the match

More about the ADAPT strategy can be found in Ms. Hutchinson’s book, Inclusion of Exceptional Learners in Canadian Schools.

Multi-level Instruction

Multi-level instruction allows for one main lesson with a variety of presentation, practice, and assessment techniques.

Multi-level Instruction is a technique developed by Gordon Porter, Julie Stone and Jean Collicut. It allows for one main lesson with a variety of presentation,

practice and assessment techniques which enable students with a wide spectrum of abilities to participate in the lesson. The key is in determining the underlying concepts and learning outcomes of the lesson, considering them in the light of the students with special educational needs, and making adaptations as needed for those who require them. (See Appendix 20 - “What Level of Change?-Questions that Teachers Can Ask” and Appendix 21 - “What is Everybody Doing?”.)

Instructional Intelligence

Beyond Monet : The Artful Science of Instructional Integration by Barrie Bennett and Carol Rolheiser offers teachers a perspective that encourages growth and development in ways in which teachers can create meaningful and powerful learning environments for themselves and their students.

The importance of Barrie Bennett’s work and writings to teachers cannot be overemphasized. Bennett is first and foremost a teacher and his teaching and

research focus is instructional intelligence. He recognizes that teaching is complex, important and demanding and has dedicated his professional life to working with teachers to explore how to respond to the ever-increasing demands and complexity of their profession in a way that makes a difference for students. In his writings, workshops and projects he focuses on bringing about systemic change in public school systems one teacher at a time. Bennett concentrates on instructional intelligence and assists teachers to “Experience, Understand and Apply how to integrate a variety of instructional concepts, skills, tactics, and strategies in the design of more powerful learning environments...with a focus on literacy.” The approach “refers to both academic learning and affective or character education.” (From lecture overheads, March 14, 2005)

This important work on instructional intelligence provides pragmatic approaches for teachers to investigate and add to their repertoire of skills in areas such as, instructional concepts, skills and tactics. It clearly and concisely explores

cooperative learning, roles of questioning skills, of information processing and of graphic organizers. Concept attainment, concept formation and complex

organizers are more complicated but well explained and illustrated.

In order to be effective when addressing the continuum of needs in diverse classrooms, teachers must be aware of and act on “the science within the art of teaching.”

In order to be effective when addressing the continuum of needs in diverse classrooms, teachers must be aware of and act on “the science within the art of teaching.” Bennett acknowledges that there is not “a best way” to create an

effective learning environment, but what is known is that the actuality of life long learners working together and applying their collective intelligence is the most promising direction towards identifying what constitutes effectiveness in teaching.

*********

Other instructional strategies and/or techniques which have been very useful in including learners with special needs are cooperative learning, multiple

intelligences, learning preference awareness, and many others described in Resources.

Self-Advocacy and Autonomy

One way of developing interest in learning is to support students’ sense of responsibility for their own learning. This includes aspects such as providing opportunities for autonomy, independent and critical thinking, as well as participating in decision-making in the classroom and the school.

All students, particularly students with special educational needs, must take a leading role in their own life plan. In practice, this might be a student who is able to articulate his learning preferences, e.g., “ I am not able to learn well if there is a lot of background noise.”

It is incumbent on educators to: • get to know their students;

• help students understand their own needs and set goals for their life after school;

• assist them in gaining the knowledge and skills they need to accomplish goals;

• assist students to reflect on taking an active role in their own life plan by asking the question: Where will I be in ten years?

Human Resource Support

In addition to classroom/ subject teachers, there is also a wide variety of human resource support available to assist the teacher in the implementation of the

individual education plan. The “PEI Student Services Continuum of Services and Placement Options” located in Appendix 24 gives a summary of the supports

In document BOLETÍN OFICIAL DEL ESTADO (página 28-34)