Learning for all

Jonathan Silveri
Role of Special Education Teacher
● Collaborate in designing and implementing the program for the relevant
students under the direction of the Principal.
● Educational Assistant/Education Intervenor Assists in implementing the IEP
under the supervision of the classroom teacher, special education resource
teacher and Principal.
● • Student Services Support Staff Professional support staff from the Board
who provide professional development and consultation concerning special
education programs and services.
Roles and Responsibilities of Administrator

● Responsible for the management of the school and all those who enter the premises
including external partners, pursuant to the Education Act and the regulations thereto.
● Responsible for the instructional program for all students, the special education
programs and the Individual Education Plans (IEP) for students.

Legal Framework
● Bill 82
● Education Act - Reg 181/98
Bill 82
● Enacted in 1980 and amended the Education Act to incorporate provisions requiring
the exceptional students be identified and provided with placements where they can
receive appropriate special education programs and services
● Introduced ‘universal access’ to public funded education to all Ontario children
● Prior to Bill 82 children with severe disabilities were often excluded from Ontario
schools
● Provided a process for parents to appeal the appropriateness of special education
placements provided for their children

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1kZTfHldfY
Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
Building a team and relationships

Find the expertise and the skills and the abilities of the people that you work with

Shared vision around standards and success for all students

Meeting Students’ Needs
The professional learning philosophy encourages and empowers teachers to collaborate,
assess and implement best teaching practices to meet the needs of all students working at
level one through four of the Ontario Curriculum.

There is a process and steps which Principals and Special Education Teachers must follow
in order begin the process for Special Education Referral.
 Phase 1 - Pre-Special Education Classroom Investigation /
Intervention
Teacher
Step 1 : Investigation Intervention/Implementation
(Ongoing)
● Teacher gathers information of SE1 (OSR Search)
● Review any prior assessments for possible
strategies/recommendations Parent follow-up (e.g., vision,
● Record and assess student response to strategies hearing, medical, etc.)
that have been implemented

If applicable, Consent for

Exchange of Information
(S7) Community
Partner/Agency is generated
Step 2 - Teacher/Administrator Dialogue

● Student continues to perform below Level 1

Teacher
Intervention/Implementation of
● Alternate strategies/recommendations are
alternate strategies (4 weeks)
suggested by the Administrator

Concerns/issues resolved - NO
further action

OR
● Teacher follows up with Administrator (or
vice versa) regarding status of student Curriculum Intervention(s)
response to interventions (4 weeks)
Step 3 - Teacher/Aadministrator Dilogue & Informed Consent

Concerns/issues resolved-NO
● Teacher follows up with Administrator (or vice further action
versa) regarding status of student response to
interventions
OR
● If NECESSARY, recommendation is made to bring
Teacher completes the Teacher
forward to School Based Resource Team (SBRT)
Consultation for Pre-SBRT form

Concerns/issues resolved-NO
● Teacher contacts parents to request consent to further action
bring forward to SBRT
● SBRT consult and suggest further strategies to OR
employ (4 weeks) If NECESSARY, consent for
Consultation with Board Staff
(SE3) is generated
Step 4 - Recommendation for Core Resource Involvement

● Consent for Academic

Assessment SE4 (a)
● Student response to
● Consultative/data gathering for
interventions/strategies continue to meet
up to 12 weeks to determine if
with limited success
appropriate for core resource
support
Step 5 - Academic Assessment is Completed (SE4)

Does not meet criteria for core

resource support-NO further
action
● Core Resource shares results of the
Academic Assessment (SE4) with
SBRT/Student Services Committee and OR
Parents

Consent for Ongoing Special

Education Support SE5 (YR1)
 Discontinue as response to
Phase 2 : Initiation of Intervention indicates student no
longer requires Core Resource
Special Education support
Parent sign SE5 Discontinue
Step 6
SE5 (YR 2) is signed Continue with
SE5 Academic Assessment Review OR Core Resource
(YR1) (SE4R) is completed to determine
End of next steps If NECESSARY, Consent for
Year 1 Consultation with Board Staff (SE3)
is generated
Discontinue as response to
Intervention indicates student no
longer requires Core Resource
support
Parent sign SE5 Discontinue
SE5
(YR2) Academic Assessment (SE4) is Request for Psychological Services
OR
End of completed to determine next steps Referral (RPR1) is generated
Year 2
Continue with Core Resource until
further assessments are completed
Regulation 181/98
“Requires that all school boards establish one or more Identification, Placement and
Review Committees (IPRC). The IPRC meets and decides if a student should be identified
as an exceptional pupil and if so, the placement that will best meet the student’s needs. An
IPRC is composed of at least three persons, one of whom must be a principal or
supervisory officer of the board. A school board trustee may not be on the IPRC.”

Special Education: A Guide for Educators, D4

How an Identification Placement and Review
Committee (IPRC) is initiated
● An IPRC must be initiated if a parent request one in writing or if the principal
believes that the student may have needs that require the provision of a special
education program and/or service
● Often schools hold meetings to discuss instructional strategies (eg., using
differentiated instruction, academic assessment) before initiating an IPRC
● The principal will refer a student to a IPRC, usually following a recommendation
from the in-school team
● The IPRC must take an educational assessment of the student into account. The
results of ongoing and continuous program interventions and additional assessments
as requested by the school team are often part of the teams recommendations to IPRC
Phase 3 : Identification, Placement Review
Committee (IPRC)
Case Conference Record (SE2) is generated
Step 7 - Assessment Report indicating student is exceptional, with parental
consent student is to be brought forward to
Identification, Placement, Review Committee
(IPRC)

● Parent Guide (SE9) and Parent Invitation

Indicates student is exceptional Letter is forwarded to parent 10 business
days prior to IPRC date
● Academic Assessment (SE4) up to 18
months is presented for IPRC along with
other current data (e.g., strengths, needs,
report card, etc.)

Determination of a Special Education

Identification, Placement and Review Committee
Identification Process from (SE7) is generated
Continue with Core Resource
The Principal’s Role in the IPRC
● Principals ensure that exceptional pupils are identified and placed through an IPRC
according to the requirements and procedures outlined in the Education Act,
regulations, ministry and board policies
● Principals often chair the IPRC and coordinate correspondence to committee
members and other participants and invite other participants
● Principals are responsible for ensuring parents get a copy of a parent’s guide and the
expected timeline, in writing, for the first IPRC meeting
Principals’ Mandated Roles & Responsibilities
Individual Education Plan (IEP)

A principal must:

● Ensure IEPs are completed within 30 school days of a student’s placement in a

special education program
● Sign the IEP within 30 days of student’s placement in the program
● Ensure the recommendations of the IPRC regarding special education programs and
services, such as support personnel, resources and equipment, are taken into account
when developing IEP
● Ensure parents and the student, if the student is 16 years of age or older, are consulted
in the development of the IEP
● Ensure that consultation with community agencies and post secondary institutions are
conducted in order to help prepare a transition plan for students who are 14 years of
Continued...
● Ensure that the current IEP is stored in the OSR, unless a parent of the student objects
in writing

“Although the IEP is developed collaboratively, the principal is ultimately responsible for
each student’s plan. The principal must sign the IEP to indicate his or her assurance that
the plan is appropriate to the student’s strengths and needs and that it meets all of the
standards outlined in this document”

IEP: standards for development, program planning and implementation, 2000.

IEP Activity