TERM

DEFINITION

MART

Methods and Resource Teacher:  At Rose Avenue, helps to plan and organize Special Education meetings, works with classroom teachers to support programming and students within the school, supports teachers and parents within the school, writes referrals for all special education related services and attends special education meetings, works with the special education consultant and coordinator to support students and families within the school

The Process: Steps to Student Support and Services

ILP

Individual Learning Profile: this document is filled out by the classroom teacher bringing the student to IST or SST.  It outlines for the TEAM meeting the strengths and needs of the student to be discussed at the meeting and therefore strategies that can help support the student in their learning.

IEP

Individual Education Plan: a document (that can be changed at any time) is created by the teacher with input from the parent and sometimes student and tailored to a students needs to support them in their learning at school.

PP

Program Placement: Is a form that must be signed by parents that outlines the type of support that will be given to the student.  Once this form is signed it can be sent to the Ministry of Education and is kept on record. If a parent does not sign this form the school can still create an IEP.

IST

In School Support Team: is a meeting that takes place in school with the teacher, principal, MART and parents/guardians.  This is the first formal meeting between school and parents/guardians with regards to a student whom a teacher feels their needs are not being met in the regular program.

SST

School Support Team: is a meeting that takes place in school with the teacher, principal, MART, special education teacher, sometimes the Special Education consultant,  psychologist, social worker, speech language pathologist and pediatrician. This is a higher level of formal meeting between school and parents/guardians with regards to a student who needs might go beyond the school.  For example, needing support from a social worker, school psychologist, speech language pathologist or a number of outside services. The pediatrician is associated with the Nelson Mandela clinic which is part of St. Mike’s hospital where children can be referred to the clinic and then have access to specialized doctors depending on the need of the student.  This meeting will also determine if a student requires psychological assessment to determine how the student learns and if there are any learning issues that might be identified. A number of these learning issues will be discussed today.

Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) and Special Education Program Placements

IPRC

Identification, Placement and Review Committee:  This is another higher level of formal meeting that parents are invited to, to discuss a student who has a diagnosis and might need to be identified as having an exceptionality to get the optimal support for their learning.  This meeting also decides the type of class the student is recommended to be placed in. The following are the types of Special Education classes available in the TDSB:

Resource 

Resource: Resource is the first type of support that a student can receive when an IEP is developed for them.  There are 3 levels of support available. These students receive less than 50% support throughout the school day.

In-Direct

In-direct Support: The initial type of support when a student is first placed on an IEP and is the minimal amount of support within the regular classroom.  This decision is determined through an IST or SST meeting. This type of support happens within the regular classroom. The classroom teacher provides any accommodation or modification to the curriculum based on the expectations outlined in the IEP. The teacher has on-going consultation with the special education teacher and/or the MART to aid in programming.

Classroom Assistance

Classroom Assistance:  This offers a bit more support for the student. The Resource teacher provides support within the classroom. 

Withdrawal Assistance

Withdrawal: This offers the most support within the regular program. A student may go to a Resource room and work with a smaller group of students and a Resource teacher.

HSP

Home School Program: This offers students support for at least 50% of the school day. It is known as Special Education with Partial Integration within the regular class.  Students in this program include identified students by IPRC, non-identified students who are minimally 2 grade levels behind academically or more or alternative expectations that address significant social, emotional and behavioural concerns.  At Rose Ave. we have adopted an inclusion model that we call Integrated HSP which has the Regular classroom teacher, special education teacher for half the day and possibly an Educational Assistant to support the students within the regular classroom.

ISP classes

Intensive Support Program: This is a program where the student is placed in a special education class all day.  These classes are smaller in number of students with usually more adults in the room to support student needs. In most cases the placement is expected to be of limited duration and it is reviewed annually so that reintegration back into the regular program is the goal.  

Exceptionalities

Exceptionalities

Exceptional Pupil:  is a student whose behavioural, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she requires a placement in a special education program.  A formal identification given to students who attend an IPRC meeting and the committee has decided to formally identify a student as Exceptional.  

LD

Learning Disability:  can be one of a number of neurodevelopmental disorders that persistently and significantly has an impact on the ability to learn and use academic and other skills.  Some of the disorder are: 

• ability to perceive or process verbal or non-verbal information in an effective manner 

• Results in underachievement that is inconsistent with intellectual abilities which are in the normal range

• Cognitive processes such as phonological processing, memory and attention, processing speed, perceptual motor processing, visual-spatial processing, executive functions (self-regulation, behaviour and emotions, planning, organizing, prioritizing, decision-making)

Behaviour

Behaviour: a learning disorder characterized by specific behaviour over a period of time that affects educational performance.  One or more of the following might also be present: excessive fear or anxiety, compulsive reactions, inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships, or an inability to learn that cannot be traced to intellectual, sensory or other health factors.

ASD

Autism Spectrum Disorder:  A severe learning disorder characterized by the rate of educational development, ability to relate to the environment, mobility, perception, speech, and language and or the lack of representational symbolic behaviour that precedes language.

LI

Language Impairment:  A learning disorder that is characterized by impairment in comprehension and/or use of verbal and written communication which may be associated with neurological, psychological, physical and or sensory factors.

SI

Speech Impairment:  A disorder in language formulation which may be associated with neurological, psychological, physical, or sensory factors that involves perceptual motor aspects of transmitting oral messages characterized by articulation, rhythm and stress.