Agenda

1. Agenda • Role of the ESST • Referring a student to the ESST (New flowchart form) • MCS UDL Information Centre and Forms • Role of the Resource Teacher • UDL Pyramid / RTI • When is an SEP in place • Accommodated vs. Modified • Modified Plans (District PowerPoint)

2. Role of the ESST Educational Support Services Team

3. Our MCS ESST • EST-Resource Teachers • Guidance Counselor • Administration • SLP, Christine Goss • District Representative, Jane Ross • Referring Teacher • Outside Guests when needed (OT, Psychologist, Mental Health, Social Worker)

4. Supporting Students in Inclusive Classrooms and Schools • Every team member contributes to the education of all students within inclusive schools and classrooms by: • Ensuring a safe and healthy environment for learning • Collaborating and communicating with other team members to develop, implement, and evaluate personalized learning plans (SEPs, Behaviour, Enrichment) • Removing barriers to allow all students to access curriculum (UDL). For students requiring supports in addition to UDL, identifying and implementing student-specific interventions may be needed. • Actively participating in team meetings and offering ideas and input to educational program and support decisions.

5. Role of ESST Continued • Advancing his or her own learning to acquire or improve the attitudes and skills necessary to successfully include students with the full range of needs in the classroom (e.g., evidence-based practices, being mindful of self-determination. • Advocating to ensure that students’ educational and support needs are adequately addressed in ways consistent with EECD/district policy, provincial standards, and evidence-based practices, being mindful of self-determination.

6. When do I refer a student ? How do I refer a student to ESST?

7. Handouts • Referral Process for ESST (flowchart) • Best Practice Forms (behavior and academic) • List of Universal and Justified Accommodations • Referral form for ESST (District Form) • SEP rubrics (justified accommodations and modifications) • UDL Board is in Erin’s office with bins that contain all of these forms.

8. UDL Information Centre in Erin/Kendra’s office

9. Forms available in UDL Resource Centre

10. Role of the EST- Guidance Guidance Counselor

11. Education Support Services - Guidance Education Support Services – Guidance contribute to the education of students in inclusive schools and classrooms by: • Working in accordance with the pillars of the Comprehensive and Developmental School Counselling program. • Co-directing the work of school intervention workers and education assistants. • Acting as a co-lead with the school-based administration in the implementation of the crisis response and violence threat risk assessment protocols. • Supporting the implementation and monitoring of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports at all levels from the classroom to Individual Behavior Support Plans.

12. Role of the EST-Resource

13. EST-Resource Education Support Teacher – Resource contribute to the education of students with disabilities in inclusive schools and classrooms by: • Co-creating opportunities that facilitate the valued membership of all students in the classroom (e.g. location of desk, purposeful student grouping, purposeful participation, preplanning instruction), including those with the full range of disabilities. • Serving as a primary adult role model for the class to demonstrate acceptance and inclusion of individuals with diverse characteristics (including disabilities) as well as problem solving when faced with unique challenges.

14. EST - Resource • Maintaining working knowledge of subject area curriculum and inclusive instructional practices (e.g., classroom units, lesson plans, assessment practices) in order to contribute. • When required, providing specially designed instruction as and intervention, co-teaching with the classroom teacher, teaching small mixed-ability groups, or individual instruction. • Co-teaching and mentoring classroom teacher to apply differentiation instruction, universal design, multilevel instruction, and curriculum overlapping so that students who perform at substantially different levels can pursue individually determined learning outcomes within shared class activities.

15. EST-Resource • Co-directing the work of education assistants with classroom teachers by: • Discussing the student’s characteristics, educational program, and general support needs. • Talking about the school and common learning environment (e.g., expectations, procedures)

17. SEPs When is an SEP created? Justified Accommodations, Modified, Individualized… what’s the difference?

18. Accommodated vs. Modified Justifiable Accommodations Modifications • Documented strategies, technologies or adjustments without which the student would not be able to access the curriculum. • A course is modified when grade level curriculum outcomes of a subject have been altered, deleted or added in order to address the specific needs of the student. The integrity of the course is maintained while the depth of treatment of the outcomes has been altered or deleted.

19. Justification/ Rationale There must be one or more characteristics of an exceptionality (behavioral, intellectual, communication, perceptual/sensory or physical) and/or a diagnosis AND an educational delay (Education Act). Every means must be tried before modifying the curriculum at all three tiers (RTI). For this reason students in K-2 are not good candidates for modifications. Assessment includes formal, informal, formative, observation, and other types of assessment by classroom teacher and ESTs.

20. Modified Plans Definition and Considerations

21. Definition Modified: a course is modified when grade level curriculum outcomes of a subject have been altered, deleted or added in order to address the specific needs of the student. The integrity \ general intent of the course is maintained while the depth of treatment of the outcomes has been altered or deleted.

22. What does research say?(addressing the 50-80% definition) • Research supports that modifying work of a struggling student is likely to have a negative effect that works against the goals of RTI. Reducing academic expectations will result in these students falling further behind rather than closing the performance gap with peers (Skinner, Pappas, & Davis, 2005)

23. What does research say?(addressing the 50-80% definition) • Accommodation – an accommodation is intended to help the student to fully access and participate in the general-education curriculum without changing the instructional content … (Skinner, Pappas, & Davis, 2005) An accommodation is intended to remove barriers to learning while still expecting that students will master the same instructional content as their typical peers.

24. Questions to ask when considering a modified plan • Is there a clear justification for the plan? • Is there a body of evidence to support the plan? (including formal & formative assessments, observation, FBA, etc. ) • What are the evidence-informed interventions tried to date at all three tiers? Could justified accommodations provide the needed support?

25. Questions to ask when considering a modified plan • Have there been meetings with the student to discuss their feelings, concerns, strengths and challenges? Parents? • Have the ESS team recommended a modified course/program? Are other stakeholders involved and if so, have they been part of the decision? • Have post-secondary options been clearly explained to the student and parent/guardian.

26. Key Components to successful evidence-informed intervention • Allocating sufficient time, frequency and duration • Appropriate student-teacher ratio • Matching the appropriate intervention to the student's need • Incorporating effective instructional elements • Verifying teacher understanding & providing support • Documenting the intervention and collecting data

27. When not to create a modified plan • In order to change a failing grade to a pass. For example in the Spring at reporting time. • At the end of the school year before transitioning to a new school, grade or level (example elementary to middle, ) • To accommodate a provincial assessment exemption • Before adequate assessment, intervention, collaboration and consultation has occurred. • In the K-2 years (these are the optimal years for intervention to promote academic growth). • In order to elevate a mark to make it more appealing ( for example an 80% modified is seen as preferable to a 60% non-modified • To make a case for an EA

28. Grey Areas • Significant gaps without a justification • Pressure from parents • Pressure from classroom teacher • Plans that exist which are not justified • Plans that are not followed. • Post-secondary considerations (students who should be modified but are not)

29. RecommendationsFor plans that are questionable For plans that are not justified or are questionable: • The plan should be reviewed first with EST-Resource, ESS team, classroom teacher, other stakeholders, parent/ guardian and student. • Conduct appropriate assessments to determine a present level of performance (PLOP) • Discuss results to make a decision as to whether the plan is viable, can be changed to accommodated, or be deactivated. Note: Plans must not be changed or deactivated without a parent/ guardian’s knowledge.

30. Recommendations (cont.) • If the plan is deemed necessary (supported by data), discuss options to close the gaps so that the plan may be deactivated at some point due to successful interventions. • The Student (and parent/guardian) need to be included in this process.